The Best Travel Stroller Isn’t Always a Travel Stroller: Our Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 Review

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When I started planning our big East Coast trip, I had a baby who would be a toddler by the time we travelled, three big kids and a very clear picture of myself hauling our giant Britax double stroller up a subway staircase in Manhattan. I knew I couldn’t do it so I started looking for travel strollers.

I also knew I didn’t want to spend $500 on a tiny travel stroller that would fold into an overhead bin and then sit in our garage forever once we got home. So I went looking for the best travel stroller for our trip. I was trying to find something that could survive airports, city sidewalks, long sightseeing days and naps. This Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 review is not sponsored, but it does contain affiliate links.

We ended up with the City Mini GT2 plus a Lascal BuggyBoard Maxi ride-along board, and together they carried our family through New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC and a couple of airports. Rosie was about a year and a half. Our other kids were four, eight and nine, and every one of them ended up riding that board at some point (the four-year-old most of all, but the big kids were not above hitching a ride after a long day).

Here’s the part the travel stroller roundups don’t tell you. A stroller that’s perfect for the flight can leave you stranded once you land. Are you shopping for the airport or are you shopping for travel at your destination? So the real question is this: do you need a true compact travel stroller, or do you need a stroller that travels well?

Quick Verdict: Is the City Mini GT2 a Good Travel Stroller?

Yes, if your trip involves a lot of walking once you get there. It’s heavier than the compact strollers that top most “best travel stroller” lists, and it does not fit in an overhead bin. But it folds with one hand, it steers with one hand, it’s comfortable enough for a toddler to spend a whole sightseeing day in it (naps included), and the all-terrain tires handle curbs and cobblestones in a way tiny wheels can’t.

• Price: $335 on Amazon right now. I paid $289 when our color was on sale.
• Weight: 22.4 lb
• Folded size: about 25.6″ x 11.2″ x 33″
• Fits in an overhead bin: No. We gate checked it on every flight.
• Age range: birth to 65 lb (but I am not above sitting it for a break and it has never let me down)
• Our full two-kid setup: $388 for the stroller and ride-along board together

👉 Check the current price of the City Mini GT2 on Amazon

Who should buy it: families who want one stroller for city trips, theme parks, beach days and everyday life at home. Who should skip it: anyone who flies often with a baby and wants to carry the stroller onto the plane.

Why I Didn’t Buy a Compact Travel Stroller

The strollers everyone recommended to me were the ultra-compact travel strollers: a Stokke YOYO, an UPPAbaby Minu, a Joolz Aer. They’re great at one thing. They fold small enough to take on the plane and super light (usually 13-17 pounds). They also cost $500 to $600 at full price.

But I thought about how our days were going to go. We weren’t going to spend most of the trip in an airport. We were going to spend it walking, for hours, through New York and Boston and DC. I wanted Rosie comfortable enough to ride most of the day, and I wanted her to be able to nap in that stroller (sleep is hard enough to come by on vacations and finding something that could lean back was important to me for this trip).

I also knew that once we got home to California, a small travel stroller would get used maybe twice a year. I didn’t want to spend a lot on something I’d never use again. What I wanted was a hybrid: something smaller and easier than a full-size stroller, but sturdier and more comfortable than a travel stroller.

The City Mini GT2 isn’t marketed as a travel stroller, but it is exactly what I was looking for. It’s a lot smaller and more compact than a regular full-size stroller, but it doesn’t make the tradeoffs a true compact does.

Our Field Test: NYC, Boston and Washington DC

New York City: Subway Stairs, Curbs and All-Day Sightseeing

New York is where the one-hand fold earned its keep. Plenty of subway stations don’t have a working elevator, so I knew I needed to be able to take Rosie out, put her on my hip, and carry the stroller up the stairs. It was fine. I wouldn’t call a 22-pound stroller light, but the fold is quick and it stays locked shut, so I could manage it without a second adult (although, you guys, people are SO NICE and I cannot tell you how many times people offered to carry the stroller on this trip).

Up top, it was great at getting up and down New York curbs, which you do about four hundred times a day there. It’s also easy to steer with one hand, which matters more than you’d think when you have four kids on a city sidewalk. The seat reclines nearly flat, so Rosie could take a real nap on the go (I just tucked my phone into the side of the stroller with the white noise app on and she fell right asleep.

BONUS: The lay flat feature also makes diaper changes on the go easier if you cannot find a place to change a diaper.

Boston and Washington DC: Long Walking Days and Cobblestones

Boston and DC were both walking-heavy for us and the stroller held up. We hit some cobblestones in DC, and the GT2 handled them well. Its air-filled rubber tires (the kind that never go flat) and all-wheel suspension are the real reason I’d pick it over a travel stroller with small plastic wheels. The catch is that this was with the ride-along board off. More on that below.

We had a rental car on this trip, and this is where the stroller’s size helped again. It’s easy to lift in and out of a trunk and doesn’t take up that much space (which is helpful when you have two weeks worth of stuff and five people in a minivan). Here’s everything we did in Boston with kids.

Flying With the City Mini GT2: Gate Checking a Full-Size Stroller

Let me be clear about this one: the City Mini GT2 does not fit in an overhead bin. If carrying the stroller onto the plane is your top priority, a true compact travel stroller is the better choice.

We gate checked it on every flight, and, in comparison to traveling with our regular double stroller, I was thrilled! With our older strollers, breaking the stroller down at the gate meant handing my baby to someone else, or wearing the baby and trying to break the stroller down on my own. With the City Mini GT2, I can hold my toddler on one hip and fold the stroller with my other hand. There is way less stress at the bottom of the jetbridge (and everyone is always so impressed I can just pull up the handle and the whole thing folds closed in one motion).

We pushed Rosie all the way through the airport and down to the gate, folded the stroller at the jetway door, and picked it back up at the jetway when we landed.

Airport tip: most U.S. airlines let you gate check a stroller at no charge, but check your airline’s policy before you fly, and get the gate check tag at the counter before boarding starts. If you’re deciding which airline to fly with kids, here’s my Breeze Airways review.

Adding a Ride-Along Board: Our Two-Kid Travel Setup for Under $400

This was the piece that made the whole trip work without a double stroller. We added the Lascal BuggyBoard Maxi ($99 when we bought it), a universal ride-along board that clips onto the back of the stroller and holds a child up to 66 lb.

Mostly our four-year-old rode it but the big kids had some turns, too (especially on our solo day doing museums in dc). One adult could push the toddler and give a tired kid a break, which is exactly what you need on day three of a walking-heavy trip when there is one adult and four kids.

Our whole setup cost $388: $289 for the stroller on sale and $99 for the board. That’s less than any of the popular compact travel strollers cost on their own at full price, and it was so much better than buying a second travel system just to get through one trip.

The board is a little janky. Because it’s universal and built to fit a lot of different strollers, it doesn’t feel as solid as the stroller itself. With a kid on the back, the stroller is harder to push and steer, and on cobblestones or rough ground you lose most of what makes the GT2 good on that terrain. I’ve only used this one board, so I can’t tell you how it compares to others. But if I needed a ride-along board every single day, I wouldn’t want this to be my everyday solution.

What I do love is that it clips on and off. With the rental car, some days the board came with us and some days it stayed in the trunk. Most of the time now, we use the stroller without the board, but if we’re gearing up for a long day at the zoo, I’ll bring it along.

👉 See the Lascal BuggyBoard Maxi on Amazon

Good to know: Baby Jogger also makes its own glider board that fits the City Mini GT2. Looking back, I can’t figure out why I didn’t order it for this trip. All I can think is it wasn’t available for 2 day amazon shipping and I was probably down to the wire. Or maybe it was out of stock. Either way, if you’re going with the Baby Jogger, I’d recommend getting the baby jogger board. If you have another stroller you want a board for, see if the Lascal one works.

Using the City Mini GT2 With a Toddler

A lot of travel strollers are fine for a quick trip through the airport and a lot less fine for eight hours of sightseeing. Here’s what made this one work for Rosie at 18 months, and why it still works for her at four:

• The recline: it goes down almost flat, so naps were real naps.
• The canopy: it’s big (UPF 50+) with a magnetic peekaboo window, so I could check on her without flipping it back and waking her up.
• The seat: it’s rated all the way up to 65 lb, so at four she still fits comfortably.
• The ride: the suspension and air tires kept her comfortable on bumpy ground.

What I Love and What to Know

What I love:

• The one-hand fold. I fold it at the gate while holding my toddler, which I could never do with our old strollers.
• It steers easily with one hand (with the ride-along board off).
• The handlebar adjusts to different heights, so it’s comfortable for whoever is pushing.
• It’s compact for a stroller this sturdy, and it’s easy to get in and out of the trunk.
• The leatherette trim on the handlebar. It looks a lot more elevated than a typical stroller.
• It’s comfortable enough that Rosie rode in it for most of the day and napped in it.
• It handles curbs, cobblestones and sand.
• The ride-along board clips on and off, so it only comes along on the days we need it.

What to know:

• At 22.4 lb, it’s heavier than compact travel strollers, and you’ll feel it on a long flight of stairs.
• It won’t fit in an overhead bin, so plan on gate checking it.
• There’s no spot for a water bottle or cup. I wish there were.
• With the ride-along board attached, it’s harder to push and steer, and you lose most of the all-terrain advantage.

How It’s Held Up: Our Everyday Stroller Ever Since

This trip was a few years ago and we’ve been using this as our regular stroller since. It came home from the East Coast and never left the rotation: errands, outings and every trip since. At this point we just keep it in the car so it’s there whenever we need it.

Here in California, it has also become our beach stroller. The air tires roll over sand far better than any stroller with small plastic wheels, and it handles park trails and dirt paths without a problem.

That’s the biggest reason I’d make the same choice again. A compact travel stroller would have been great for the flights and then mostly retired. This one we keep getting use out of!

City Mini GT2 vs Popular Travel Strollers

To be clear, I haven’t tested the strollers below. This table compares published specs and current prices so you can see the tradeoffs, and my firsthand experience is only with the City Mini GT2. Prices were checked on September 28, 2026, and they change often.

Stroller	Weight	Fits in Overhead Bin	Price
Baby Jogger City Mini GT2	22.4 lb	No	$335 on Amazon
Stokke YOYO3 (6+ months)	13.7 lb	Yes	$499 (on sale for $399 at Stokke)
UPPAbaby Minu V3	16.7 lb	Yes	$500
Joolz Aer2	13.4 lb	Yes	$579 (on sale for $549 at Joolz)
Bugaboo Butterfly 2	16.1 lb	Yes	$599 (on sale for $499 at some retailers)

Choose a compact travel stroller if you fly often, travel solo with a baby, or want to keep the stroller with you on the plane. Choose the City Mini GT2 if your trips mean long days of walking, you have more than one little kid, or you want one stroller that works at home and on vacation for a lot less money.

Travel Stroller vs Full-Size Stroller: Which Do You Need?

A full-size stroller like our Britax double is comfortable and holds a lot, but it’s heavy and bulky and a pain to fold in a hurry. A compact travel stroller is the opposite: easy to carry and fold, but with small wheels and a smaller seat that can wear thin on long days.

The City Mini GT2 sits in between, and for families who travel to walk around a place instead of to sit by a pool, I think in between is the sweet spot. If you’re packing for a trip like this, I also rounded up the most comfortable sandals for walking all day, because your feet matter as much as the stroller’s wheels. For the drive days, these car games for road trips with toddlers saved us more than once.

Conclusion: Would I Buy the City Mini GT2 Again?

Yes, absolutely. It got a toddler, a four-year-old on a board and two tired big kids through three cities and a lot of airport gates. Now that toddler is four, and the same stroller lives in our car and rolls across the sand at the beach (or up the hill from Salt Creek, iykyk). It isn’t the lightest stroller you can take on a plane. But once you land, it’s the one I’d want to be pushing.

If you’re planning a trip and staring at a $500 travel stroller you’ll only use a few times, consider this your sign to think about what you’ll use after the flight.

👉 Shop the City Mini GT2 on Amazon

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