When I found out my second pregnancy was twins, I worried about what that would mean for our travel plans. The logistics of having to haul all the stuff three kids need felt like an impossible task with just two parents.
I’m from Argentina, and I’m the only one in my family who left the country. That means that if I want to see my parents or extended family, I need to fly over 12 hours to meet up. So, not traveling was not an option since I wanted my kids to have a relationship with my family.
I recently discovered one travel item that made my experience so much more enjoyable as a parent.
I hated traveling with strollers
My kids are only two years apart, so we’ve always traveled with a stroller. Our favorite one was a double stroller with a ride on platform so we could have all kids contained.
While this setup was practical for touristing in cities, I hated having a stroller in airports.
For one, we had to take the elevator everywhere. While this might not sound like a problem at first, if you’ve ever tried to find elevators — or even better, empty elevators — you’ll know that’s not an easy task. You often have to walk way past where you’re going to access them, they are usually out of service, and they have long lines of people waiting for them.
But aside from that, a stroller like ours could not go on the plane. We used it so the kids’ little legs wouldn’t get tired walking through the airport, so we usually would not check it at the counter. That would mean carrying three toddlers around, which should be an Olympic sport. So, that meant we had to gate-check the stroller.
We’ve had numerous times where we had to wait for the stroller to be unloaded for us. Once, a flight attendant told us to just go because we would miss the connection if we kept waiting, but that wasn’t an option. Another time, the airline lost a wheel, so the stroller was useless for our connection (thankfully, I could buy just a replacement wheel and didn’t have to buy a whole new stroller).
This ride on suitcase is a game-changer
While planning an overnight flight with my kids, I started looking for options to make their travel more comfortable — meaning, how to ensure they would sleep most of the night without disturbing other passengers.
That search led me to the Stokke JetKids BedBox. This ingenious product checked a lot of boxes of what I was looking for and retails for $229.
The JetKids ride-on suitcase allows you to drag your kid around the airport with ease. Kids sit on the little suitcase and hold on to a strap, and the parent has a long strap to pull it. That same strap turns into a shoulder strap for when you need to carry it.
In addition, the suitcase also turns your kids’ plane seat into a bed. You simply put it under the seat gap, flip the top, add a little cushioned fabric, and that’s it.
If your trip doesn’t require your kid to sleep on the flight, you can also use the inside of the suitcase to store their clothes, books, or favorite stuffie. And they fit easily on the overhead compartment if you don’t want them at their feet.
I tried it while traveling with my twins alone
Recently I traveled with my twins by myself for the first time. I needed to optimize my carry-on because I would have two kids with me, and I only have two hands.
I brought two of the JetKids BetBox with me. I put the Stokke Cloudsleeper inflatable beds inside since where we were going didn’t have toddler beds, and packed all the twins’ entertainment into the backpacks that came with the little suitcase.
Not only was walking through the Miami airport easily — which, if you know, you know — but we were the sensation of the whole trip. Passengers and crew alike stopped me to tell me how fun the ride-on suitcases looked and how they wished they had had things like these when their kids were little.
Now, I just need to put our stroller in our Facebook BuyNothing group and say goodbye forever.
Conz Preti is an award-winning editor, originally from Argentina and mom of three under 7. She’s worked in online media for over 15 years, and her byline can be found on many of the popular websites millennials read regularly. She has a master’s from Columbia Journalism in digital journalism. She’s the author of “Too Pregnant To Move” and wrote a chapter for the parenting book “100 Diverse Voices on Parenthood.“Currently she is the Deputy Editor for freelancers, focusing on parenting, health, college life, and sex and relationships.