Your own two feet aren’t always the best way to navigate a city when traveling with kids. Sometimes the kids get tired, you are tired of carrying kids, and you just need a different option to make getting form point A to point B happen. Luckily most cities offer a few options, or you can pack your own.
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Car
A rental car or taxi are both ways to navigate around a city in comfort and warmth, especially if the weather is not cooperating with your travel plans. This is an added expense for your trip, but can sometimes be cheaper and faster than a subway or bus ride depending on how many people you are traveling with. It will definitely save your legs and back when traveling with kids too.
Public Transit
As a girl who grew up in the city, I am more than familiar with public buses, metros and trolleys. This is a quick and easy way to avoid traffic when traveling with kids and get to where you want to go. Sometimes it is not always the most direct, but if it is a matter of switching trains or getting stuck in rush hour traffic, you better believe I’m taking the metro. Many times younger children ride free, and you can get day or week long passes that can save you money.
Bikes (kid options- tandem, baby seat, trailer)
When in Europe, and even when we are home in the USA, I love to rent a bike to wheel around town. I can see more, cut through parks, and pass through traffic a bit easier than if I was driving a car. My kids love it because they get to sit behind us in a Co-pilot seat or pedal along on a tandem, which covers ground faster than walking. Before you rent, check if the company has a tandem, baby seat or trailer you can use for your younger children though. Many city bike rentals that you find on the street only work for adults. When traveling with kids you may need to rent from a specific bike rental shop.
Scooter
My family has recently adopted Micro Kickboard Scooters into our lives, making a walk to school and cruise downtown to see the sights so much easier and less painful. I don’t have to push a stroller and my kids get to show off their skills. Within a month of our boys getting scooters my husband and I had to get our own just so we could keep up. It is much easier for us to throw four scooters in the trunk of the car for a day of adventure or a road trip than it is to strap three bikes and a baby seat or tandem onto the back of the car.
Stroller
Umbrella stroller or jogger strollers are perfect for navigating city sidewalks when you just can’t carry the kids anymore. Strollers are great nap zones if you won’t be home in time for their afternoon snooze, they can pull double duty as a high chair at a restaurant, and are always a pack mule for my family as we lug shopping bags and backpacks around town.
What’s your favorite way to get around town?
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When I am traveling I typically use taxis more often than not. It really depends on what makes the most sense for the distance I am traveling, the area, etc. Great tips, thanks for sharing!
We still swear by the stroller – even though the girls are 4 and 6 – when we know we’ll spend an entire day sightseeing in a big city.
I like that you talked about how you can use scooters for strolling the city easier and more convenient. Based on your article, it’s also great to know that it’s also easier to place it in your car’s trunk. My husband and I are planning to bring our children to the city to stroll and spend some quality time together. By the looks of it, renting scooters can be a good idea. I will make sure to talk to my husband so we can consider renting one for our family trip.
I use a wheelchair when we travel so my husband made a stand for one of our sons on the back and the other will sit on my lap for long distances! We also love to bring their scooters when we can! Most often we’ll rent our own car except for in New York City. We love the subway and walking (rolling really!). You couldn’t pay me enough to get into a taxi in NYC!