Today I’m sharing my Zoe Travel Stroller review.
We recently purchased the Zoe Traveler stroller in anticipation of our Spain and Portugal trip with our daughters last month. Our old travel stroller had served us well, but it was time for an upgrade. And I’ll take any excuse to review something on the blog!
The Zoe Traveler kept coming up in our research, and it seemed like a solid mid-range option. I liked the idea of the one-handed collapse and fold, and the claims that this stroller could fit in an overhead compartment on a plane were very intriguing to me.
This review was not sponsored, but Zoe has generously offered to let me include a discount for my readers with this post! Use this link for $15 off your stroller purchase with Zoe! This discount should apply automatically at checkout.
So we decided to go for it! When the Zoe Traveler Stroller first arrived, I was very impressed. It was lightweight, easy to push and maneuver, and seemed comfortable enough for my almost-four-year-old daughter to sit in.
And after walking this stroller all around Spain and Portugal for two weeks, I’m ready to write up my full review.
Zoe Travel Stroller Review
In this Zoe Travel Stroller review review, I’m going to walk through all of the dimensions, specs, and features of the Zoe Traveler. I’ll, of course, share my opinion of the stroller and our experience using it on a two week Europe trip.
I’ll also talk about the differences between the Zoe Traveler and the Zoe Tour stroller AND how it stacks up to other travel strollers on the market. (I made a little chart for this–I hope you guys are proud of me lol).
(I should note that this review is neither sponsored nor gifted).
Zoe Traveler Review
Price
The Zoe Traveler costs $249. (Although my link will get you $15 off!)
Setup
The Zoe Traveler was extremely easy to set up. All we (“we”) had to do was pull it out of the box and screw on the wheels.
Dimensions
When the Zoe Traveler stroller is closed, it measures 18.5″ x 21.5″ x 9.5″. When it’s opened up, it measures 40″ x 21.5″ x 24.”
Weight
The Zoe Traveler weighs 13 lbs. This is actually the exact same weight as our old travel stroller, The Summer Infant 3d Lite, but because of how compactly the Traveler folds up, using it feels like an entirely different experience.
Age + Weight Capacity
The weight limit for the Zoe Traveler stroller is 45 lbs. The stroller is meant to be used for infants above the age of 3 months.
My daughter Emmie is a very average sized almost-four-year-old. I wasn’t sure if the seat was big enough for her to sit comfortably in it, but she was totally fine and loved riding in it. And my almost-six-year-old daughter Charlotte even rode around in it a few times and was also fine.
Fold and unfold
One of my favorite features of the Zoe Traveler stroller is how easy it is to fold and unfold. To collapse the stroller, you simply press the button on the back of the push handle and press the stroller down towards the ground. The stroller collapses with some moderate pressure and then auto-locks into place.
To open the stroller, you press the same button and pull upward. When it’s almost all the way open, you have to sort of flick your wrists to get the stroller to lock into place.
After just a bit of practice, we were able to open and close the stroller very easily. Tyler can open and close it with one hand. I, personally, have to use two hands when I open it to get it fully locked into place, but I can collapse it with one hand which is so nice in airports and on the go.
I have to mention this here: the Zoe Traveler stroller can stand upright on its own when it is collapsed/closed. This means that when you collapse the stroller, you can set it down on the ground and it doesn’t fall over immediately onto the ground.
Carry handle/belly bar
This is another amazing feature. The bar that goes across the child’s seat in the front doubles as the carry handle. So when you collapse the stroller, you can then easily pick it up with that handle to carry it all in one fell swoop. This makes the collapse/fold feature even more seamless and is something that makes this stroller stand worlds apart from others we have used.
Brakes
The brake is located on the bottom of the stroller, in the middle of the lower bar that connects the two back wheels. The brake is straightforward and really easy to use.
Car seat compatibility
The Zoe Traveler is not car seat compatible.
Sunshade
The adjustable sunshade goes almost all the way forward, much further than travel strollers we’ve used in the past. There is a little peek-a-boo flap on the top of the sunshade that you can use to check on your child if they are asleep.
Recline
This stroller can recline to 140 degrees, making naps-on-the-go a total breeze. The recline function is found on the back of the seat where you can manually recline and return the seat to sitting with the adjustable pull tie.
Emmie doesn’t really nap anymore, but she did doze off once or twice when she was all the way reclined in the afternoon.
Storage
There is a moderate amount of storage in a basket area beneath the seat of the stroller. You can access the storage from the back but not as easily from the front. We were usually able to fit our sweaters and a few water bottles.
There is one small pocket on the back of the stroller seat. This pocket has a small velcro closure and is the perfect size to store a single small water bottle, phone, or hand sanitizer.
Cupholder
The Zoe Traveler stroller comes with a cup holder that attaches to the side of the top of the stroller. The cupholder was definitely a miss for us and our only really qualm with the stroller. The cup holder pops off easily, and sure enough, ours fell off somewhere along the way on our second travel day of the trip.
Harness + straps
The Zoe Traveler features an easy-to-use 3 point harness. The shoulder straps are adjustable.
Colors
The Zoe travel stroller comes in 7 different colorways, 4 of which are currently in stock as I write this review. My favorite colorways were Ocean and Black, but we ended up purchasing Clay because my first two choices were sold out at the time. I actually ended up loving the Clay. I thought it looked super cute in pictures, and I haven’t seen a ton of strollers in that color before.
Add-ons + accessories
The Zoe Traveler comes with a detachable cup holder, the under-seat storage basket, and belly bar.
Customers have the option to purchase the following separately: snack tray ($35), stroller organizer ($35), stroller storage backpack ($50), shoulder carry straps ($20), and a machine-washable seat liner ($40).
The Zoe Mini Bundle costs $65 and includes the shoulder carry straps, the stroller organizer, and the storage bag. The Zoe Essentials Bundle costs $165 and includes the rain cover, snack tray, mesh storage bags, storage backpack, and an entertainment/iPad holder.
Maneuverability
This stroller is VERY easy to push and maneuver. The handle goes all the way across which means that you can push it with one hand which is SO nice if you are a compulsive coffee drinker. One big complaint I had about travel strollers we’ve used in the past is that you have to hold both handles to push it, so this felt like a major upgrade.
We did have to apply pressure to the handle bar when going over curbs or bumps in order to lift up the front wheels.
Wheels
The wheels were fine–smoother than the Uppa Baby G-LINK that we used last summer and certainly better than the Summer Infant 3d Lite.
Zoe does sell all-terrain wheels that you can purchase separately, BUT those only work on the Zoe Tour stroller so we weren’t able to upgrade the wheels on ours.
Is the Zoe Stroller good for European cobblestones?
This was by far my biggest question mark when it came to the Zoe Traveler stroller: how would it do on cobblestones in Europe? There wasn’t a great way to test for this at home, so we just had to wait and see.
Ultimately, it did fine. It wasn’t perfect, and there were definitely moments throughout the day where the wheel would get stuck in a crevice. I think any travel stroller is going to be like this, and I think it performed as well as it could have for the price and circumstances.
Can the Zoe Traveler fit in an airplane overhead compartment?
The answer is yes, the Zoe Traveler can fit in an overhead compartment. I had read this claim over and over again online when I researched, but I did wonder how many airlines would actually let us bring this stroller on board with us.
We had 7 total flights with 4 different airlines on this trip, so it was a good test run for this!
Iberia (operated by Level), Vueling, and Air Europa all let us bring the stroller on the flight with us, and it did easily fit in the overhead compartments of each of those airplanes.
Ryanair asked us to gate check it in Sevilla, but we were allowed to bring it on when we boarded our Ryanair flight in Porto.
Six out of seven flights is a pretty good ratio, but it’s important to note that just because it can fit does not automatically mean every crew will let you bring it on board. As we all know, nothing is guaranteed with international travel (especially when it comes to budget airlines!), so it’s good to temper your expectations on this sort of thing.
Overall review: Zoe Traveler Pros and Cons
I have to say that we LOVE this travel stroller. It is a vast improvement to what we’ve used in the past, and I am so glad we purchased it.
Since our daughters are older, we didn’t use it every single day on our most recent trip, but it came in handy on travel days and long days of walking around big cities. Also, we would often load the stroller up with our carry-on bags and use it to roll everything through the airports–I dread the day we don’t travel with a stroller for this reason alone!
Our 3.5 year old daughter was totally comfortable in it, and it was beyond easy to set up and collapse on the go.
With a lot of these little European towns, there were many moments throughout the day where we’d suddenly happen upon a set of stairs. The ease of the collapse-and-carry feature of the Zoe Traveler stroller made this a breeze.
I LOVE that the Zoe Traveler stands up straight on the ground when it collapses. And it was really nice not having to gate check it on most airlines which made travel days a breeze.
The stroller performed as well as a travel stroller can on cobblestones and uneven pavement–not perfectly but never to the point of frustrating us which I think is all that matters.
My only true qualm was the cupholder popping off easily.
Zoe Traveler vs. Zoe Tour
The only other real consideration here is comparing the Zoe Traveler to the Zoe Tour stroller.
The Tour costs $259 and is also a streamlined, compact stroller, BUT it is slightly bigger than the Traveler.
One huge advantage of the Tour is that it does have car seat adaptability. Another that you can upgrade the Tour’s wheels to Zoe’s all-terrain wheels which I think would have been fabulous in Europe. You cannot upgrade the Traveler wheels.
As far as I can tell, the Tour cannot stand up on its own when closed.
If you are looking for more of an everyday stroller that you’d like to be compatible with a car seat, I think the Tour is your answer. I also love that you can upgrade the wheels to be more sturdy going over cobblestone and uneven pavement.
The only downside I see from a travel perspective with the Tour is that it is less compact when folded. Since we had so many flights on this last trip, it was worth it to us to try out the Traveler since we would be hopping on and off planes so often.
The Tour can also grow with your family and has the ability to add a seat to the front.
If your priority is having as compact and streamlined of a stroller situation as possible, I’d go with the Traveler. If you want something that would be a little more stable on uneven pavement and be compatible with a car seat or additional seat, I’d go with the Tour and add the all-terrain wheels.
For what it’s worth, our friends took their Zoe Tour (with the all terrain wheel upgrade) through Italy last summer and had nothing but great things to say about it!
The Zoe Twin Double Stroller
Lastly, I have to mention the Zoe Twin stroller. I wish I had discovered this when my kids were smaller! This is a super lightweight double stroller that would be a fabulous travel stroller if you have two kids. My best friend has this, and it is amazing.
The Twin actually has the option to add a third and fourth seat which is wild but so cool.
Comparing Travel Strollers
Here’s a quick rundown of how the Zoe Traveler (and Zoe Tour) stacks up to a handful of the most popular travel strollers on the market: the Nuna TRVL, the Bugaboo Butterfly, the Baby Jogger City Tour, and the Babyzen YoYo.
Okay, I think I covered everything! Thank you so much for checking out my Zoe Travel Stroller review. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you do end up purchasing either Zoe stroller and how it goes!
Zoe Stroller Promo Code
And don’t forget to use this link for $15 off your stroller purchase with Zoe! This discount should apply automatically at checkout.
On that note:
30 tips for traveling internationally with small kids
26 lifesaving tips for traveling with a baby
