I’m guessing about 99.872% of the earth’s land mass is not stroller-friendly. That means if you limit your outings to where only your stroller dare roll, you’re going to see only .128% of creation. Or, perhaps you were more astute with your stroller purchase and bought the off-road jogger type stroller. So add another .003% to the earth’s land mass that is now accessible to you and your children. Nevertheless, if you limit yourself to stroller-friendly environments, your kid is only going to the same places and will only see the same things every other stroller-confined kid sees. Some of those stroller-accessible places are fantastic. The San Diego Zoo, for instance. Or Siena, Italy, if your stroller can handle cobblestones.
We would have missed the cherry blossoms in Japan if we rolled only where strollers dare roll. On the island of Okinawa, the last cherry blossoms of the season were blooming inside the ruins of Nakijin Castle. They weren’t to be missed, so up went the baby into the carrier, through the ancient archways and across glossy stone steps.
In Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique the baby carrier was perfect. In Africa, “stroller-friendly” is a joke. I know there are some locales where stroller tires won’t get stuck in tree roots growing through the sidewalk (where there are sidewalks), but we did not visit those places. Our adventure took us over sand, crumbled concrete sidewalks and areas where the only walking route was a thin line weaving through the tall grass. My daughter experienced it all from her daddy’s back. Now, I am a realist and understand there is often sweat and toil involved when hauling a kid in a carrier. Bottom-line – wear sweat-wicking gear, get out and go! I do not regret experiencing the view from the top of Nakijin Castle or showing my daughter hippo footprints by Lake Malawi. We will continue to go where no stroller has gone before – and no stroller will likely go anytime soon.
will travel with kids 
When did you guys go to Japan? I don’t remember that!
=
Took Petra there February last year for 10 days to visit friends while Drew was gone for 6 weeks. Asia was her fourth continent!
Enjoyable reading, Heidi, and it took me back to strolling around when Mark and Marissa were little — in the double stroller. They didn’t see as many exotic and exciting places as Petra and Amara, but the background of the Rocky Mountains should be etched in their minds as we made our afternoon trek to the nearby High School and blocks away to Schmidt’s bakery! Ah, the good ‘ole days! Plenty of concrete and sidewalks to pave our way…. 🙂
We have many adventures in our double stroller around here! Coffee shops and bakeries are some of our favorites too:-)
And I remember being able to use the stroller in Maputo in the late ’80s by going on and off the street, weaving around the roots, rocks and manholes between our house and the post office.
Yep! You gotta do what you gotta do. Ah, the memories.
I love your spirit, “We will continue to go where no stroller has gone before – and no stroller will likely go anytime soon.” We have twins so we’re talking double-stroller! Our backs ache and our arms are sore but we love every minute of traveling with our kids.
Thanks Wanderlustress! I see you’re a world traveler as well, with kids in tow. Traveling/living internationally with little ones is definitely an enriching experience. I hope to convey a little of that on my blog! Thanks for your interest.
We did register for/plan to buy (since it’s pretty pricey!) the Bob Revolution SE jogging stroller, which is supposed to be great for off-road too, therefore putting us into the category of being able to see .131% of creation (I believe that’s correct according to the stats listed above)… However, I haven’t been under the impression that baby carriers involve much sweat and soreness – at least not on my part — my baby carrier is of the 5’11” variety, named Dan. At least once the baby gets heavy. Isn’t that daddy’s job? That and changing all poopy diapers?
[…] For information on Fountains Abbey, visit the British National Trust website. For information on stroller exercise classes, ask a friend. And for a little motivation to maybe leave your stroller behind and get off the well-worn path, read this related post: Stroller-confined. […]