Trunki for a 4 year old?

[DueyCheatemAndHow]

Going away abroad for the first time with the kids. Are they worth it? I don't think we will be flying regularly... Don't plan on taking a pushchair.

We had one and don’t rate them but they seem to be popular. They are bulky/rigid and DC would rather have pulled than sat on them and be pulled, which meant they kept crashing into people’s ankles (being a child they didn’t always look where they were going /spatial awareness) and it just became a menace.

Like I said though that’s just our experience and I’m sure most will tell you they are a great invention!

At 4 I wouldn't bother, though i would consider taking an umbrella buggy, really useful for evenings

No point at 4 really. They should be fine.

Absolute PITA

Glad I asked now! We are considering one for our DD who is 2 - I'm just worried he will get jealous (it's a 2nd hand one)

Personally I would have a small buggy and some sort of carrier so you can mix and match who gets a ride. Trunkis are a bit of a nuisance and won't really help while you are away. I think your older child might be a bit envious that DC2 has something special so on that basis I would find a difference solution to transporting your DC safely.

They are too clunky, try a scooter case by Flyte instead

No. Don't get one for either child. They are a nightmare - child wants to pull it, and gets in people's way, child doesn't want it, and you end up carrying it. Not a great shape for plane storage, and an awkward shape to get stuff out of when on the plane.

We bought one of these for DC1. Used it for one holiday and it gathered dust there after.
Practicality wise, absolute nightmare. I can confirm it's a novelty item

As a grandparent I was asked to buy them one Christmas. They've flown abroad once. Now they're just used for sleepovers .

BUT I would take an umbrella pushchair if you're hoping to eat out at night. They do get very tired. It's a handy place to hang all the beach stuff as well

I got one to take away when dd was 3 and a half. It was a bit crap really. it kept falling over.

We went to Italy and didn’t take a pushchair. It was fine up in the mountains and villages but in the cities we struggled. Dh arms were worn out from carrying! Never again.

Also worth being aware that size restrictions for cabin baggage have changed so for some airlines, it'll be too big or there'll be an extra charge.

DD4 loves hers, but we mainly use it for sleepovers.

I got two second hand ones (£10 each) for my then almost-4 year old and 6.5 year old last summer, first time we've been abroad since pre-covid. Eldest is quite small for his age. They were a bit cumbersome to pull around as don't corner very well but we found them really useful as youngest hates walking more than 5 metres! I managed to pull him and his brother behind me along the long airport corridors to/from the gate and they sat on them when we were in various queues. Only irritating thing was we had to add the large hand luggage options for easyJet & Ryanair as they're too big for the free small carry on option now - which I hadn't checked before buying them and showing the boys. So they were worth it for us and we'll likely use them again this summer, although eldest may have to just pull his this year! Still useful to sit on and have all their stuff together for the journey though.

This is really useful I'm so glad I posted!

We have an umbrella pushchair which we will take but we have a 2 year old and 4 year old. We aren't planning on eating late (we are going to an all-inclusive so hopefully will be eating close to normal time)

My two loves these and it was quite handy pulling them both along when they were tired after a long haul flight. But they were only useful for a year or two.

I didn’t like it. Getting round the airport was marginally more fun for DD but on the plane itself it was a nightmare. Because it unzipped in the middle you had to
put it on your lap and fully open it out every time you wanted something out of it and the stuff in the top compartment kept
falling out. A rucksack is far more practical for the plane itself.

They’re shit. Cumbersome to manoeuvre and a nightmare to get stuff out of. Get the 4YO a backpack they can carry themselves and let them choose what toys to take, then add in a new colouring book and pens, Ipad and headphones, their snacks (chosen at the airport shop), water bottle (empty through security and refilled afterwards). That way it goes under the seat in front instead of the overhead, they pull stuff out themselves as/when needed in flight and they shouldn’t need much or any input from you.

Seem to be in the minority here...We've got three kids and got so much use out of them. They kill a lot of time if you're delayed in an airport. They go as hand luggage but we just pack the kids clothes in them incase we have any issues with cases then stuff they need on the plane goes in mine and dhs bags so we don't need to open them on the plane. We've found them great when away as we just slide them open under the beds so really easy to store their clothes wherever we are.

They live on top of a wardrobe and only come out when we go away so they hold their novelty value (at least they do in our house).

DD was given one and while We've not taken it on a plane it is an absolute pain in the bum. Clunky and awkward to pack so we passed it on to someone else.

We got her a proper case, and backpack which are far more practical.