should we take car seat on holiday?

[alexx2]

Have just booked a holiday in Spain - will be our first with baby, he'll be 7 months. Going to my mum's time share and we'd usually travel from the airport to the villa but taxi.
My question is: should we attempt to travel with the car seat so we can safely travel by car once in Spain or should be ditch the car seat and look into travel by bus/coach?
We have adaptors for the car seat so could take our bugaboo chassis wheels and use the car seat as our main buggy while away but I'm not keen on this as I think the car seat will be quite snug for DS by then and think it will be very hot for him (we're going in July). Would prefer to take a light weight stroller as his main wheels for the holiday.
Any advice from those who've travelled with young ones much appreciated
Thanks

I took both my bugaboo and baby car seat last year when DD was 5 months. She still fits in the car seat ok now at 12 months so I'm sure you'll be ok at 7 months. We had the car seat shrink wrapped and checked it in at the airport and hired a car to use our own seat. We looked into getting a car seat with the hire car but could only get one for a 9month plus baby. She did get warm in the car seat if she was in it a while but we got a towelling summer cover for it which helped. She wouldn't have wanted to be in it for a long time like a day out though, she was much happier in the proper buggy and much cooler

A child that young shouldn't be in a car seat for hours at a time. It's bad for their backs.

www.motherandbaby.co.uk/baby-and-toddler/baby/baby-sleep-problems-solved/baby-car-seat-safety-5-rules-to-follow-when-letting-your-baby-sleep-in-the-car

So I'd say that you need to take both because I'd always trust my car seat over one a taxi driver provides as I know it hasn't been in any accidents.

Who are you flying with? In most cases the airline will let you check 2 of a car seat, a buggy and a travel cot so you should be fine, but check. I've certainly flown with both multiple times.

I don't understand why you wouldn't take the car seat, to be honest. It's so easy - just wrap it in bubble wrap and get it cling-filmed at the airport. Your airline will carry it for free. It's a no brainer IMHO.

I would also take a lightweight stroller for him. One that you can take up to the airplane doors.

PS I wouldn't worry about the heat, I live in the Middle East and my twins have grown up with much worse temperatures than you'd get in Spain. Just make sure he is well hydrated, and chuck an old pillow case or sheet over the car seat if you have to park the car in the sun.

I've taken a car seat with me before when I traveled with my 6 month old baby, depending on the airline you can take 2 pieces of baby equipment for free, this should cover the pushchair and car seat. Also, when my baby was small and I didn't need a car seat during the holiday, I prebooked a taxi with baby car seat to pick me up from the airport in Spain, same on the way to the airport

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. Really useful to get perspectives of people who've done similar trips.
As we will only make the two transfer journeys by car, I think I will look into a taxi firm who will provide a car seat leaving us with more hands free to manage the luggage and buggy! Our airline allows both a car seat and buggy but have to be less then 10kg in total which I don't think our would be and think we'll definitely need the buggy more than the car seat for the duration of the holiday.