Travelling with your dolls: issues/ideas/etc. Part I

I'm among the people who recommend NOT taking the doll out of its bag on the plane/bus/train. You could accidentally knock a shoe or wig out of the bag, and not notice it's gone until after you've gotten off and can't go back to look for it. There's also the problem of turbulence, or that you might be seated next to someone who feels like being a jerk about the doll for four hours straight. (Some people feel their opinion is so great, they'll take advantage of the fact that you're a captive audience and share it for hours, whether you like it or not.)

I'd also recommend against taking pictures on the plane because it's close quarters, and the flash would annoy the people sitting next to you. The airline stewardesses are also trying to do their job, so stopping them when they're in the middle of working for a doll photo would be kind of rude. If they've got down time and you ask nicely, then go for it. But don't stop a stewardess in the middle of serving drinks or doing other work to ask for doll pictures.

 

hai i understand

Ritsuka: i must dress up
kag: dude we still have 3 months to go...
Ritsu: who cares...

on another note its my mum and i going .... i dunnoe if we'r going business class yet... lol probbly econ

ah well i am nervous...

 

I'm clever-clever and know how to take photos on planes without the flash XD I take pictures of clouds out the window all the time. *lame*

Anyway... I agree that it's a bad idea to ask the stewards for doll photos :'D That's pretty rude.

 

probbly ask them after the flight

 

My dad and I sat in the back of the plane once, right near the jump seats for one of the stewardesses XD I think we made her workday a little less boring by chatting with her. In that situation, I can see asking for a photo - while they're sitting down, not actively working on anything.

XD Actually, come to think of it, I'd be more interested in the stewards' reaction to my doll than the passengers. They always seem pretty nice/friendly/curious - when I was a bit younger, they'd always comment on my drawings :'D

 

i see

*still nervous*

ah well post about it

 

I need to take the 2 unoa on a plane... i have a DOD carrier that will be perfect for them, but for you experts out there, is it too LONG? do you think? I know that it has to fit under my seat and all that stuff....

I am thinking too of getting one of those small suitcases with wheels that you're allowed to carry on. Maybe they'd be better in there?

 

Dunno how long unoa is because I'm dumb XD

If it can fit under a normal dining room chair (in terms of length/width, not height), it'll probably go under your seat. You have a teeny bit of leway to get it alongside your feet, but make sure you can deal with having your feet scrunched up for a whole plane flight... XD I think a single SD-sized doll (from my limited experiance) would almost be pushing it, length-wise. I had trouble with a laptop once :-/ It was almost too wide.

If you're sitting by a window, you may be able to cheat and stand it upright by your leg. The flight attendants usually won't see it for landing/takoff ^^;

My carryon is a wheely laptop bag - kind of bulky, but just small enough to go under my seat.

EDIT: Also, about the wheely suitcase - that has to go in the overhead bin, as it's too big to go under your seat. It's better than going in the belly of the plane :'D But it might still get a little rough up there. Pad your dolls well! >__>

 

okay... okay... this is all very very helpful, thank you! DOD bags aren't as big certainly as an SD bag, so... I think I'm going to go with the dolls in the DOD bag with pillows and wigs and clothes as padding, AND get a small wheely case, that won't have dolls in it, just my other shit, to go in the overhead bin.

The other thing I've gotten away with, too, is carrying just a ridiculously large purse. They don't count a purse as one item, for the most part, so....

 

Nyu.. I've got to decide whether to take my boy with me to Japan this September... getting him into the country shoudn't be too much of a problem. Getting him to wherever I end up slumming it is entirely another XD I have carried WAY too many heavy bags through WAY too many Japanese stations before... I don't think carrying him from Narita to Shibuya and back again is going to be particularly safe... Especially not if I'm travelling through Shinjuku where they don't have any blasted escalators XO

... Anybody got any ideas of some way to keep him really secure and safe? Cus me + holdall + rucksack is gunna be hard enough, without having a second person clutched to my chest for dear life. XD

 

The only airline I've taken a doll carrier on is Southwest. The SD-sized carrier from Luts can be put under the seat diagonally, but a fair amount of it hangs out into your foot-space. Luts' MSD-sized carrier fits without a problem.

Southwest's regulations say that carry-on items must be placed in the overhead bin if they do not fit entirely under the seat. You can get around this, however, by sitting next to a window & wearing a long skirt and/or carrying a coat & draping it over your lap. (This technique is especially effective if your carrier, skirt & coat are all black.)

 

If you're able, pack your doll in the very center of your biggest bag, packed in with clothes and soft things XD Last Christmas break I brought an extra laptop back in my suitcase - packed it in the center, surrounded by clothes, and checked it in with the airline. It was totally unharmed, despite how rough airline workers are with things.

So if you're willing, that might work XD

 

But be careful! T_______T You could get the one security guy whose in a bad mood, who makes you check a bag... I've taken my hermit crabs on planes five or six times, and the most recent flight I got this arse of a security guy who gave me hell about taking them with me >___> and they weren't even illegal... he was just being a butt.

So be careful about breaking the rules - you don't want to get trapped and have to do something with your bags that you don't want to do.

(Like in Meet the Parents XD)

 

Sometimes flight attendants are pickier than others, and will give you grief for even a tiny bit sticking out from under the seat. Everyone has a bad day now and then....if I bring a big carrier, it always goes overhead padded by a coat or a backpack. Normally it will fit on top of the other items. I don't often bring a larger doll, though, especially if I'm not going to a doll-oriented event.

I'm very leery of putting a doll in a checked-in bag, which was reinforced when our luggage was delayed on this last trip for almost a day. I don't put anything else valuable (jewelry, anything irreplaceable) in there, so it makes sense that I wouldn't put my dolls in there. Only clothing and stuff I can replace. For the BJD convention, I will probably put the dolls in a rolling case and bring it on board rather than mess with carriers.

I'm also with the "not taking them out on the plane" mode of thinking....I've had other items (books, etc) fall off the tray when we hit unexpected turbulence and go rolling out of reach. I'd hate to have that happen to one of the girls or their items.

 

Some airlines have speciall allowances for fragile items that have to be carried on. Dolls count (at least on Delta). Though there are still certain restrictions. Your best bet is to call the airline and double check everything.

Which reminds me, I still need to found out how big the Volks carriers are so that I can make my airline calls. Exactly how long are they?

 

Um, well, I've never taken Farera or Eien & Tori on a plane before, just walking around town kinda stuff, but if I did, I'd let them sit on my lap, ya know, like carry-on!

 

This summer I have to go away from home for a two-week long conference plus another week of visiting with my aunt and there's absolutely no way I'd leave Ryu home with my sister during Summer vacation >.< Recently she's had a change of heart when it comes to BJDs and is trying to kidnap the poor boy...

Anyway, back on topic, What I'm getting from this thread is that if we travel with our resin-buddies they should have a case most definately. But, if I somehow don't get a case by then for some reason or another, would carrying them around in my tote bag/purse be safe? Just incase though - what's the dimensions of the Delta carry-on? O.o I don't remember...

I know that he'd be with me in the compartament because having Ryu in my checked luggage would scare me to death... and he is definately coming with me, no exceptions...

 

^^ I accidentally took my doll's body with me to Sacramento once. I had meant to drop it off at the apartment but it was in my carry-on. It wasn't a problem, though. It was just wrapped in my jacket and I didn't mess with it.

 

This is what Delta's website says for standard carry-ons:

This is why I need to call the airline (I'm flying through Delta too), because I know an SD-sized case isn't less than 22". Azure himself is over that. But here, it says that dolls are considered fragile and can be brought on as special carry-ons, but it doesn't give restrictions unless you're buying a second seat for the item.

I have no desire to get all the way to check-in, only to be told that my very expensive doll is too big to be carried on.

 

Thank you for posting that. I most likely won't have any problems with bringing Ryu with me but since they are dolls, I doubt they'd tell you that you'd have to check him. It doesn't hurt asking though.