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

I recently took my dolls on a plane, i took the heads off and wrapped them in bubble wrap then put them in a box , the bodies were wrapped in a pillow case worked just fine. Just protect the head/face up and you will be fine

 

I've taken my girls on a plane. I wrapped them in a pillowcase and put them in the middle of my suitcase surrounded by LOADS of clothing. They came out perfectly fine

 

Thanks everyone for your advice! I think I will try and keep her together this time, though I might still restring her over the break. I have some bubblewrap I might use, or will otherwise just pack her well and protect her faceup.

To answer a point some of you have brought up - I am allowed a carry-on to the bus, but it's going to be my laptop computer bag, and she won't fit in there! It's such a hassle to go home for a month and try to fit everything you need into such small space!

 

Oops! Double-post.

 

This might be a good way to travel with your doll(s), a Columbia brand wheeled backpack and daypack from Sierra Trading Post online:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/pr...pass-Wheeled-Backpack-with-Detachable-Daypack

originally $170 on sale for $64

 

If you do take her apart (and this goes for restringing too) make sure to label or try and keep her thigh parts seperate so you know which one is left and which one's right. The two times I've restrung a doll I've gotten the thigh parts mixed up so I had to do the legs all over again.

 

Hokay, so I'm planing on flying from the UK to Otakon next year in Baltimore and want to take my two SD sized boys. The only thing is, there's no way I'm letting my boys go as luggage after seeing some of the boxes my boys first came in. (One was completely squashed on one side. Luckily the head was the other end.)
Have any of you taken two dolls as carry on? If so did you have any problems? If you were with someone, did you find it easier to have them in a double carry bag or let the other person take one as carry on?
And especially to people who've recently flown from the UK with a SD sized doll; did you have any problems with the ever changing security rules? I've asked around and so far I've heard the rules are you're allowed on carryon bag and one handbag/purse but nothing on the current size and content.

 

Seph, I flew to Japan from the UK on the 20th of November with my SD13 boy. There were no problems with security at all - I had the doll in my closed carry-on bag and I didn't even get any funny looks when it was scanned! The carry-on dimensions that I last heard were a maximum of 56cm by 45cm by 25cm, but this may be dependent on the airline, and I certainly saw many people taking cabin luggage that was much larger. If you have a SD-sized carrying bag, I think you'll be fine.

 

Ah that's great news, thank you Rhian. ^^

 

My boy has gone on several plane trips now (San Francisco to Boston, Boston to Detroit to Flint and back), and I've never had any trouble with him at all. I carry him in his bag (I have a SoulDoll carrier), well-packed with his pillow for padding, etc. I've never had any trouble with security or with the size of the carrier.

I usually make sure to tell the screeners to be gentle with the bag, because I've seen how many times someone else's carry-on comes out of the Xray and slams into whatever's already there, and they've always been very nice about it. Usually they ask if it's an instrument, and when I tell them no, it's a doll, they either look at me kinda funny ( ) or are actually pretty interested (apparently, the Xray is very interesting, though I've not gotten to see it myself). Once when there were very few people going through security, one of the screeners who collected dolls herself asked to see him, and we stood around talking for several minutes. So no problems on that front!

I put the carrier under the seat in front of me when I get on the plane itself. There's a lot of shoving and slamming that goes on in the overheads, and I'd be too worried about him getting damaged up there. The bag IS too long for the space under the seat (at least, if you have 60cm or larger), but I put it at a slight angle to reduce how much it sticks out and keep my feet on either side to protect it from being knocked around, and so far no one has had a problem with it. I think most people assume that it's an instrument case, like security always seems to, so they understand that you want to keep it protected. Because my flights aren't normally too long (about two hours for my usual Boston-Detroit runs), I pack any carry-on stuff like a change of clothes or my laptop into my backpack and put that in the overhead storage, and slip a paperback and my iPod into the doll carrier so that they're easily accessible.

Well, I think this post is a little long, but I hope it helps someone! ^^

 

That definitely helps me! ^^
I'm glad to hear we can take MP3s on planes too. *Hasn't been on a plane in years.*

 

Yeah, you're definitely allowed to take your mp3 player with you. There are certain times (takeoff and landing) where they will ask you to turn off any electronics, but once the plane reaches a certain altitude you're free to use mp3 players, handheld games, laptops, etc (no cellphones, pagers, radios, or anything that transmits, though).

 

I put my boy in his carrier and put it in the overhead and he was perfectly fine. No banging, squashing, nothing. The security guys thought it was amusing to look at him and even asked if they could see him aside from the scanned version lol But I checked the airline's website for the carry on restrictions/dimensions and then measured his bag and it worked fine.

 

I never took my doll into a plane before, but if I did, I would probably have it with me in my hand luggage:3

 

I'm gonna follow the Japaneses and use violin cases instead. Very classy way to go.

 

I have worried about this myself, since my dolls are big and heavy. I feel sure I will carry them on when the time comes because I would not trust them to be knocked around or lost in the luggage...Tibby

 

I would never put my doll in checked baggage. Definately, those dollcarriers that look like a small duffel bag anyway are the way to go. Unless your kid is small enough to fit in a backpack. I think a backpack and a dollcarrier to bring on the plane should do it.
Nancy

 

Ah..this topic help me so much.

I plan to carry my boy when I travel. But if I have to carry my purse and laptop. I still can't imagine how can I pick my boy up with. ^_^:

 

Put your purse in your laptop bag if it's small enough, and just hand-carry your doll. ^_^

I can confirm that, on Continental at least, an SD13/CP sized doll without a case does get a pass as the "One small personal item" that you're allowed to have in addition to your regular carry-on. Teacup (my Elf Shiwoo) spent the entire trip from Seattle to Birmingham sitting on my lap, and no one... from the security guys to the flight attendants... said a word about him. (Although he did have to spend take-offs and landings curled up under the seat in front of me, just like any other carry-on item.

 

Heavy is an understatement when transporting dolls. Right now I'm in transit from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and I have my two minis in their carrying bag. Poor Radriel had his head popped off and put in the carry bag with them, while I wrapped his body in a few scarves and put it into my laptop bag, then stuck a pillow and their extra clothes ontop of that. >_<; Big laptop bag + luggage + carry bag = not fun for a 5 foot tall Asian girl to lug around. It's all very heavy...I get the feeling I might need to invest in a rolling backpack or something. =X