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

I didn't even have to do that. I just concluded a trip from Oregon to Florida and back again (five plane trips in total) and my Chiwoo rode on my lap take-off to touch-down. Aside from one stewardess falling in love with him and odd looks from the X-ray guys in security nothing was said.

 

I'll be traveling all over the planet come spring. I'm so glad this thread is back up here.

In April it'll be to Thailand with stops in Taipei Taiwan and Singapore. July is Anime Expo in California or if I can't do that it'll be Japan or if not that it'll be France. Eeks. October is going to be Yaoicon in San Francisco.

I have three dolls -- 60cm, 71cm, 63cm -- I plan on taking with me on the international flights. Since I'm not even five feet in height I think I'll need to invest in a rolling suitcase. @_@ At least four because I'm a clothes horse.

Anyone got a recommendation for a small, children sized suit case with wheels?

 

Some people at Yaoi Con this year had really nice sized suitcases for them, the hard-shelled kind, that fit at least 2 SDs. I don't know what make they were, but if any of those people are around, I was actually interested in getting one myself. Does anyone know what I'm talking about/have one? Who makes those?

 

Thanks SolarCat, I'll look into that.

 

Hi,
I am about to head to Japan for 4 months and stay with a homestay family. I have two soft body boys and am wondering if I should take at least one with me. To me he is like an item from home etc and I feel bad putting them in a box or dropping them on someone to watch for me. If anyone has any opinions please let me know

thanks

 

I did a homestay for a week and brought my doll. I kept him in my bag the whole time and didn't show him to my family because I didn't know how they would react, it was only for a short time though.

It was nice to have him though, and even when I switched to the dorms I liked coming back to him because it was a nice reminder of home.

 

I would take at least one with me. That's a long time to away from home and like Tereya Chan said it would be a nice reminder of home.

 

A head on a soft body seems like it would travel easily. I would say, take at least one with you! If i was traveling, i'd take at least one of my dolls with me. (probably Snowdrop, since she's so small and lightweight) Then, if you have any friends who are interested in dolls, you might allow one of them to watch your other boy for you, or let him stay with your parents. I know if i ever had to go someplace and leave my dolls behind, my boyfriend or my parents wouldn't feel burdened at all watching them. (in fact, right now, my mom is storing about 3 rubbermaid tubs filled with doll furniture from my childhood for me because there's no way it would fit in my house)

 

I took my Benji (Luts Ttori) with me to Switzerland, but I was so afraid of the whole security issue that I took him apart and carried the head in my purse and wrapped each body part in a ziplock bag then in my clothes in my suitcase. I just put him together when I got to my nana's house and then took him apart again when I went home. It worked out perfectly without a hitch!

 

heh, if i go traveling, i prolly wouldn't take a doll with me. But if its somewhere where i will be staying in a house for more than a week, i def. would. The poconos mountains are perfect to bring bdj's along XD

 

I'd take one with me if I was going anywhere. I'd take Ryu because he is my first and at the moment only doll. Who I take everywhere.

 

actually i brought my boy back from japan! it was sucha pain, many times i wanted to just throw him away ;_:

 

ack! throw him away????why

 

I know a lot of people go to cons with their dolls, so I'm guessing they will understand what I'm talking about.. My friend and I have our first dolls on their way home so we're majorly excited but the two of us are going to Japan in april for a semester of schooling. I've been through this before, so I know that it is an extremely lengthy 12-14 hour flight e_e..

Anyway I was wondering where the best place to take your doll is? I'm slightly frightened to bring him on the plane as a carry on because the security might decide they need to take him apart or something?! I don't know.. I'm just frightened of them damaging him and security is really tight in airports to begin with.

I guess the other option is luggage-- but with all my hair stuff in there dyes/shampoos etc even in a plastic bag and his own case I worry, besides I'm also concerned about him getting crushed/broken in the process.

Input would be much, much appreciated ;_;

 

I have never traveled with my doll out of Norway, but I have been traveling in Norway with her, by plane. I took her as hand luggage on the plane and that was not problem. I didn't have a carrier so I wrapped her in bubblewrap and kept her in my laptop backpack

But I don't know if flying internationaly would be different.

 

I've taken dolls on airplanes maaany, many times ^^ What size is your doll? MSD is easier to travel with than SD, but I've even traveled with two SD-sized dolls and two MSDs at the same time without trouble.

I use a backpack to carry my boys. I can fit one SD and two MSD in there, and as long as their faces are covered (with plastic wrap or similar), there should be no danger of faceups rubbing off.

Your other option is to pack your doll's body in your luggage, wrapped in a blanket to keep it padded, and to take just your doll's head on the plane with you. I've taken a body that way, and there was no damage, even though my suitcase also had an old-school Nintendo and a hard-drive in it... ^^;

They won't need to take your doll apart. I've had my bag checked, but only because they thought there was liquid in it o___O I think they just wanted to see what was inside... it must look weird on the x-ray XD

 

A lot of people have taken their dolls on airline flights as carry-ons, both on domestic trips and internationally. As far as I know, no one has ever mentioned having trouble with security wanting to take them apart or anything like that... Although the dolls have gotten some pretty odd looks from the security screeners.

My own Teacup (Elf Shiwoo) flew with me to Birmingham and back for Christmas this year as a hand-held carry-on, without any trouble at all. (The steward at the gate here in Seattle thought it was pretty funny that he was the one holding onto our boarding pass, though. I didn't have a hand for it between carrying him, my camera bag and my coat! )

I would *not* suggest putting a doll into your checked luggage, just because the loading and unloading process is pretty rough, and there's a chance that your baggage could be lost or mishandled... or even that the doll could be removed from it.

 

Coming home from Japan to the UK I took Il&#250; in a doll-carrier as my carry-on. I'd never have him as part of the checked-in luggage, partly because of how violently they handle it, partly because of the things that can go wrong (when I flew, they lost the entire rest of my luggage for a few days, so Il&#250; was the only thing I ended up leaving the airport with... >.< ) I wasn't able to take any other bags than him, however, so you might want to put any important little things inside the carrier with the doll, so else they might make you check them in.

 

He's a DOC so he's MSD sized. I suppose it shouldn't be too much of a problem, I'm just over paranoid something might happen to him. Did they make you take him out of the bag to xray or did you just leave him? Cause I know they made me take my laptop out but that's because it's electronics.

 

Nope, in my case at least I didn't have to take him out of the bag the whole time, and he had to go through x-rays/baggage checks in both Japan and Germany. Left him right where he was, and no problems whatsoever.