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

I've put my dolls in a bag as a carry-on and passed through airport security just fine (it sortof confused the baggage-scan people but they did figure out it was just a doll XD;. Actually I think it might be more safe to carry them instead of putting them in luggages, just in case anything might get lost or damaged as the checked-in bags usually gets tossed around pretty heavily.

 

I brought one of my dolls to London with me and back while carrying him (no bag D:! We were only allowed one carry on bag anyway) and he was fine~ ^^ I did have to pass him through the scanning thing sitting on a tray xD;; but it all went well ^^

The airport staff were pretty interested in him though xD

I wouldn't recommend stuffing them with the luggage though ^^;

 

I've taken several of my dolls with me when I've travelled several times, and it has worked out just fine. I took the plane and they were in my luggage, and seeing as I made sure they were well protected, they weren't harmed in any way.

 

Would you recommend taking them wiht you on the plane in a carry on? Or is luggage safer? o_o (is curious because I'm planning to take Lenore with me when I travel)

 

Well, I've seen the way baggage handlers toss luggage around when they're loading it into the plane, so I wouldn't recommend putting *anything* fragile in a soft-sided suitcase in checked baggage, let alone something as valuable as a doll.

I don't even take shampoo and stuff with me anymore because when I get where I'm going the bottles are always squished and leaky (and once something sharp had gone clean through my suitcase and punctured my conditioner!).

You may be ok if you have one of the newer hard-sided suitcases though, with lots of padding.



~Mary

 

I think that it would be OK to take a doll in a carry-on bag, but I would NOT recommend storing it in your normal luggage. Not only are those suitcases thrown around like crazy, but missing luggage is a huge problem. I've had entire suitcases of stuff go missing on trips. Either because it ended up on the wrong flight, or because someone else mistook it for their own luggage, or flat-out stole it. Sometimes I got my stuff back, but sometimes I didn't. Not worth the potential risk, in my opinion.

 

Definitely take your doll as a carry-on. Last time I flew they went through my checked baggage (they leave a nice little note in there to tell you so as though you wouldn't notice they'd unfolded all your clothes and moved everything around) randomly and if I'd had anything fragile in there you can bet it would've been hurt. I had packed all my stuff like shampoo in ziplocks and those were open. I had a box (unsealed, just to keep it seperate) for a few small items like cards and it was open and stuff had been knocked out of it.

However I've taken my doll as a carry on and had no problem. They usually don't even hand-check your carry on luggage and you can go through without a problem. Even if they do, I'm sure they've found weirder things in people's bags and you can at least watch them handle the doll.

 

There are lots of misplaced or lost checked-in baggage these days--I wouldn't risk it.

I traveled by plane with my doll last year. He's SD sized. I had one of the satin, padded cozy-sacks made by a DoA member fujiwara. And a face-protector. I could put him in a regular-sized carry-on bag so he could fit under the seat (he's in a seated position) --so I can keep an eye on him and make sure no one puts a big carry-on on-top! AND I can put in other items I need to carry. Regular doll carriers are usually too long to fit under the seat--and they leave little room for other items. The other items--like a jacket/sweater can be used for extra padding, too. I was happy with this arrangement and will use it in future air travel!

BTW--one of my checked-in pieces was misplaced on the way back. I was SO happy to have my doll safely with me all the time!!!

Travel by car--Just be aware that things can get jostled around in a car, so it's best if you keep your doll in something that protects him/her from sudden stops or getting banged about.

Also be aware that sometimes people will break into cars or steal them... so you have to be wary of leaving your doll in a car. Also, cars get hot in the sun... which is bad for dolls.

On trips in general--dolls can be heavy (if they're big), so make sure you won't mind carrying them around and making sure to keep your eye on them. If you have lots of other things to take care of, it might not be a good idea to have your doll as a distraction! (Keep an eye on your other valuables when with your doll, too! If you look distracted, you can attract thieves who may run off with a camera or a purse or bags lying around.)

In hotel rooms--I have kept my doll in my hotel room... but it does make me nervous. I've had them left out... but more often I've had them covered up and packed away, just in case! Be aware that maids can knock into things. And also--there are sometimes thefts.

 

good suggestions! i have been wondering about how to travel by plane with one of my dolls ( in case i get to go somewhere!) thanks! diane

 

Thank you for all the help now I know what to do when I bring him with me to Korea this summer ^^.

The trip I'm going on tomorrow is a school art club trip to Boston so we will be on a tour bus and then we'll be walking around once we get to Boston.I just thought that it may be nice to let my dollfie to come with me cause he doesn't get out much and I was going to take some pictures the only worry I thought I may have is if he may get in the way =.=;, I guess I'll have to ponder about it but thank you all for the lovely suggestions and help ^^!!!

Ryu chan

 

I hope my concern gets recognized. But I'm having the same problem, but I"m not going on an ordinary trip. I'm going to Disney World this summer. Filled with roller coasters and little kids. Should I even bring my doll? He's SD sized. In some ways I really want to bring him to take some awesome pictures, but I also don't want to risk my doll getting stolen or the inability to ride anything because of him. (but Disney World should have high security...right?)

 

Yeah I'm going to Disney this Saturday and I was going to bring my doll but I decided against it for a bunch of different reasons. You would have to weave in and out of people and wigs other items could get knocked off of them plus you would be really hindered for rides because they make you stuff everything under your seat and I don't think you want to stuff a doll under there, at least I wouldn't. Also, they get heavy carrying them after a while so hauling a doll around Disney all day would surely give you achey feet and arms. I would say no, but it's ultimately your decision.

 

Uh... I wouldn't count on it.

I haven't been to Disney World since I was very small, but stuff gets stolen at Disneyland all the time. You couldn't really leave a doll unattended, and if you actually want to do anything except take pictures of the doll, well. Bad idea.

 

Hmm...well when we go to trips like these, we sometimes stop at a certain places to tour and just to walk around. Should I at least maybe bring my doll for these moments, and then leave him in the car?hotel room when we actually go to the amusement park?

 

There are a bunch of threads on similar topics, doing a search will bring them up.

I notice most people don't recommend putting your dolls in your check-in luggage, but I've done it several times, not always in hard-sided luggage, and as long as you pad the doll well, there should be no problems. I like to carry lots of essentials with me so I don't want to add a doll or three to the weight I tote around.

But, I wouldn't advise it if your doll is made of a particularly fragile resin or has very breakable bits, like long resin fingernails.

A good suggestion someone has made in a previous thread is to hand carry the head and put the body into the luggage, if you are concerned about the face-up.

 

Disney World doesn't really have any big roller coasters (I don't think Space Mountain counts), but it gets pretty crowded and lugging an SD around all day is probably a bad idea. Plus there's the heat factor in the summer. It really depends when you're going. If it's on a week day while schools are still in session the park doesn't get too bad. But security isn't that great. It's always possible your dolly might get nabbed/damaged, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

 

I wouldn't leave a doll in the car, especially at an amusement park. If you leave him in the hotel room you run some risk also. You can take the doll to the front desk and ask if they have a safe they can put him (or her) in for safe-keeping. they are usually free to hotel guests, and the doll will probably end up in the manager's office.

I actually want to take Hazel to Disney - on the rides. I have a walker, so weight isn't that much of an issue for me, and you could always made a "doll carrier" like a baby carrier. I want to take Hazel on a thrill ride that has the surprise pictures in it - I really want one of her getting excited. I would make sure that the wig was secure, and that she took her glasses off and didn't have anything I couldn't replace. It would be a good time for her to wear a fur wig I made for her. Or just hang onto her head.

 

Over the Christmas holidays, I carried four of my dolls (3 Delf boys and a Banji) from Seattle to Birmingham and back. Two of the big fellows were in my carry-on courier bag, the tiny was stashed in my coat pocket, and I hand-carried the other full-sized one.

Security didn't give us any trouble at all, and the airplane cabin crew thought that Teacup (My Elf Shiwoo, the one I carried out of the bag-) was cute. They didn't even make me put him under the seat or anything during take-offs or landings.

I've also taken various dolls on road-trips with me. I tend to keep them in their courier bag along with my camera, and carry I the bag around with me where-ever I go. I don't think I would feel safe just leaving them unattended in a hotel room, and I never, ever leave any of my guys in the car.

One possibility... If you're staying in a large hotel, or a better quality one, ask if they have a hotel safe. If they do, you can leave your doll in there while you're out and reclaim it when you come back in. Cruise ships often have those, too... and occasionally places even have in-room safes that a small doll or disassembled SD would pretty easily fit in.

 

Hmmm... When I've been on some of the roller-coaster rides here at Disneyland... they usually make you put everything in the pouches under the seats, since stuff can fly around--if not out of the cars, then maybe into other people's laps and cause injury. I've held some of my bags down by my feet (when on Star Tours or Indiana Jones or Space Mountain, etc.), but I don't know if they let people have things in their laps or not. And often the safety bars will come down automatically and that may also be bad for dolls. Maybe a mini or a tiny would be OK, but the larger ones... it sounds kinda unsafe to have them on most rides.

And I agree that dolls can usually be safe enough when well-protected in checked-in baggage, but checked-in baggage has a HUGE likelihood of getting mislaid or lost. As I said... when one of my bags didn't arrive back home with me, I was SO happy that my doll was with me and not in the bag!!! The suitcase eventually appeared after a few days, but it wasn't immediately tracked down. And they say the rates of lost luggage are going up all the time. I've seen those stories of lost bags ending up at that big place in Alabama that sells unclaimed baggage... I'd hate to see dolls end up there! Most people recommend never putting anything expensive in your checked luggage.