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

Has anyone ever had an issue with the hooks when travelling with their dolls on a plane? I was thinking about going to America to visit my friend and i want to take Kieran with me. I could always put his hands and feet in the normal luggage but i's rather have the whole doll with me.

 

Sorry, my question was on the page before this, But I'll post it again here:

Next February, I am going on a school trip to France and Spain. It will be my first time in Europe. I was debating whether or not to bring my doll with me, not because of the flight, but the actual trip. I don't think space is an issue because she is mini sized, and can fit easily in my purse. However, I would hate to see her stolen or damaged, and if that happened during the touring it might cause problems, because the schedule will probably get pretty tight while sightseeing. However, I really want to get pictures of her at famous landmarks, and without mishaps, I think it would be really fun to travel with her.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

Hmm... I think you should only do what you feel comfortable doing. If you think you'll have your girl attached to your hip the entire time, then sure, go for it. But if you're iffy about her being stolen and/or damaged, I'd say no. Then again, having a doll in the first place (especially BJDs) is all about taking risks every day, especially when you don't know what the day will bring.

The only reason I never felt threatened and/or worried was because I a) did have mine attached to my hip most of the trip & b) I only take him with family and/or friends I can trust, so if I have to leave him at the hotel/with someone else I won't feel uncomfortable doing so.

Good luck on deciding!

 

I honestly think that you should be just fine with carrying your doll with you for the trip though it you want to be sure, go through security checkpoint a little early just in case security ends up having a problem with it.

But really, they shouldn't. At least... I don't think they should? They didn't with me?

I flew for a domestic flight in the United States and I was able to take my boy with me on the plane (he got to share my seat and even got flight wings from the pilot) without any problems or hassles whatsoever.

All I had to do was tell the security checkpoint that he was a doll (it was pretty obvious anyways) and after giving him an x-ray (I got to watch!), I got to carry him with me into the plane.

 

I travel with friends who have dolls yearly, I reccomend if you plan on taking them on a train to wrap them in a blanket with the pillows that came with them and place them in a bag you can hold in your arms or on your back, It's safest as there they are least likely to get knocked about (Works on the eurostar)
If you happen to be going on a plane however I'd suggest getting a bit studier bag and placing soft items such as their clothes around the blanket wrapped dolly. Please don't use the train method as one of my friends does It gives me heart attacks....

To put it simply, Buses, Boats and Trains have one method Airoplanes have another. Mix the two up and an angel will cry .

 

This thread has been an absolute god send *____*

Not only has it been fun reading everyone's travelling adventures with their kids, but I am yet to travel by something other than car with my boy so was wondering how the whole, travel by plane concept would work. Happy to know that no matter where I choose to go/have to go I will not have to worry about leaving Gabby behind -sigh of relieve- especially since I was hoping to go away on a nice relaxing holiday this summer x3

Thankyou, all~~

 

I just recently went on a family vacation to Maui and I ended up taking my Loki along. I know that a lot of you travel and, with the added security precautions made for the airlines, I'm sure that most of you also have stories to tell about airport personnel's reactions to your dolls.

So what's the funniest story you guys have to tell?

 

I took my two litte dolls on a trip to New York, they were in my carry on "Bag". It was a white metal box made to carry barbies. I admit it looked kind of funny to carry this white box like people carry their briefcases. Of course I left on the day when American Airlines was canceling every other flight, so people were angry, and the security people were on edge. When I went through security, and they scanned it, I heard the girl laughing... She turned to the guy next to her and was like...
"It's dolls... they are dolls!" She giggled and he looked confused. Then she smiled widely at me, and I smirked back at her.
It was funny to me, and thank goodness they let me through without any drama.

 

I've helped take friends dolls on twice yearly trips to various parts of southern france for three years now (Had one too many bad trips on the eurostar, planes seem safer) and last year on our way back from Niece we got stopped at security and asked to stand for one side for a minute, I had the reaction of "Oh no, they think our doll cases have guns in them or something like that"
So after we opened up the cases and removed everything in them dolls, clothes, pillows, you name it, to show that we wern't terrorists or anything two of the women asked us to wait there and dissapeared.
Then about five minutes later they came back grins on their faces and gave us a box full of old dolls clothes, not intended for BJDs but fit pretty well.
Needless to say, we are using the plane soloution again this year

 

I don't have any yet, but I hope it will be funny when I do because a girl with pink hair carrying a coffin case with a doll inside going to Japan. Well I think that wold be funny in of itself.

 

I hope this doesn't seem like I'm hijacking the thread, I just want a quick answer, and anyone will do. If you have to take your doll in her large carrying case, and your laptop/digital camera gear with you.... what do you do? Do you all try to cram it in one giant back pack? I'd much rather have my doll carrier and my laptop back with me (one is a messanger, so at my side, the other is a back-pack, so on my back). Will airport security give you grief over that? Because it's more then one carry on, or will they let it slide, because they even recommend not to pack such expensive things? Just curious.

I have no funny airplane stories to share >_< Sorry. Feel free to tell me to delete this if you think it's intrusive.

 

I've been in that situation a lot (not with a doll but with an instrument) and I got away with it, so methinks you should be fine.

 

What about road trips? My family and I are going on a road trip for 2 weeks....in 2 weeks! I dont have a doll case, but just planned on having Jasper sit in my lap...anything I should know or do to make sure the trip goes well for he and I?

 

On pretty much every US flight I've ever taken with my doll in tow, usually you're allowed "one personal item" (aka a purse...or something bigger like a laptop bag, funnily enough) and also a "carry on bag". So I've never been hassled about bringing my sizeable laptop bag on in conjunction with an overstuffed backpack (for the record, I tend to keep my doll in the back pocket of the laptop bag, since she's MSD size and fits well in there). Just try to check your particular airline's baggage guidelines well in advance! They're usually listed on the airline's website.

As far as cars go, I'd just worry about leaving a doll in the car where there might be periods of extreme heat. I think it would depend on how much time you're spending out of the car in places where you wouldn't be able to take your doll.

 

Ah thankies everyone! I was hoping that might be the case, especially with being female. But todays current restrictions are so strict, so you never know. But there would simply be no way this side of Pluto that I'd be putting either my laptop or my doll in with my checked bags. I just don't have that much faith in the airlines.

 

this thread has been super helpful. I might have my girl by the end of august and I want to take her to Seattle w/ me and was wondering about all of this since after my luggage was lost last year I refuse to check ANY bags, so that limits me to my "carry on" and my "purse/briefcase." I think I'll look into a carry bag.

 

I think I have a bit of a different problem with travel... You see, I live in a larger family (four other siblings and two parents) and we all cram into our van for two days to go to Florida thanks to the prices on plane tickets... That's all fine and dandy but now I have my doll and I want to bring him. Because we have so many people we have frequent rest stops at McDonalds or rest stops and the car gets really hot even after just a few minutes, especially on our summer trips.

If I left Hansel in the car he would be completely destroyed in the intense heat. Heck, if the air conditioning isn't turned on right away, even I can't stand the heat. I've thought about bringing his bag into the rest stops but it's so big and it makes me look like I'm smuggling a weapon of some sort. I don't want to take him out of his box either... especially in a greasy McDonalds or a sunny outdoor rest stop with little shade.

So that's my issue. I really want to bring Hansel because I'd feel bad leaving him at home closed up in his box for two weeks. I've only had him for about a week and I absolutely love him and he hardly leaves my side... I've just never taken him out in public yet. I have lots of reasons to bring him, I'm just really worried about the heat and the sun on our way there. It won't be a problem when we're actually in Florida but the roadtrip has me feeling a little nervous.

 

EbonyFeather, if you can't sacrifice looking silly lugging a bag into a rest stop, then you don't want to bring Hansel badly enough, point blank.

As someone who went through an entire day of antiquing this past weekend with a Dream of Doll MSD carrier across her back with no shame and no issues (other than HOLY CRAP DO NOT SQUAT TO LOOK AT SOMETHING IN THE AISLE, YOU MIGHT BREAK THE NICE PEOPLE'S ANTIQUES), I can say the fear is bigger than the actual issue here. If you love your dolls and value them, you'll take them with you everywhere if you choose to travel with them, the end. We did a photoshoot after the antiquing trip--I carried my dolls on my back for five hours, and photographed them for about twenty minutes. These are the sacrifices you make if you want to take them with you.

I advise packing Hansel well in a carrier bag with the pillows from his box, myself.

 

Try finding a courier bag or something like that instead of using his doll carrier. I use one when I'm traveling or taking one of the crew to a meet with me. They're less odd-looking and (I think, at least-) easier to carry... and I used to put my 70cm Hound in mine, so there's no problem getting a 1/3-scale doll into one if you pick the bag with that in mind. ^_^

 

Heh, I was sort of thinking about putting him in a larger messenger bag I have with his packaging pillows and such. I would rather bring his bag though because it's probably safer... Yeah, I'm paranoid and that's what's keeping me from wanting to take any risks. Like I've said, I've only had him for a week and as much as I love him I'm not used to carrying him around yet. I guess only time will tell. I'm bringing him for certain, I'm just trying to find the most subtle way I can to carry him around with me. Heh, I think I have some sort of "overly anxious owner" syndrome but if I'm lucky, forcing myself into a bunch of situations where I need to bring Hansel with me or else he'll fry.
Yeah, I may keep him in his bag or on my lap in the car and then stuff him in my bag with some padding when we go to rest stops, that sounds like a plan. I still want to bring his box to keep him as safe as possible when I'm not there to hold onto him.