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

This summer, in June I took Tristan (LUTS Senior Delf Howl) to Side, Turkey for a vacation. I have put him in my hand luggage and no one has ever said a word.


The sky is always blue above the clouds.


Somebody, take out the unconscious stewies.

 

This summer, in June I took Tristan to Side Turkey for a vacation. We had a great time and took loads of photos.

 

I am going camping next month with my family and Pip the Puki is definitely coming with! She's a nature girl herself, and very curious to go. Lots of photos promised! She has a traveling box-purse house, so taking her places is easy. I just tidy up her stuff, tuck her into her nest, click the box shut and go.

 

I'm going on vacation soon and I'm just going to take Phyllis in her bag as a carry-on. I've gotten my luggage lost more than once at the airport and I'm not taking chances with my doll.

 

I brought my two boys 60cm Isao and Christian f38 on vacation last month. We went from Saskatchewan Canada to Singapore, Tokyo and Toronto. I put them in a 70cm LaiDoll carrying bag and hand carried them on flights. Here are pros and cons:

Pros:
- Dolls got to meet my relatives in Singapore which was why they traveled with me on this trip.
- Photo opportunities.
- During long transits, I take the dolls out and play with them.
- Isao got to attend (cosplay) Anime North Convention in Toronto. I also brought him to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buildings observatory dressed as Himura Kenshin. To a Kenshin fan, this is very meaningful.

Cons:
- Heavy to carry
- Lack of a suitable hard cover carrying bag, worried the dolls will be crushed in the overhead compartments.
- Air Canada officers in Tokyo airport questioned if such an odd size bag should be allowed as carry on luggage. They gave me some trouble.
- Worried the dolls may get lost. I carried them all over Tokyo in the bag! Can't leave them in the hotel.

 

I think it would be okay. Sounds like the doll would make things a lot more fun and interesting!! (Those are great photos, fujimiya_aya!!)

If I went out somewhere I'd just bring one doll with me for that day and no accessories. I mean, unless it was really necessary for a photo idea I had. The less things you're caring around, the better you feel, right? You won't be so paranoid about losing something.

 

Stargazer, you're also a Kenshin fan? Do you have pics of Isao as Kenshin?

As for me I might take him on quiet vacations within the country where we'd be mostly relaxing and such. I don't think I'd take my doll abroad as it is unpractical carrying him around when going out and I'd also not risk leaving him at a hotel or youth hostel.

 

He does not carry a sword and does not have the cross shaped scar on his face. I thought this is appropriate. If only this was how the story ended ....Visitors to the observatory that day took a lot of photos of him. Isao makes a good Kenshin, he is a Tokyo boy born in Kyoto.

"Kenshin" at the Tokyo Metropolitan government buildings.

 

There's a danger in assuming your carry-on won't be lost or bumped ...

The last time I flew I was moving my whole life overseas, so my dolls were packed in my carry-on with a lot of soft things (sandwiched with face covers and all that jazz). But the first leg of my flight was on a small plane and they quickly ran out of overhead storage room. All the rest of the carryon bags had to be checked under the plane and we'd get them upon landing.

In that case, nothing was lost because they simply put all the bags out in the gate and we could pick them up as we got off the plane (smalllllllll plane), but I know this sometimes happens on bigger planes. And if your overhead is full, maybe the underside could be full and oh no your dolls get sent on another plane and LOST FOREVER (or for a week, as usually is the case).

Not to send anyone into a paranoid panic, but just saying ... don't bank on your dolls being with you just because you put them in a carryon. D:

 

I use an RV to travel...mom's scared of flying and we really really don't want to use a train or car. I know when the boys come it's going to be interesting when I take them out to go to the game room or even around the campground. I'm a little hesitant to take them anywhere near a playground or pool though. Everywhere else though, perfectly fine! Camping is going to be so much fun now!! I'm taking them with me to Williamsburg and Busch Gardens with me( I would like to take pictures of them because I don't go on any of the rides...scared of heights...but do you think I would have trouble getting them into the park? He'll be in a backpack so....)

 

^^; During December 08, I took my girl with me to the city in New York. Never taking them during cold weather. Her leg broke right off D: I cried for a loooong time. X'D

 

He looks very well I'm still waiting for my boy, production has been delayed a bit.
I will take him along at weekends to my parents. They have a fairly large garden and a little tea house in the back He'll have to watch out for the dog though she might start thinking he's a toy or something. Well, no doggies toy!

 

You could say your dolls won't stand the cold very well as there is often no climate controll in the cargo space of a plane, isn't t hat so? Then someone else's bag should go downstairs. Say the contents are quite personal and do not stand temperature changes very well. You might have to show their cute faces
It would be the same if I wanted to take a vacation to Scandinavia and go LARPing over there. I would never ever want to hand over my LARP weapons as I am sure they'll get too cold and ruin the foam strength and glue. I won't try to wonder what would happen to latex!. And I cannot be sure attendants know how to handle this gear. This is why I am also quite reluctant to leave LARP weapons used as cosplay props at baggage storage at conventions, unless I am sure gophers have been briefed on the matter.

 

I've actually never taken my doll on vacation, I wanted to... but since I was staying at my cousin's house for a week... and they have a dog... and a cat... and a spoiled little daughter who breaks things when she doesn't get her way... and a 2 year old who likes to steal... I had to refuse! ^^'

 

I don't think I'd take a doll on vacation, simply because of the housekeeping at hotels that can go through your room. My family's had things go missing because of them before, and who knows if they'd see any value in my dolls.

 

I would take my doll with me, but not to a place with a large amount of people. I'm planning on going to New York and the Harry Potter theme park when it opens, so definitely not to those places. I'm always scared of people stealing my regular bag, let alone a bag/case with a precious doll in it I would never leave my doll in the hotel, he would always be with me.

 

I always take a doll with me when I travel. The doll/size I take depends on where I'm going. If we are going to our house in WA state, or anywhere that I don't have to fly, then I will take a big doll. If there's flying involved, I try to take an MSD because it is easier to shove them into a carry-on, although last time I flew with a DZ Lotus in a Souldoll carrying case- barely made the carry-on size due to length.

It was fun to watch the faces on the women operating the xray machine. OF COURSE they stopped me and had to inspect the case, and call over some other people to look. Not because they thought I was smuggling in contraband or anything, they just had never seen anything like it.
When I went to Tahiti I took a tiny.

 

I just took all my dolls when I was on vacation in SoCal. The result was on my camera, I had one photo of myself and 80% of the dolls. XD It was kinda funny.

The sad thing is, I think one of Tillo's hand went missing in SoCal. :<
If I have to do it all over, I'll still bring them. :> It was lots of fun.

 

I was just on a little week vacation! I didn't bring my girl 'cause I was to afraid she'd get damaged or something. But it seems like a lot of people have no no problems with it.. Maybe I'll bring her along next time! XD

 

I took four dolls with me last year to North Carolina to see my friend and I had no issues. I had to repack them in the back pack in Minneapolis though and I got soooo many questions about them. People were really fascinated.

I also took one to Toronto this year to Anime North, and she got a bit of an odd reception flying there. When security was x-raying my bag they couldn't figure out what she was. I thought they were going to take her away from me or something (the security people seemed really concerned about her) until they realized she as a doll.

Coming home was no issue, as I just kept her under my arm until we passed through security and then I put her away.