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

We have taken ours on a caravan holiday, good job we did coz there was a doll shop in the village and we got some shoes and eyes for the crew. We also take a couple in costume to the Discworld conventions. (Dressed as Feegles)

 

I know I wouldn't take my dolls with me on vacation. If something were to happen to them, I don't think I'd be able to treat them as quickly if I were at home.

 

With all the security with international flights (and actually quite a few local flights too), do they get a bit 'funny' about all the s-hooks and stuff, if you're carrying through a complete doll? What if they wanted to confiscate the hooks?

 

It really depends on what you are going to do! I recently had a month-long stay at a friend of mine's house in Switzerland. Wonderful photo oppurtunities (she's a dollie person) and Aine was relatively easy to travel with. Remember-always bring your dolls as carry-on and make sure your bags meet requirements!

 

I've done quite a bit of flying with my Shiwoo (I always have him as my "personal item" carry-on), and none of the security people have ever had a problem with his s-hooks.

He usually gets a few grins when I send him through the scanner, though. Apparently our dolls look really strange on those things.

 

i think itd be great for the photo opportunities but id be too scared to take her on the plane! plus i never really have enough room! even to take her on as hand luggage my bags too full up of duty free! x

 

It'd be nice if you aren't afraid of anything happening to them, but I'm somewhat clumsy and forgetful and I fear leaving the doll somewhere like in the hotel room, only to remember it when I'm back home(I did this with a necklace I got in California).
Ever since then I've been worried about taking important things with me.

But if you don't have such problems then I think it'd be great

 

well I have taken my boy to Sydney with me a month ago, everything went fine at the customs, they even let my huge doll bag through as hand baggage! Haha
But it was raining all day as i stayed there so unfortunately i wasn't able to take any photos QAQ
But it was good to have someone company, though, I enjoyed traveling with my boys.

 

I like to take my girls on the bus.
People look at me funny, but oh well.

 

I plan on taking my doll everywhere but customs could be a possible threat to my doll.

 

The only places I plan to bring my doll(s) are Canada, when I visit my family, and Japan when I go on honeymoon.

I wouldn't mind bringing two or so to Canada 'cause I'll be at my parent's place most of the time, and also with BJD friends/people I trust. Plus, I know I won't lose them 'cause I'm in a very familiar place, and I have a house to leave them in when I'm out with friends, etc., where I know nothing bad will happen to them.

For Japan though, I'm only bringing one, and she will probably be my Tiny, just so I have more room for souvenirs, and so I can keep track of all the dolly things I've brought. If I bring too much, I risk losing it, 'cause I'm not exactly the most organized person in the world... and I think more than one doll is too much to cart around, because I wouldn't want to leave any at the hotel.

Otherwise I have no reason to bring a doll on vacation, unless I'm going to a doll meet in a different part of Scandinavia.

 

Well I took Syrah my Obitsu with me to England. We went with our car. And when my mother and I are going to London in december I'm planning on taking her again. I really hope my 2 MNF's I ordered will make it in time to join us.

 

I took Lirael (LTF Ante) with me on my trip to Minnesota then to Michigan. She traveled very well, and I got pictures that I never would have because I did. Didn't have much of a problem with her getting through X-Rays on the plane, I just told them before her bag went in what she was and what to expect. It worked out nicely.

I think I'll keep her as my traveling buddy. I don't get to travel much, but even in normal day to day travel, she goes along with me. Easy to travel with, really, just toss her in her bag, and her bag goes in one of my bigger bags. Easy peasy.

 

I think bringing dolls on vacation would be a great idea. That way you can always keep an eye on them and not have to worry about them being left behind.
When i get my dolls, i plan on taking them everywhere, and if i go on vaca i will take them.

 

So, for my next b-day, my parents want to take me to Disney and I want to bring a doll with me (hopefully by then the kid delf boy Aru will be mineee!!) I wanted to bring the Aru boy with me because I find my Apollo way to big to be carrying around. So when you guys travel with your dolls, do you take them on the plane with you? Which one do you take and why? How do you take care of your doll during the trip and when you arrive to your destination? Do you leave the doll alone in the hotel room? D: (I will be staying at an apartment we rented during our stay there so no one will touch my lil boy) And also, how's the airport experience with your doll? Does he/she go through the x-ray scanner thingy? XD


ps. I probably wont bring the doll with me to the parks cause there'll be too many people and I fear for him (also, intense heat, sun rays, and I don't think he'll meet the requirements to get on a ride XD)

pss. Though I'm still thinking whether bringing a doll or not

 

If you don't want it going through the x-ray scanner, ask for a private screening of your item.

Quite frankly, it really depends upon the experience of the x-ray operator. Those of us who work in busy airports where 40k+ passengers may be processed over 8 hours won't blink twice at a BJD on the x-ray screen. Gods know we've seen stranger (you should be here when the adult entertainment convention comes through town). Smaller airports, thus less experienced officers, may not have a clue what they're looking at and request a physical inspection. An x-ray operator with only a month's worth of experience may not have any idea that it's a BJD either, regardless of how busy the airport is.

 

lol that' so funny! XD well, thanks! I guess I'm just worried that they'll damage the doll XD and sending him in a suitcase is NOT an option lol

 

Crazy people put their laptops through checked baggage all the time. I have no idea what goes into that thought process, but yeah, I wouldn't put anything delicate in there. The ramp rats are cool guys, but I wouldn't trust them to not shot-put anything into the cargo hold.

 

Also, I forgot to note that a lot of airlines are enforcing rules about carry-on baggage now at the gate. US Airways, Delta and American are pretty aggressive about this from what I've gathered. Depending upon how you pack your dolls, you may find a gate agent requesting your bag be placed under the plane.

 

There's a lot of information in this forum about traveling with dolls and taking them on vacation -- if you do a search for 'travel' you can find a lot of them, but here are two of the biggest:

Traveling with Dolls

Taking Dolls on Vacation