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

Sorry for resurrecting this topic out of nowhere... but I have a question!

I'm going to Hungary(Budapest) next week and I wanted to take my two SD boys... Or at least one. Now I know that carry-on is allowed, but I have a 70CM carrier bag in which they both fit.. but would they allow a 70 carrier or is it best to just take one of them along in my arms? Any ideas D

 

put them in the bag you are going to have with you in the plane. i did i an SD17 and a MSD and they are fine and i think my flight was 8 h

 

You may not be able to take them in their carrier on the plane. If the bag is longer than the allowed carry on size they make you check it. I have carried a doll on planes in my arms or tucked safely in my messenger bag.

 

I'm pretty sure they won't allow 70CM. 60 or 60 something is the max as far as I know. I'd put them both (or just one, whatever your plans are) in a smaller bag that you take on the plane with you. In a curled up position if necessary.
That's what I'm gonna do when I go back to Europe.

 

*nods* Thanks everyone =)
I think I will just take Victor along, one doll and I'll carry him or put him in my messengerbag. Just gotta figure out how to carry my laptop... hrmmmm... ^__^;;;

 

I'm personaly trying to figure out how to move my SD and 3 msd's to Georgia from California...I don't want to take them as carry-ons (I kind of just want to take one of my MSD's with me) and I had no choice but to throw out their original boxes. Would it be best just to wrap them super well with duct-tape and stuff, mail it to my parents, and then ask them to ship it to me later? I'm not going to take a risk of them getting broken on the plane.

 

If it was me, I'd wanna move by car. I got too many to ship or move any other way. I likely could get them all in the truck and backseat of my car.

 

The best thing is unassemble them, wrap the pieces in bubble wrap, ship them to your parents then have them ship them to you. The PO can ship them for a low flat rate but I'd insure and have tracking added on.

 

I'm definetely insuring those things. Thanks! I was thinking of how to ship them whole since unassembling them, then reassembing them would be a huge hassle for me, especially for my SD...he's really finicky hand hard to deal with.

 

I took 2 msds and 3 tinys to europe with me last year... I unstrung them and put them in my carry on... Carry on's have to be a certain size (to fit over head) and 40lbs or less. Being female you do get 2 items. A larger bag/small suitcase and a personal item (I usually carry a large laptop bag or hobo purse). There are many ways around the carry on rules.

 

I only have one doll so I did have to worry that much. I usually put him in a carry on bag when I was boarding and take him out as soon as the plane is in the air, and carry him in my arms until the plane attandent anounce "the plane will be landing in ...(usually 20 minutes)...". than I put him back in to the bag

 

this is really helpful, i have only ever taken my dolls in a car before, and I'm planning on going to europe next year and i really take one with me, probably just a tiny though since that seems like it would be easier, just to stick it in my purse

 

I drive with my dolls all the time when I go home for weekends. Sometimes I seatbelt them in. I've definitely gotten some double-takes from passing drivers :P

 

Ex.. exploding golf balls? XD;; ..why..?
Phew, sometimes I feel like I (and my BF) are the only ones bringing suspicious things on flights. He's the master of random real/toy weaponry. And me and my art stuff. I've even had to explain my Copic markers, because they asked me if I had anything worth more than xxxwhatever, and Copics are like as much as a top-notch BJD, lol.

Anyway I don't have a doll, but I totally mastered that drop-an-egg-off-the-roof-in-a-padded-box thing at school, and I travel so I've had a lot of experience packing fragile stuff. If it were me, I'd always put them in a hard-sided bag rather than a squishy one. Then just make sure the padding stays in place and separates the doll from the sides and from itself, I guess. (like keep the limbs held off the body a bit so they can't bang together..) Then I bet you could put it anywhere or jostle it around and it would be fine~

 

1. I bought my first doll on impulse at a con in San Francisco, I live in Portland, OR, so I had to bring her on the plane with me. Otherwise, I just take them in the car or sometimes on public transit. >.>
2. I get a lot of reactions to my dolls while traveling with them. They are all pretty funny, lots of questions are asked. I guess the most odd experience was that when I was bringing my first doll home they wouldn't let me hold her during take off or landing on the plane so I had to put her up in storage with the bags. I had just gotten her and I was already worried about her for the entire trip. It was odd because on the ride TO San Fran, they let me keep my purse with me. Different airline.
3. Well, I already answered the other two, but I would LOVE to take my dolls somewhere to get great photos of them. Somewhere warm and bright for contract. Maybe Greece? lol
4. I would definitely suggest having something sturdy to carry them in and protect them in case you are forced to stow them on a place or elsewhere. It's nice to have a secure place for them, anyway.

 

1. Do you travel with your dolls?
I have traveled twice by air with my boy, Raphael - once to Denver and once back. I've also traveled with him in the car and on public transit. So yes, I do.


2. If so, what was the funniest/weirdest experience you've had with them traveling?
So, the first time I flew with Raphael, I had him in my backpack. He was stripped to his boxers, hugging his legs and wrapped up tight in his pillows, face shield and bubble wrap. I put my bag through the security x-ray machine and then waited for it to come out the other end. As I watched, my bag came through, the security guy made a weird face, and then ran it again. I guess that a curled up doll looks a tad strange on an x-ray. It got through the second time though, much to my relief and amusement.

I just carried him, fully dressed and not crumpled up, in my arms on the way back, so as to avoid the confusion and the hassle of packing him.


3. If not, where would you like to travel with your dolls?
Since I do... Well, there are places I'd like to take him anyway. I want to take him to an anime convention and I definitely want to go back to Denver with him. In fact, I will be returning to Denver with my resin baby, and, if I am very lucky, a second SD boy... That will be... an interesting flight. Maybe I can make my friend hold the second one? I dunno if the airport would appreciate me carrying TWO 60cm dolls onto a plane on my own.


4. Do you have any tips for traveling on planes/trains/boats/etc.?
When taking a doll on a plane, the best thing is to just carry them upfront and personal. When it comes to checking carry-on luggage at security, just lay them in a tray as you would a laptop and watch them as they go through. Nothing will happen. It will obviously be a doll and not something else, and it will be on full display for the security guards to realize that. On the plane itself, I just sat with Raphael in my lap. The passengers around me thought he was cool and no-one complained that he was in my lap during take-off or landing. Of course, some attendants might make you put things under the seat, but that's easy enough. Just lay them at your feet and watch them. There's no need for being in a bag or a box or anything when you can clearly see them and grab them if something is about to happen to them.

If you have many dolls, especially big ones, I would actually suggest unstringing them and packing them piece by piece into carry-on bags... And I guess be prepared to explain what's going on with the bag of tiny hands if anyone asks. XD I may have to do this if I have a second boy when I go to Denver in May, otherwise, I will just carry Raphael as I did before.

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Hope that helps ^^

 

Sadly, I don't have a doll to travel with yet, but I can offer some advise.

I've done quite a bit of traveling with a musical instrument. One very important thing is shoulder straps. Backpack straps are nice too, just make sure you can carry it and still have your hands free so you don't have to set the case/bag/carrier down. A hard case will prevent crushing, high density foam is lightweight and absorbs impact well. You can actually get a pretty nice violin case with handle, shoulder straps and backpack straps for about $30 (though you'll have to do a bit of reconstruction on the interior). A lot of string instrument cases are also made to insulate somewhat against temperature and humidity.

Usually there is an early boarding time for people with disabilities/child carriers/etc. who may need more time/space to get to their seat. If you tell them you have an expensive/fragile item with you, they'll usually let you board early to avoid the crush of people. This will also ensure you have more than enough room to get items in the overhead compartment (if you really want to risk it, personally I always put my instrument up there, but it's got a really nice case).

Hope this helps someone ^_^

 

1. Do you travel with your dolls?
a few times in the car, once on a bus and once on a train.

2. If so, what was the funniest/weirdest experience you've had with them traveling?
nothing funny or weird has happened. i don't have a carrying bag for any of them so i wondered if people would give me weird looks because my doll's head was sticking out of my bag on the train, but i don't think anyone noticed.

3. If not, where would you like to travel with your dolls?
i've been meaning to take nice dolls pictures in edinburgh but i'm kind of nervous to take them out of my bag in public and take photos.

4. Do you have any tips for traveling on planes/trains/boats/etc.?
not really. if you're going to have their heads sticking out of your bag, make sure their wigs are on securely, i guess. ._.;

 

1. Do you travel with your dolls?
yeah. XD when I left for australia and for almost every trip back here, I packed my boy along with me. otherwise, I prefer to leave the both of them at home; I'm scared someone would swipe them from my hotel room.

2. If so, what was the funniest/weirdest experience you've had with them traveling?

every time I pass the customs. XD they ALWAYS say the same thing "Is that a skeleton in there?"

4. Do you have any tips for traveling on planes/trains/boats/etc.?

Please pack your babies up with lots of cushioning if you're checking them in and for crying out loud, don't put them with heavy stuff all over them.

take them onboard as carry-ons if you can; and when you do, the staff are going to ask you to either stow them above or put them under the seat in front of you. Well DON'T. If you have your babies standing in their bags, just put them between your knees and put the blanket to hide the bulge.

no really.

 

Next year I would like to attend a couple of out-of-state doll shows. Packing my doll for travel by car is not a problem, but how do I pack her when traveling by airplane? I’d like to take her as a carry on. I worked for a major airline some years ago, so I know what can happen to your luggage once it leaves your hands. Should I buy a special bag? Can they fit under the seat?