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

Ooh, wow. ^_^
Thanks for the convention info! I think I'll end up carrying my doll too, in my arms. That seems like the safest way. I'd be worrying about what would be going on behind me if I kept my doll poking out of my backpack! >.< Not sure about my little one, though--I don't want him to get knocked about...

 

Here is a quick and easy way to package a doll for carryon when you don't have a carry bag yet.

FIRST: Bubble wrap those hands!

SECOND: if your doll didn't come with a face protector, go to the store and get a single package light bulp in a blister pack. Peel the plastic off the cardboard and trim for a good emergency face protector. Wrap your doll's head in plastic wrap, and put the blister over it and tape in place.

THIRD: While other people have suggested making a doll-mummy, you may be asked to at least pull the doll apart a bit to show the hooks in the hands and feet. So instead of that, take the pillows the doll came with and sew them together on 3 sides like a sleeping bag, and slide the doll inside.

Fourth: get one of those cheap fleece throws. put the doll in pillow-bag at one end and roll it up inside. Tie off the top and bottom so it looks like a wrapped candy. Now tie a carry strap to the top and bottom: it can be anything from a strap from a bag you are not using, to a scarf, to an old belt.

Now you have a carry bag!

 

I take mine everywhere when I travel by car...though not when flying. Security measures at Airports are too complicated and the chance of damage I believe is high, and I would not be comfy with any of them going through the x-ray at the checkpoint and getting banged by other peoples bags, shoes, etc. And I would definitley NOT place one in my checked bag! I work at SFO and if you have ever seen the way checked bags are loaded from the baggage belt rampside and then onto an aircraft you would not either. I do not worry about hotel rooms though I do make sure it seems like the room is occupied (leave TV/light on) and I place the do not disturb on the door. It is great fun to take them on road trips, meet people and always results in super photo opportunities!

 

(I looked around for a good while and didn't see any threads, but feel free to delete/move it if there is one for things like this.)

Yeah, I'm getting ready to move to Florida at the end of the month and I'm worried about getting my three dolls there safely. I've brought my Floy to Florida with me before about a year ago. I had to stuff him in my messenger bag and take him with me at every rest stop because I didn't want him getting damaged by the heat in the van or stolen. That in and of itself was really a hassle and I don't think I can manage to do it again with three dolls, one being a ginormous 70cm.

I'll probably try shipping them to my grandmother before the move and pick them up at her house when we get there. Still I'm a tad wary about the idea, probably because I'm not quite used to being separated from my dolls like this.


But yeah, enough of my woes. Discussion time!
Has anyone else here ever had issues moving with their dolls? What were your biggest concerns? How did you do it? Have your dolls ever been damaged during the moving process? And if so, what would you have done differently to avoid said damage?

I'd love to hear some of your stories to get an idea of just what I'm going to be dealing with here.

 

This is a big problem for me as I'll be moving down to Raleigh, North Carolina from New York City this August for graduate school. I will have eight dolls then if Custom House ships on time (*cough* six months after I ordered *cough*)

I'll be driving and the assorted doll boxes are expected to take up the passenger seat. My parents will be coming down with a van as well, so the fact that they take up so much space is OK... but the real issue is the heat of the car. I figure that I will have the AC on full blast all the time anyway, and rest stops shouldn't take TOO long... maximum 30 minutes each.

I've moved with dolls once before- from Japan to America. I had only two then... my F40 and my Hound. I bundled them up in blankets and put them in my carryon. Nothing was damaged, everything was fine.

 

If you are concerned about safety and are not omfortable leaving them in the car at rest stops I do recommend shipping them, particularly if you have the original boxes and padding for them. I have over 30 dolls and moved from Australia to new York, and have had them shipped across one byone as i could afford to do it. That said I could not come over with NO dolls, so when I got on that plane I had a carryone, with one set of clothing in it, which was wrapped securely around two disassembled dolls, one of which was my prescious, delicate elf eared hound. I put the heads in a small box and just used the clothes to wrap the pieces, and they got here just fine, despite Xrays and a 24 hour flight with one stop, and then a 5 hour drive to upstate NY from NYC. Moving with dolls is not that hard honestly, it just takes planning and decision making, but here are a few tips:

*They are easier to move disassembled unless in original boxes.
*If you do disassemble for moving make sure you wrap well and label parts, bag string and hooks in ziplocks as well.
*Shipping them can be expensive, but is a fairly safe way of relocating them and they can be waiting for youwhen you get there, however make sure you ship with tracking and insurance.
*Shipping more than one I recommend checking out prices from various carriers, you never know, it may be cheaper to use UPS or Fedex than using Priority shipping from USPS.
*if you decide to take them in the car with you generally they will be safe at rest stops if the car is locked. Short term heat exposure should not be too bad (so no leaving them in a hot car or two hours while you shop, but leaving them in a previously cool car while you relieve yourself and grab food should be fine) That said if they are with you make sure you cover them with something, a jacket, or better yet a light coloured towel to deflect heat and give sun protection, if you leave them in a car.
* This will sound mad, but the reuseable shopping bags you get at places like wegmans can actually hold up to 3 70 cm boys fairly well, you sit them on their knees, backs to chests, so that they stack together neatly, each sort of almost sitting in the other's lap, and this makes three large dolls heavy, but fairly easy to cart around. i do this at conventions etc a lot

 

I just recently moved from FL to TN and I was really worried about my three dolls. All of which are MSD. We were driving up with a trailer and there was no way I was letting them sit in a hot trailer for two days so I had to make room for them in the car... >.< Mum wasn't thrilled with that considering the car consisted of my dolls, cat, 5 rats, a hamster, and a degu. That was a fun few days...anyway...continuing.

I actually did what I thought was the best thing to do and bought 3 carrier bags for them. Two from Dollmore and one was from DZ (Actually came with my Hid). Then went out and a bought a big heavy duty 64 Gal camping container. It's not all that big but big enough to fit all the dolls and their stuff. And used that as a doll trunk. Though, I wouldn't recommend doing it with the flimsy plastic ones they sell they break REAL easy. I'd make sure it was a heavy duty one.

I didn't have any of the original pillows so I sewed two for each put them in the pillows then in their bags then had them side by side pretty much.

When we went into a hotel I took them with me and made sure the AC was on all the time. I also had bought those baby window things to keep the heat out for my animals. That helped keep the car nice an non-hot too.

I was really iffy of my idea but it worked perfect. The doll trunk was even dropped when my mum tried to take it out of the car and lost her hold on it. Nothing was damaged. I was glad I went with that idea instead of just holding them all in the car. Extra protection is always good. ^.^

Now one of my dolls did get damaged but that had nothing to do with moving it was just a result of moving ^.^' and a really pissed off cat...

Hope that helps you a bit...sorry about the rant...

 

Thank you so much for the ideas, you guys~
I have all my dolls' original boxes so I plan on shipping the two larger ones (I'll be sure to ask about insurance, that seems like the smart thing to do). My little kid delf is probably going to come with me in the car simply for comfort. He's small, light, fits in my bag and with a few pillows, I think he'll be alright.

 

oh now this I am an expert at! haha.
I have moved my dolls a LOT, due to rental conditions in the city I am in, and due to moving city/country.
I moved 5 dolls to Japan at one point, from Australia, and then back again, I moved 7 dolls 5000km's from byron bay to darwin, in 45+degree (celcius) heat, and I've moved my now close to 40 doll collection from apartment to apartment about 6 times in three years.
If you pack your doll in a cool room, in it's box with cushions, I have found the cool air is retained, even sitting in the car in the desert, for days. Just keep the box covered under a blanket or something and its fine.

 

I end up moving a good bit throughout my life and I don't really expect that to stop. I'll be moving back up to my rents for a while at the end of the month, then on to grad school depending on wherever I get in.
I've only got my two dolls, so my big boy will be in his carrying case, while my girl will be in her box. Typically, they're both in the same big carrycase/bag, but the big one's box will have most of their props in it, and he'll probably have all the wigs and clothes packed around him. It'll be the same ordeal whenever I get my grad stuff together. Or job stuff. *sigh* I hate my currently uncertain future.
Typically, when moving, my living and more important or sentimental items ride with me.

I suppose amount of dolls has a lot of effect on how best to move them, but for me and just having two, they'll be riding with me as usual, at least they don't require figuring how to best place a litterbox so the cat can relieve herself during many hours/days of moving-travel.

 

Here's a big thread in the discussion archive all about travelling with your dolls; it's a pretty comprehensive thread, you'll find all you need to know in there. Good luck with your move!

 

I did a search and the only thread I could find that was vaguely relevant was about traveling with one or two of your dolls (not your whole doll family) to a convention or something which involved going through airports. Although the thread gave me some useful information it didn't directly address the subject of moving to a far away place with your doll collection. So here are my questions for people who've had this experience;

How far was the move?

How many dolls did you bring with you and what size were they? Since the other thread already talks about traveling through airports with your dolls I want to know about using a courier service to ship your dolls to your new home.

Did you sell some of your dolls because you had to move away?

Any advice for those who intend to move with their doll family?

I have plans to move to another country. I currently own 4 SD's, 1 MSD, 3 floating heads. I don't really want to sell any of my dolls. I'm tempted to add 1 or 2 more SD's to my family but I know I shouldn't, not before I make the big move!

 

my move was from Canada all the way down to Argentina D: and now i'm heading back up again :/
i brought 3 dolls with me (2 are SD13 and 1 msd)
nope xD infact..it grew lol
as you said D: better not get more dolls before the move. I had to put my dolls into the luggage and i'm grateful they reached with no broken parts.

 

Thanks for the response, L.E. I'm glad you didn't have to give up any of your dolls for the move. I sometimes see sales threads in the marketplace that say they're selling their doll because they're moving. T_T I shoukd maybe look for those threads and PM the sellers about that. I want to know about shipping your dolls using a courier service.

 

I've seen people say they were selling their dolls because of
a move also, I'm not always sure I believe that's the whole/only
reason, but imagine it might be very difficult if you are moving
overseas etc. But I've heard enough people say they had to give
up their pets to adoption/shelter or put to sleep because of a move
into a non-pet friendly apartment....I'd sooner live in a van with all
my animals than do that. Back OT If I did have to move one
thing I would try to avoid is packing up my dolls into a moving van.
As long as it was possible they would go in the car with me.
this coming from someone who doesn't even own 1 doll
bag.....
A plane trip would be a little tricky as I would never entrust my dolls
(or anything really) to baggage handlers. My suggestion would be to
unstring your dolls so that they could all fit into a carryon bag. Not
sure how realistic that is or if it would cause any problems when
checking in (cause I don't fly) but it's something I would consider
before selling them.

Best wishes on your big move though Santinian, I hope you
get some good advice to help you

 

Thanks, Lula78, and you've give me good advice too. I never even thought about unstringing my dolls. LOL! Right now though the most attractive thing to me is to ship them strung using a good courier service.

 

Have never tried a courier service, but brought back quite a few dolls (12! not all bjd) from Idex this past year (Florida to Maryland). The vinyl ones were securely packed in my checked luggage with my clothes, and the others were packed in a carry on suitcase. (With wheels! especially important if you are switching planes as otherwise they get very heavy carrying through the airport) Not one doll had any damage! I did have each ones face covered with a plastic face cover, and then wrapped securely in their sleeping bag thing that they came in.

Good luck and let us know how it works out!

 

Thanks!

How many suitcases did you use? Sorry I'm having a hard time imagining it. ^^;

 

Perhaps wrap them in a zillion layers of bubble wrap and stick them in a box? That's what I would do. I've got 5 dolls, and I'm in the process of moving from college---> home as of tomorrow, so yeah, I'm gonna take my own advice I think! Even better, wrap them carefully and stick 'em back in their doll boxes if you have them, and then stick those in a big box!

 

Yes, when I imagine making the move I see a lot of bubble wrap! XD I still have all my dolls' original boxes. I'm still a bit nervous about enlisting a courier service to transport them.

How far is the move from college to your home? Are you gonna use a moving van? Sorry for being nosey. But answers will help me get a better idea of what to do.

Good luck on your move!