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

I brought two of my (since then sold) dolls on vacation, but I hardly had any time to take them out for pictures. And when I took one of them with me when visiting a castle there was noticeable yellowing on her arms, even if I had taken care of keeping her in the shade ><

It's fun to take pictures of your dolls in exotic locations, but for me taking dolls on vacation is too much of a hassle x'D

 

I'm glad I found this thread as I was about to post one of my own and figured I could add on to this one. I'm going to the beach with my family next week and I plan on taking my only dolly with me and I was wondering if there are any guidelines I should know about. I've never taken my girl out of my house (apart from doing pictures in my yard) and I'm a little on the worried side. What are some things I shouldn't do with her while we're on the beach? Or would my only worry be to watch out for sand in her joints and near her faceup? Should I keep her in her carry case when no one's in the room so the maids won't mess with her?

 

Me and my girlfriend have been both to the beach and on a plane with our dolls.

You should have seen the guys face when we pulled not one but three SD sized dolls out of a small weekend bag (just small enough to count as hand luggage) put them in the trays to be scanned. It was HILARIOUS.

As for the beach, bjd can handle a surprising lot! One of our dolls took an accident dive into the sea and nothing is wrong with him. Just watch out for their face-ups.

If your doll on accident got sand or water in their joints, clean it up and in case of them getting wet, make sure the string dries properly so it won't get moldy. But overall dolls can handle a lot more than people give them credit for. Robbie sure didn't seem suffered by the dive xD

 

This helps :P I know they can handle a lot, but my biggest worry is sand getting in her joints and scratching them up (She's already strung tightly and I'm still too newby to restring her), the sand messing up her faceup, and/or something happening to her in the hotel room. I'll be driving, so no worries about the airport ^_^

 

I'd never take one on a plane. I taken them in car trips only, with people I know who won't mess with them.

 

I've actually taken my guys to the beach every year for a Meetup, and what we end up doing is putting out a blanket for them and then sitting them under a huge leafy tree. I'd recommend putting yours under an umbrella or something that will keep the sunlight off of them.

Like it was mentioned before, they can actually get wet, but then you would have to take yours apart and let the stringing dry. Since you're still new, unless you want to resting her after taking her apart, I'd keep her out of the water.

Sand is no worry as long as you're careful. Try to not have her faceplant onto the sand, but unless you drag her, even then it shouldn't mess up her faceup too much, if at all. Also try not to get too deep in the sand, again unless you want to have to take her apart, but if she's as tightly strung as you say, sand might not be able to get into her joints.

Here is a really old pic of Ryuichi sitting in the sand, proving that you CAN take a doll to the beach and have then come out fine!



If I remember correctly, after the photoshoot, all I had to do was brush him off and he was fine. Its all just basic common doll sense, if you think about it.

Ryu

 

I've not taken abjd on holiday with me before but I have taken equally large, delicate and expensive figurines ith me before (my ltd edition Dr Doom tends to go everywhere with me). I would say, be careful about taking them in a box, I had security stop me with Doom and hold his box upside down whilst shaking it to get him out. I had to stand on the other side of a line whilst he did this and was told if I crossed it I would be arrested so I couldn't even reach out to help him and in the process protect my precious boy. So if I were you I'd take your dolls, it's less suspicious and you'll be less likely to have over zealous security break your babies.

I would /never/ put something with my general luggage, it gets knocked around too much-- TAKE YOUR DOLLS AS CARRY ONS IF YOU DON'T WANNA RISK BROKEN FINGERS! Here's a neat trick I've picked up, if your stuff is in a bag it's counted towards the weight and size of your carry on luggage, if you're holding a doll in your arms then airport staff tend to let it through as an extra without any type of charge, meaning you can still get away with having a separate carry on bag.

 

When my good friends and I started planning a trip to a family cabin this fall, I automatically knew that my doll would be coming with us! There are just too many photo opportunities there to pass up: flowers, wildlife, the dock by the lake, trails and trees, campfires and fun. The people attending (4 others and myself), are friends I've known for years, and they respect my doll hobby. I would be more hesitant to bring my doll if the people attending were too rowdy, or didn't understand how expensive and delicate she can be.

I'm in the process of turning a hard-shelled power tool case into a doll carrier, and I plan on leaving her in there while not taking pictures of her. I haven't taken my doll on a vacation yet; just to friends houses. I wouldn't have an issue taking her on other trips that involve airplanes, but I'd only take her if I knew that I'd have time to take pictures of her. If the trip was going to be jammed full of events, or just something private between my boyfriend and I, then I'd leave little Piko at home. It just wouldn't be fair to risk her safety if I wasn't going to be spending time with her anyway. It's only for a week or two, and I'd rather feel comfortable knowing that she was at home, safe and sound.

 

I recently went on a road trip with my whole gang(three SDs and one MSD). Two of them had their own bag, but Del and Weylin had to share a pillow blanket in a separate bag that we also packed with fabric for sewing stuffs. I put an extra towel to protect their hands just case, and I use their plastic face covers too to protect their face-ups(make sure you keep those, they are very useful for travel!). Everyone was fine when we got to our destination, about four hours of driving, and they all got unpacked and set up on a table with the sewing machine. xD I didn't pack them up when we went out, but we had the "do not disturb" sign on the door so the maids wouldn't come in. I have to admit, every time we came back to the room I would count them and go "yay everyone's still here" xD The room they were in didn't get direct sunlight so I had no worries about that. All in all, I don't regret taking them with us at all, despite the worry I occasionally had about them. :3

 

I have no problems with restringing and cleaning up my dolls BUT I do have a BIG problem exposing my dolls to the sun, grabby hands and dirt. I hate sand, it's sticky and hard to come off (in my case). I put on gloves when I have to touch them at home...just imagine what I would have to do out there in the open and in the beach, on top of that!

I prefer to leave them at home and knowing they will be alright^^ kudos to those who can do it but I can't.

 

And how about BIG dolls? Did you have any problems carrying them around (airport, transfer etc.)?

 

I'd hate to risk it myself. Although I'm going to have no choice. My Saint is going to arrive at my partner's place in the UK and it's going to have to come on the train with me to the Netherlands ._.

 

I'm considering taking a few of my dolls on vacation for the first time this week. My family and I are going to stay in the San Juan Islands, and the forests up there are fantastic, so I may bring my two forest creatures, Moss and Wren (Soom\LTF hybrids) and take lots of pictures of them in their natural habitat. I have their face covers for travel and a tiny suitcase that they both fit in very snugly, so they won't rattle around on the boat. I think it will be a successful trip. ^ - ^

 

I think you might want to check out this thread: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?373799-Interesting-Funny-Encounters-with-TSA

Its funny and informative too!

Ryu

 

I am a new BJD owner and I took my MSD, Takara, to the beach and everything was okay. I made her a tankini and was really excited about it. I brought her a small towel to sit on and she wasn't near when the tide came in, and I made sure she got cleaned up after making contact with the sand or water. I actually should have been more worried about myself rather than her, because I ended up sunburnt.

 

Wow, as a new doll owner I would be totally scared to take Miri with me anywhere outside/on a plane! Road trips are different, I would be more comfortable with that as long as I packed her securely.. But airport security, sand, water, dirt, grabby kids... ugh. Those all just freak me out.

However, it's good to read everyone's tips on how to travel with dolls.. Since Miri is so small I'd have no problem taking her in my carry-on. And honestly, I think I would be sad to travel without her!

 

Ahaha! I bring Frei anywhere like it's nobody's business. It's kind of his thing, too--the little resin traveller. He has so far been to 2 landtrips, once to the mountains and once to the beaches. Being an MSD makes things easier, as he only needs the top half of my body bag to tag along. I might not bring an SD along when I get one.

Public reactions are generally "Oh look, it's a doll!" and "It's pretty!". Very few people approach and if ever, it's just to ask where it came from. I haven't been told off so far. ^_^

Clean your doll in between location shoots. They accumulate dirt and sand very fast, the wig is very vulnerable to moderate/strong winds, and there may be bugs and whatnot that crawled in there in a space of a few minutes. If you don't mind those hassles, congratulations! You're outdoorsy-BJD ready!

I do have to say though, in less than 6 months Frei has "yellowed" considerably (fortunately LUTS RSN is very forgiving in that their yellowing just means having the red pigments fade. He's actually paler now ^_^). If people are uncomfortable about yellowing, they'll have to be extra careful, or just skip it.

Next month I'll be having an airtrip, so I might be able to add an anecdote or two at the Airport Encounters thread. ^_

 

I've never taken a doll on a plane, but this thread has me wondering something... What exactly are they swabbing the doll with? Can it hurt the resin, sealent or faceup...?

 

They won't tell you, and unknown.