Travel with dolls....

Hey everyone!! 

I wasn't exactly sure which area to post this in so I figured the general discussion was the best. ...In a few weeks I will be traveling via airplane to visit family and I want to take along my dolls. I plan to bring one or two of my vinyl girls.  ........I have 1 checked bag but no "carry on" ....The airline allows a purse or small bag to be brought a long. ...I figured I would put my doll clothing/accessories in my checked bag. I am looking for some advice on how to package them, if I should put them in my checked bag?? Helps?!?! 

1 hour ago, Ikataru said:

Hey everyone!! 

I wasn't exactly sure which area to post this in so I figured the general discussion was the best. ...In a few weeks I will be traveling via airplane to visit family and I want to take along my dolls. I plan to bring one or two of my vinyl girls.  ........I have 1 checked bag but no "carry on" ....The airline allows a purse or small bag to be brought a long. ...I figured I would put my doll clothing/accessories in my checked bag. I am looking for some advice on how to package them, if I should put them in my checked bag?? Helps?!?! 

My personal take is don’t put anything valuable in a checked bag. 

I would also suggest taking steps to protect their faces. A suggestion I read in the past is put a piece of bubble wrap over the face up, and you can tape it to the back of the head with the Volks skin protect tape. You could also get the SD face masks and dollfie wrapping blankets from Volks, but the wrapping blankets are really just a soft white towel with a pocket for the head to go in. Still two wrapping blankets, and two face masks got my dolls through a 5000 mile road trip without a scratch or stain.  

I haven’t flown in awhile, so I don’t know how nasty the airlines have gotten about carry on bags, but the last time I did fly a carry on was still sizable enough for two dolls. 

Edited May 18, 2019 by BeyondTime

I used this backpack to travel with my DDS. My girl can fit if I bend her at the knees and kind of tilt her back a little bit. If you have a DD or a SmD, I think you'll have to take the head off. Luckily, the backpack has several removable shelves so you can customize the backpack to suit your needs such as making a pocket for the head. I also wrap my girl in a white pillow case. Much cheaper than buying the blankets from Volks. The wig will most likely get messy so pack a comb/brush. The backpack is pretty sturdy too, though it is a bit bulky. The backpack should definitely fit under the seat, but that varies based on the airline. 

Edited May 27, 2019 by MaKayla_Panda
Spelling Error

8 hours ago, MaKayla_Panda said:

I used this backpack to travel with my DDS. My girl can fit if I bend her at the knees and kind of tilt her back a little bit. If you have a DD or a SmD, I think you'll have to take the head off. Luckily, the backpack has several removable shelves so you can customize the backpack to suit your needs such as making a pocket for the head. I also wrap my girl in a white pillow case. Much cheaper than buying the blankets from Volks. The wig will most likely get messy to pack a comb/brush. The backpack is pretty sturdy too, though it is a bit bulky. The backpack should definitely fit under the seat, but that varies based on the airline. 

DSLR bags are great for dolls imo. I used a DSLR bag to carry a doll on a long train trip, and it worked perfectly. The backpack I used then was slightly larger, but only because I needed one that carried a laptop, iPad, and a fair bit of camera gear too. Even with the doll in the bag there was plenty of room left for the camera gear and other stuff. With a DD you could simply separate the torso into two halves to fit her into a carry-on bag, just be sure the face is covered with something that won't stain, and the body is wrapped in something white. I don't have a SmartDoll yet, so I don't know how possible that is with them.

With a large resin you might have to disassemble the doll a bit by taking off the head and removing the hook from the elastic to release the tension, and I would definitely wrap it in something soft.

The carry-on size limit on United is 9 inches x 14 inches x 22 inches (22 cm x 35 cm x 56 cm), including handles and wheels. The Volks doll bag is too long, but any bag of those dimensions should hold a doll. There will be a weight limit on top of the dimension limit, and the limits are going to vary by airline. They usually have  a baggage FAQ somewhere on the airlines website. If you do take a carry-on I would personally aim for something under their size / weight just so you don't run into any surprises at the counter.

Thank you both VERY much. 

I do have a long tripod bag for when I take my dolls around places but like you said @BeyondTime it is much too large to be considered a carry-on. I actually absolutely forgot that I had these soft little doll carriers that my friend had given me.... I am sure my MDD size will be no problem at all to package in the small backpack. 

 

I have looked at the TSA and the airline's website and I have the exact dimensions for everything. I have a small backpack that is the perfect size for the "personal item" but I don't think my DD will fit into that bag even with her head removed. I will have to try. .....I want to at least be able to bring my MDD size. 

12 minutes ago, Ikataru said:

Thank you both VERY much. 

I do have a long tripod bag for when I take my dolls around places but like you said @BeyondTime it is much too large to be considered a carry-on. I actually absolutely forgot that I had these soft little doll carriers that my friend had given me.... I am sure my MDD size will be no problem at all to package in the small backpack. 

 

I have looked at the TSA and the airline's website and I have the exact dimensions for everything. I have a small backpack that is the perfect size for the "personal item" but I don't think my DD will fit into that bag even with her head removed. I will have to try. .....I want to at least be able to bring my MDD size. 

I don't have any MDD, but you should be able to separate the top and bottom torso, wrap them in something, and then put the two halves in the bag. They can also be folded into a L or a sitting position.

When I did a train trip with my Think Tank camera backpack my Makoto Kikuchi DDS rode in it folded into an L and with nothing but an SD face cover and some bubblewrap around her for protection. The inside of the pack is light silver so I wasn't as worried about stains. If the bags are any kind of dark color I would absolutely wrap her in something to protect her.

Here is a shot of her next to the backpack on the train, and another looking at the view.

 

 

Hahaha! She looks like she had a great time!!!

 

I plan to take Kira, she is a Parabox but around an MDD size (40cm) ... I found a bag of mine that will hold her sitting down so it should be perfect. I also found my little doll cover that a friend gave me and will be able to put her inside of that for extra protection! I think she will be just fine!!!! 

7 hours ago, Ikataru said:

Hahaha! She looks like she had a great time!!!

She did, but when we got to the hotel in LA there was only one bed.

Guess who slept on the floor? ._.

 

7 hours ago, Ikataru said:

I plan to take Kira, she is a Parabox but around an MDD size (40cm) ... I found a bag of mine that will hold her sitting down so it should be perfect. I also found my little doll cover that a friend gave me and will be able to put her inside of that for extra protection! I think she will be just fine!!!! 

I think Volks has made an MDD sized carry bag in the past, but they aren't offering one right now.

 

Edited May 22, 2019 by BeyondTime

LOL! Of course!!!!!! 

I will have to keep my eyes out for something like that in the future. For now I have to make-do with what I have since I am leaving next week. Not enough time or money to be ordering anything new at the moment!!