Dollfie traveling advice?
I am going on a trip to San Francisco next week and want to take one of my DDs. Unfortunately the Volks carry case is about 2 inches too long to be classified as a carry on item. It seems my only other option is to put her in my checked luggage which would work. I am just concerned about how the TSA goes through everyone's checked luggage these days and if they will mess her up in anyway.
I suppose I might be able to just carry her in my arms the whole way on the plane but I am already taking my camera bag as carry on.
How do you travel with your Dolls?
Edit: I didn't read the United airlines size restrictions close enough. It says, "must not be more than 9 x 14 x 22 inches (23 x 35 x 56 cm) or 45 linear inches." The Volks carry case comes out to be about 43" linear so it should work out fine!
When I traveled I carried my girl in a case about the size of the volks bag. I took it with me as carry on and the staff really didn't say anything. So I'd say it's worth risking trying to carry her with since you other carry on is you camera bag, or do you have a backpack as well? You're allowed a personal bag and one carry on if I remember correctly. So you could technically
wrap your girl up in several layers of bubble wrap and store her in a backpack.
Hope this helps.
I just checked the United carry on size restrictions again and it says, "must not be more than 9 x 14 x 22 inches (23 x 35 x 56 cm) or 45 linear inches." The linear inches is the length + width + height added up and the Volks bag comes out to be less than 45" so I think I should be ok!
Awesome! Have a good trip in SF, hope to see a lot of pics of your girl!
I've never traveled with dolls before, but I'd probably just pack a larger purse, wrap my girl up in a white towel, and carefully place her in it... Maybe they'll let you by with it as a carry on if you show them what it is...? I imagine that I'm too optimistic in saying that though...^^;;
When I very first traveled, I put my girl in a Volks bag, and had the same problem. So, now every time I travel, I wrap her in a white towel, pose her in a little ball shape so she isn't as long, and store her in my carry on bag. Its kind of like what Zukin said about the larger purse. They just put my purse through that weird x-ray machine for baggage and stuff and then I keep on with my traveling plans! :D Except, sometimes they ask me why theres an object shaped like a person in there. I just have to tell them I collect dolls and am taking my favorite with me, and show it to them. Except...its been a couple years since I last traveled. They may not be ok with that any more. Hope this helps a wee bit. If all else fails, I would prolly just call the place you are using for travel.
When I traveled last Oct or so, it did get a few funny looks at the X-ray machine, but they didn't even ask me about it. So, shouldn't be an issue.
I was thinking about the volks bag until I read the post properly, well the first time I took my daughter out I managed to fit her into my back pack with lots of towels ;)
I haven't taken Agatha on an airplane (yet), though I've read a couple of the travelling threads in GD on DoA out of curiosity. Making the Volks bag your "carry-on" and your camera bag your "personal" one does sound to be the most logical option. And hey, you don't even need to use bubble wrap on her--try wrapping her in some of your clothes, since you need to bring those anyway. =P You could probably get a lot more of your regular stuff into your carry-on bags than you might originally think if you're creative.
I did recently take Agatha on a car trip in my little duffel bag, though granted I was packing pretty light and it was a short drive. If I take her on any other car trips, I definitely will be using my clothes as packing material.
One thing I've got to say, no matter how you're traveling: If you've still got the hair net and/or baggie her wig shipped in, use it! It makes managing their hair so much easier. >.<
Use a regular carry-on bag and just bend her at the waist. When I visited my friend, I took three dollfies in a carry-on. One goes in an L shape, the other in an inverse L so that they form a box. The third bends at the waist and knees and fits in the gap with her head resting on the legs of one of the first two and the feet on the legs of the other. Wrap them all in a giant white beach towel for padding and to prevent staining and I was good to go. Then fill in the gaps with their accessories and other things.
Recently I went to the states with a friend who has a DD as well, I checked Himitsu in, but when I went, I took her head (wrapped in a small towel) on with my carry on lol My friend wrapped her Neris in a towel and used a tote bag to carry her as carry on too ^^