Traveling with your BJDs

There's only one doll that I take with me on vacations involving flying, and that's because I'm not worried about him getting super damaged as he's old and already has damage. I put a facemask on him and put him in my carry-on (backpack). I've had TSA take him out for inspection and then just kinda put him back in and give me back my backpack. They're mostly just a bit confused to see a tiny human-shaped thing in someone's bag.

 

I took one of my doll with me on a plane once. He was wrapped in some bubble wrap and stored in my backpack in the laptop compartment. When I went through security, he wasn’t taken out to be checked. But then again it was domestic flight so I don’t know if maybe they would be more strict if it was international flight.

 

I always take dolls in my carry-on, never in checked in luggage. It's easier to travel with an MSD or tiny BJD. If you do travel with an SD doll, I'd use a big enough regular bag to have them sitting rather than in a long carrier and lying down. There gets to be issues with the size of the carrier due to constraints on carry-on. My sister makes carrier bags and I use them to protect my dolls in transit. I too use a face mask and I usually remove the wig and place it in a ziplock bag to protect it.

 

Taking dolls in anything but carryon is one big yike. Don't do it; save yourself the stress and potential damage. Once you're through the checklines, what happens to that bag(s) is up to you.

I see you have seven girls, based upon your posts? If they're smaller, I can see them fitting well into a carryon. But if they're MSD+, maybe pick one to three and leave the rest? It can be difficult to manage multiple dolls during travel.

 

I put tissue paper around the face of my doll (and tattoos if they have them) to protect the painting and sealent and a facemask on top of that. The wrap my doll in a small blanket and put the in a bag/backpack.

 

You will go there for a longer period? If positive...than you must take all your girls, else you will miss them too much...
How many dolls you wanna take with you? What size? I have a feeling that you have big dolls....
You will go there alone? If you go with friends - you could maybe pack some dolls in their hand bags

 

I took an SD on an international flight. I put him in my rucksack and he was fine. I did get stopped at security, but the officer there was mostly bemused and very nice about it. She was curious and asked about him!

 

Carry on is best for anything precious, too many horror stories of luggage being sent to other countries or being lost entirely or squashed beyond recognition. If it can't be replaced easily it travels in carry on. For TSA make sure to mention that your doll is hollow and has a metal hook inside and string holding them together. You might want to pack some extra stringing materials and eye putty in your carry on or regular bag for when you arrive just in case. Depending on who you have and their size you might want to pick just one to be your travel buddy and let the others stay home. Larger dolls, dolls with fragile fingers, pointy ears, fantasy parts, tails and other easier to break parts or harder to pack pieces and sizes are less travel friendly compared to a tiny doll without any fragile parts and a pocket sized pal can explore with you easily whilst a 70cm friend is no fun to carry around all day and gets heavy quickly. I'd recommend msd or smaller. Tinies and pet dolls are especially great travel buddies.

 

I do this for normal travel. Only flew with a doll once and that in her original box. I called the airline to ask for permission because of the size.

 

Would it be terrible to dissemble your dolls for the flight, and then restring them at your destination? They would certainly take up less room that way, though I’d recommend putting a picture of the fully assembled doll and put it on the box with the pieces.

 

Wow this is relevant considering I’m just past security in an airport with three dolls in tow I have a YoSD, MSD, and SD sized with me. I have a papoose for the Yo and zippered cushions for the MSD and SD. Unfortunately, TSA made me take the MSD and SD out and swabbed each for bomb residue Luckily, the TSA agent was very gentle and put them back nicely when he was done. They didn’t take out the YoSD at all, and I’ve flown twice with her before and they haven’t flagged her before so maybe they only take notice of bigger dolls.

 

That’s a really good idea, actually!

I’ve only ever flown with a mini-sized doll, but she went through security in my carryon no problem. Depending on the airport, I’m sure the staff have seen weirder. A large OT doll I brought back from France years ago raised some eyebrows in the smaller Nice airport, but none at all in New York. Be prepared to explain it if they ask, but based on my experience, it shouldn’t be a problem.

 

I took my little Elena with me for holiday three times. She has been to Japan, Korea (her origin) and Thailand. I put her in a small sleeping bag like shown in the picture and put her in my backpack with her leg joints bend.

 

I frequently take several dolls with me when I travel - I usually just put them in my carry on with something wrapped around the ehad to protect the faceup (same as I do when taking them to work and other places in my everyday workbag/backpack).

No harm has come to them so far and I've been doing this for nearly 15 years.

Teddy

 

I have traveled multiple times with my MSD and tiny dolls in their "sleeping bag" in my carry-on. I've put large dolls in my hardsided suitcase, also in foam & cloth carriers, and sent them through cargo. Always use some kind of hard face-protector. I've never had an issue or problem.

On my upcoming trip, I want to bring an MSD on hikes, so I've been scouring everywhere for a hard-sided, small, lightweight box to put dolls in, and then place in my backpack. I finally found the perfect one! Harbor Freight sells plastic tool storage boxes that are exactly the right size. I think it will be perfect for the added protection against rough handling in my hiking backpack! I just need to add a layer of foam on all sides (or put the doll in her padded sleeping bag?)

 

For Volks' sake, do not, do not put your dolls in your check-in luggage! Just don't. Truly. Carry-on is the only option.

That having been said, I pop Chaeri in her padded carry pouch which I made for her, and if I want extra protection I wrap a towel around her.

 

Carry on is likely your best bet. Checked luggage gets tossed around like no one's business.

I recommend a ZÜCA, personally. Great storage space, durable and fits in most overheads.

If you can't get a special bag in time for AWA, some small plush, a blanket and a face cover can go a significant way. And tetrising. You can get overhead storage dimensions off of most airline websites.

OR You can do what my friend does and literally carry a doll through security. You'll get weird looks and you'll still have to put her in a bin for security, but at least you can keep a close eye on her. She's never been stopped for having a doll. And hey, maybe a little kid will get a kick out of it, spark some interest in a future bjd collector.

 

Oh! One last thing: if your doll is the martial type, put all toy weapons in your checked luggage. I brought my pirate doll with his teeny-tiny toy sword and toy muzzle-loading pistol, and security wouldn't let the toy weapons through!

I'm not doubting you, but I'm honestly curious why? Have I just been super lucky? Admittedly, I've only traveled with the big dolls (in checked luggage) twice.

When the dolls are sent through the mail (particularly the ones that come from Asia), they are tossed and crushed. But packed well, they always survive. Maybe I've just been unlucky, but I don't think I've ever received a package from an overseas doll company that didn't have scary crushed corners and tears in the outer cardboard container.

 

It's not just a question of surviving the handling. Luggage gets lost, loaded on to the wrong plane, tags fall off or get switched, sometimes out-and-out stolen right off the trolley. It's the same reason you're advised never to put your valuables in your check-in luggage, and to most BJD owners a doll is definitely a valuable.

I went to Kentucky years ago and had to change last minute because of technical problems but my luggage was already loaded and I couldn't get it back. I didn't get it back for two days. Needless to say, for the entirety of the two days I was a nervous wreck thinking all my stuff was going to end up in Saskatchewan or something. And that was BEFORE I had a BJD...

Honestly? Nowadays if I can't take it in a carry-on, I won't take it period. Then again I don't travel much these days.

Now I can't get Jeff Dunham's story about going through airport security with his puppet Peanut out of my head. XD Google it, it's hilarious.

 

Oh! Lost luggage hadn't even occurred to me. You're absolutely right. I will never check a doll again! THANK YOU!

 

I never go anywhere on a plane if I can help it! Precious dolls and horrible flight anxiety already make that a bad combo If it's up to me, I go by bus or car, but if I had to take them on a plane, I would unstring them all and put them in multiple wrapped bafs before going into my carry-on. I travel pretty light, and basically everything else except my laptop and some art pieces I take with me to finish can go into my checked bag, if I have one. If I had the space, as my backpack is obnoxiously large, I would try wrapping pieces in a soft cloth individually, like some old (clean) washcloths before putting them in a carrying case. Unstrung, you can probably fit a few in a carrying bag that some dolls come with, or in an ita bag.

 

Very smart...can't wait till I will also visit Japan....

 

I'm going to bump this thread up again because I will be moving to the UK from US, and I'm planning on brining 9 dolls (5 SD size, 3 MSD and 1 YOSD) with me (GOOD LUCK ME) I'm a very light traveler, so I really don't have too many personal items beside the dolls, and reading the previous comment on never put the dolls in check-in luggage, I'm planning on throwing everyone in my carry on LOL
My current plan is to have maybe 2 MSD and the YOSD in my backpack, and the rest can all sit in the cabin bag. I think the flight's going to be pretty empty due the the current situation, but I will still wrap their hands and cover their faces for extra protection. The reason I'm bringing so many at one time's because I have more dolls to be moved, so the more I can bring for this round the better lol Hopefully I can bring all 9 of them to the UK safely

 

I will also be moving later this year, from New Zealand to Japan.
I only have 4 dolls currently (msd and smaller) and I think I will unstring most of them and pack them in my carry on. I've had a checked-in bag miss a connecting flight before, so I don't trust my dolls in the hold. It will also be nice to have them in quarantine with me.

What I need to decide on is if I bring their boxes with me. Fortunately, only two of them have boxes, so I might just pack them with clothes and put them in my big bag.

 

I've only traveled with a bjd once, and luckily everything was alright. Avoid checking dolls in, luggages can go missing or get wrecked. If you do it as a carry-on, never ever let them out of your sight. I've heard horror stories of unattended bags or dolls the owners had out in public (to show them off/travel with/get pictures of) getting stolen. Keep them out of sight from others, secure, and keep an eye on them.

 

Nice! I had to unstring one of my dolls because it was just impossible to squeez him in lol
I have too much anxiety about getting the dolls in check in due to all the horror stories. Good luck to us!

Good advice! It'd be the saddest thing if the dolls got stolen during travel. Never leave the bag unattended is the biggest thing, as people can easily smuggle illegal stuffs in there too. Never hold anything for stranger, and never leave your bags unattended!

 

And never EVER take your doll(s) out! Not to show a person, not to check on them--keep them good and secure in the bag. Worst case scenario, you take one out to check on it and some Karen demands you give it to her kid, someone just steals it, or you accidentally drop an accessory and don't realize until after you've left.

 

Always take the doll in cabin. If the doll bag is too big for the norms, you can always take the doll out.

 

Haha the Karen's scenario would be truly scary! Especially when one's trying to board XD
Though I really wanted to take the dolls out to take a picture at the airpot, I remembered your advice and stopped myself from doing so XD

With that being said, I've successfully made it to the UK with all 9 of my dolls in the carry on!
And security did not ask a single question, not at the US, and not at the UK (I had a connecting flight to Edinburgh, and still, not a single question or inspection through the baggage check.)

I traveled from LAX to London Heathrow, both big city so that might be a reason, and also I'm like hobbit size Asian girl, so they probably think it's normal that a girl just carrying a bunch of dolls LOL

 

I'm glad to hear you and your dolls made it just fine!

 

Great that you've done it sucessfully

 

I used to always travel with 3 dolls. My 2 MSDs and 1 YOSD in 1 big bag.

Now, I have a total of 5 dolls and I have no idea how to make this work.. even if it's lockdown and I can't go out of the house with them xD

 

I would wrap the hands and feet separately if I were to travel with bjds. Esp the hands, I have seen bjd's fingers break during shipping before. You don't want that happening.

 

This is very interesting. I'm quite new to this hobby and I've never flown with my bjds before. They're big size SD17s and id75s. Thankful that I came across this thread. Now I won't make a mistake of putting them in my luggage

 

I'm planning to take my dolls over seas in the new year. Face masks, bubble wrapped hands, and hair nets for everyone. Then my Yosd is going in the fabric burrito she came with, my two msds will be put sitting in a kid's lunch box with some padding. I'm going to try to make the 65cm a burrito like thing that will be L shaped so he can be sitting too and then it's all going in my carry-on, strapped in place where possible. The rest of the space will be filled with soft things like clothes or extra pillowing.

 

I traveled with four dolls recently. Three big 70+cm guys and one 1/3 sized guy whose only about 30 or 40 cm tall, he's mostly a bust. I had the three big guys in the largest rolling carry-on I could have, with two of them having only their legs unstrung and one completely unstrung. Everyone was carefully packed up with several towels and they were quite snug in there. I had the heads along with the smaller boy in my own laptop backpack, also well wrapped up in towels and t-shirts.

The two biggest tips from me, wrap them up in cloth, and make sure there's as little extra space between them as possible!

 

Last time I flew anywhere, I was not collecting BJDs yet, but I did take a bunch of dolls to a Barbie convention about 20 years ago. I stupidly wrapped them in polyester batting, like what is used inside quilts. Well, when my luggage went through X-Ray, I was pulled aside and my luggage was searched. Turned out the x-ray wouldn't penetrate the polyester batting and they thought I was hiding explosives. Exploding Barbies LOL THEY didn't think it was funny and I was given a stern warning about using fibre fill as wrapping material.

 

I just flew with my Resinsoul tiny and had no issues with her in her yellow sleeping bag in my carry on. No questions, no weird looks, no trouble at all! Maybe it was because she's so tiny and her s hook is super small too.

 

I am planning to remove the heads from the cheaper bodies and carry the two with the other more expensive doll up the plane. The reason to do so is because of my camera, iPad and laptop. Alternative is shipping via sea but that takes 3 to 4 months.

(moving from Japan into Australia)

 

When I flew international last year, I ended up with my biggest doll unstrung in my carry on. I was limited to a backpack for the carry on, so everyone else was in their boxes/cases in my checked bag (fortunately all msd or smaller).
Everything turned out fine. I wasn't stopped/questioned at the airport and nothing arrived broken or damaged.

 

I use a backpack with doll wrapped in a baby blanket or two. Parker is my travel doll and she doesn't have eyelashes so I only have to protect her face up. She will hopefully soon have jointed hands so I will most likely wrap them in a way to protect them. We only travel by car, so travel baggage in way of backpack with camera in a sturdy box for her to sit on.

 

I used to travel a lot with my SD boys, but I don't do that anymore. As one of you mentioned: it is very stressful. Security has become insane and becoming more and more insane every year. You are pretty much at the mercy of the security guards. Metal hooks can definitely be a problem. I always took the doll(s) with me on board, never checked them in. The special bag I have fits under the chair give or take 3-5 centimeters. Again, you are at the mercy of the fly attendant. If you have to put it into the storage box over your head, you are at the mercy of the other passengers who try to force their coats, bags, and many bottles of duty free booze into the available room. You clearly don't have most of these problems if you fly business class or first class, but charters and economy flights can be nightmares with dolls.

On the other hand, I admit dolls improve your travel experience once you are arrived.

I always used plastic face mask, blanket and a thickly padded bag.

 

i will admit my experiences might be different due to the fact that i only collect tiny, tiny bjds like my biggest are cocoriang animals. being said so far (fingers crossed getting on flight tomorrow)i have had no issues whatsoever. i make them special “sleeping bags” for outings/travel which are padded and i just put them into my purse. i sometimes get worried about things like the magnets and security not liking them but honestly the fact that magnets are like the no. 1 travel souvenir is reassuring!!! personally i take my dolls out for pictures both at the airport and on the plane. maybe its because i am crazy. but no one has ever really cared honestly, maybe its because they’re too small to really notice? anywho just thought i would share my tips/experience as a tiny collector as i am sure part of why security flags dolls is due to size…

 

That's interesting, how large were the boxes and dolls/did you check or carry on? If you carried on, it may be because you are only allowed to have two carry ons on the vast majority of planes. I brought my large boy on my current trip, and didn't have an issue even though he's in an ~70 cm tall bag, which is give or take a few cm the same size as his box, so I can't imagine that being a big issue. I've seen people take larger bags than the boxes on planes too, so I don't think size would be the problem. Though if you wanted to bring multiple that could easily be an issue if you also have a personal bag, as it could go over two carry ons then.

 

Hi everyone! I have to travel with my dolls and I’m thinking of just wrapping them carefully and leaving them as they are, but if I decide to remove hands, feet and heads to be sure they don’t get hurt, how would I do that while keeping the elastic in place?

I’ve used a clip or a piece of wood before to keep the elastic in place while I work of something else, but that was very temporary, with the doll just being on my desk. If I’m moving around, what can I use? I was thinking some kind of big bead?

Let me know if you have any good ideas! Thanks!

 

I've traveled with my dolls many times, without removing hands, feet, or heads. I wrap them in towels, bandannas or clothing, and that has been enough to protect them. The worst that has happened is eyes falling back into their heads.

I'm afraid I don't have any advice for those who wish to be more cautious, as what you are thinking.

 

Some dolls have special hand pieces that make it easier to change clothes, so if you are worried about fingers breaking and have those (or fist hands where the hand is a more solid lump), you could swap them out for the travel. Feet are usually sturdy enough, I'd be more worried about the elastic slipping and giving you a surprise restringing scenario.

 

Probably true about the elastic slipping. I’ll just wrap the dolls and call it a day. It should be fine.

 

I've used keyrings/stationery clip rings to hold the S hooks and elastics in place, if the ring is large enough to sit on the wrist/ankle without shifting. Not for travel but for dressing a doll whose hands/feet were too big to get through the clothing. A keyring doesn't have pokey edges like a piece of wood/dowel rod.

But I agree with everyone else - just swaddle the doll in a towel and put a face protector on to protect the faceup. I've put swaddled dolls in my backpack that way (even gone hiking with them like that) and they're pretty safe.

 

Oh that’s brilliant! I never thought about doing that! Maybe I’ll try that if I have a specific head I wanna carry in my purse and have the body in a suitcase or something.

 

I use carabiner clips for dressing! Super easy to clip on and off, you can leave it on to pull the elastic out enough to slip the hand/foot back on too, and no matter how the clip turns, the elastic doesn't slip.

But for travel...depends on what kind of travel. If by car, I usually just carry the big dolls. Maybe buckle them in the back seat with a towel tossed over them to keep them safe from sun. Then carry them around in a tote bag. For my tinies, I bought sunglasses padded pouches, they work like sleeping bags on the under 16cm crew, so they're pretty safe in a purse or backpack. I get these. They're white inside, except for a black piece of fabric for cleaning glasses. I just cut that out. They're perfect size for my off topic blind box bjds too (basic ones. Mermaid, centaur and dragon don't fit.) I also got a padded insulated lunchbox that I can put all the tinies in their sleeping bags into!

 

Wow those are all great ideas thank you! I’ll do that for the small dolls and the big ones I’ll wrap in my clothes and probably put in a suitcase. Oh it’s by car btw, it’s just that almost all of these are dolls that have mostly been safe in their boxes so far cause I haven’t had time to do anything with them, so I’m being super parainoid about possibly damaging them. I know resin is not so fragile, but still…my precious babies.

 

I took an SD overseas on holiday recently. She travelled with all her parts attached, wrapped in a scarf with a face protector on, in my backpack.
I had to make her kneel to get her to fit (on single jointed legs). She was on the plane with me, under the seat, and went everywhere with me, including a 9km hike.
No damage whatsoever!
I would just recommend bringing restringing tools in case you change your doll's outfit and their elastic decides to shoot back up into their limbs.
Doll tax: Ayame in a cafe

 

Same here. My dolls go all over the place with me - to work in my regular daily backpack, to friends houses and events, on trips and on holiday.

I only remove their hands for dressing in stuff with tight cuffs (and that's rare, since I make most of their cufs so they can be unfastened to allow the hands through)

At most, I take the wig off and put it in a net t o stop it gettign messed up in transit.

Teddy

 

Ok thanks everyone. I’m way less worried now. And thanks for the doll tax @castironteapot so cute!

 

I would definitely recommend putting it in a carry-on bag with enough space for it to breathe. Try to have some extra padding like a soft blanket, clothes, etc. around the doll as a cushion. Hope you had fun on your journey!