Maple Insists: Ten Tips for Traveling with Dolls

Hola! Maple here.

Welcome to a "Maple Insists" post.
With no pictures.

Well except this one....

It's the holidays and I shouldn't be too snarky to y'alls.

Well, maybe a little snarky.

And probably bossy.

Okay, I'll be bossy....

It's that time of year when you might be taking a doll or two out into the world to travel to grandmother's house over a bridge, over some snow, over several states, etc. etc.

So I've created a list of Ten Tips for Traveling with your dolls.

1) If you are bringing a doll with you on a trip, don't forget the doll.

Yep, someone had to say it.

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2) Bring dolls with easy-to-manage hair. You don't want to spend your whole time away from home fixing doll hair. 

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3) When prepping dolls for traveling pull their hair back in a simple ponytail or braid so the hair has less chance of getting tangled or caught in things like seat belts, zippers, your brother's slimy fingers, etc. etc.

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4) Try not to bring too many dolls. Most of the time one or two dolls is enough. The more dolls you bring the higher the chance that you'll forget them and leave them behind somewhere. Like in an airport bathroom. And none of us wants to be left behind. Especially in an airport bathroom.

You might think, "Well if I forget something, my family will notice and tell me to find it."

Wrong. 

Most of the time your family has a difficult time just keeping track of their own stuff while traveling. See your parent counting on their fingers? That's them making sure all of the family members are still with them.

Don't expect your Mom, Dad, sibling, husband, wife, etc. to make sure you still have all your bags, coats, purses, Ipods, snacks, and dolls before moving on to the next location.

That is your job.

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5) This may not seem logical to you, but don't put jewelry, shoes, socks, scarves or hats on the dolls. You might think, "Hey, We're traveling, let's show off to the world my best outfit with all the doodads I can slap on my doll." Bad idea.

These types of extras can easily fall off and get lost. So don't even bother putting them on.

Just stick with a simple dress or pants and a shirt, and forget the rest.

Everything you put on the doll when traveling should require a lot of effort to take it off.

So it doesn't just slip off and get left behind.

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6) Anything you dress your doll in should be light-colored. No dark jeans and red shirts. 

A tan dress. A white top and skirt. All light colors.

That way if something gets spilled on them or something happens to the doll, the color from the clothing won't transfer over onto the vinyl of the doll.

Dark colored items are much more likely to stain your doll.

Which is why we always say don't leave them on any of your dolls for too long.

But we do recommend having some sort outfit on her.

No one wants to try to explain to a TSA agent why they have a nekkid doll in their baggage.

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7) And on that note: Never dress your doll in your favorite outfit when traveling. Or that $150 outfit you bought custom-made. Or something that is rare, retired, archived, etc. etc.

Just a simple, light-colored outfit that is easily replaceable and not your absolute fave.

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8) If traveling by air, don't put your doll in checked baggage. 

Checked baggage can get lost. And you may never see that doll again.

Sorry to sound doomsday-ish, but it is true.

Also, in the check baggy part of the plane the temperatures and pressures change dramatically.

You don't want your doll's vinyl to be exposed to extreme temperatures of hot and cold, this can damage the vinyl.

We always bring any AG dolls into the cabin with us.

In the cabin, the temperature and pressure are maintained at normal levels.

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9) Wrap your whole doll in a light colored fabric. Like a tan sweater or white towel. This protects the doll from damage. Make sure you wrap her head especially so her face doesn't get damaged.

We all know the anguish of the doll that fell on her face and got a nick out of her nose vinyl.

Just wrap the doll up.

No need to show her off to the world 24-7.

If you want to take her out to play, okay. Unwrap her.

But then afterward, rewrap her and protect her.

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10) And then put her in a bag. A tote bag. A bag that zips. Something to make it easy to carry her.

Don't just slap her under your arm and run out the door.

Especially if you are traveling by air. You'll want her wrapped and safe in a bag for going through the airports, airport security, the Xray machine conveyor belt thingy, etc. etc.

Okay, that's ten.
Queen Maple has spoken and you shall all obey me.

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If you have anymore tips and recommendations for traveling with dolls, 
please feel free to include them in the comments below!

Thanks for visiting us today everyone!

And Happy Holidays!

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