When I found out I was traveling to Colorado, the first thing I did was check the distance between where we were staying and Super Junk Vintage, a cute and quirky shop that sells a lot of Blythe doll items. I thought I would also use this as an opportunity to travel with one of my Blythe dolls!
Last year, I traveled with my petite Blythe because I was too shy to take pictures of a full-size Blythe doll, but the photographs of other doll collectors in public inspired me to try out doll photography in the wild for the first time. It was a fun adventure but it wasn’t without its challenges! I wanted to write this article to discuss my experience of traveling with a Blythe(s) via airplane, as well as share some tips I learned.
In preparation for my trip, I researched Blythe doll carriers or bags, but couldn’t find something within my price that would arrive in time of our trip. Then, I saw a few doll collectors share a plastic pencil/stationery hard case that they found at Target. I checked to see if it was available at my local Target and not only did they have it but it came in a cute iridescent blue color!
My traveling buddy ended up being Lavender. She’s the most travel-friendly doll as her hair isn’t too long, plus she’s a Sagittarius sun! Lol
We were flying for this trip and I was only going to bring a carry-on luggage and a personal item, so I had to be strategic with my packing. I packed the doll hard case carrier in my personal bag because I didn’t want to risk Lavender getting thrown around in the overhead bin. In my personal bag, the hard case took up most of the space, but I also managed to squeeze in my iPad, wallet, a book, sunglasses, notebook, and a few other small miscellaneous stuff. Anything else, I just packed inside the doll carrier case because it can hold a lot of things!
There was a slight fear that my bag would get flagged and that a TSA agent might think I was weird for traveling with a doll but thankfully I didn’t get stopped this time! Though, I’m pretty sure they’re used to seeing a lot of strange stuff! lol
For Lavender’s luggage, I used a mini Pompompurin backpack that I used to belong to my dog (RIP Lucy!). This backpack has two pouches and a velcro strap in the back. In the back bigger section, I packed all of her outfits. I planned 5 outfits, plus extra tops just in case, and her traveling outfit. In the front smaller section, I packed her bralettes, hair accessories, bags, and miscellaneous stuff. I honestly thought I was bringing too much stuff for her but I did ended up using almost everything so it worked out perfectly!
I only brought Lavender one pair of shoes because all the shoes I have are either difficult to change out of or easily fall off. However, the white shoes I brought constantly fell! Thankfully, they only ever fell in my bag and I didn’t lose them.
Since I didn’t want to lug around the tangle tweezer that I use on my Blythe dolls hair, I packed a sparkling pink comb that I normally use to brush out my dolls bangs. It was convenient and didn’t take up too much space.
I also brought a bandanna that I originally got from LUSH (it was one of those special holiday bath bomb bandannas) to safely wrap Lavender in my tote bag. I wrapped her in a little Blythe burrito (watch the video above to see how I wrap a Blythe burrito! lol) and placed her head down and feet up for easy access. There are probably better ways to carry a Blythe in your bag but this worked for me and I didn’t damage her at all.
After Nessa (aka Suri Sustainable) joined the party, I had to quickly unbox her because we were traveling the following day. Thankfully, she fit perfectly in the hard case! The extra faceplate I bought from Super Junk and her clover stand also fit inside the case! Plus, some of my other doll stuff also fit snuggly inside. If you can still find this case at Target, I would highly recommend it!
Overall, I really love traveling with my dolls. I started off with one Blythe before we left for Colorado, and ended up returning home with two Blythes! I probably wouldn’t travel with two dolls at a time, unless I’m buying a new one like I did on this trip. There’s just so much going on when there’s two dolls involved, plus I would like to focus my attention on one Blythe at a time. Give them a special chance to shine and all.
I was hoping to take one of those cute pictures of a Blythe looking out an airplane window but sadly I didn’t get a chance due to the seating situation. Maybe next time! I would also love to purchase one of those official Junie Moon doll carrying cases, because they look so cute, and functional! It’s on Christmas wishlist! 😉