So, who’s going on vacation here? We thought it was Mom, Sis and I, but you’ll soon learn that it’s really Benny and Nanea. This isn’t their first trip to visit Great-Grammy in Florida, but each trip with them feels like the first time (smile). We’ve learned over the years, though, to visit our vacation spots twice: once with the dolls, once by ourselves. When you’re trying to maximize the number of photo ops for dolls in public places like Disney Springs and Resorts, it takes a whole day just with them in each place. Between the lengthy set-up times and conversation with interested passers-by, I realized early on that I spent my entire vacation looking at the dolls through one eye on a small lens. The amount of props increases every trip, too, so traipsing through our sight-seeing time laden like a pack mule . . . well, it left a lot to be desired. In a brief moment of sagacity, it occurred to me that it’d be better to just give the dolls our all on one trip and then spend another visit enjoying the sights with both eyes and only a small fanny pack around my waist. WE LOVE IT! Taking the dolls with us really increases our “happiness points” and makes us look at things we might otherwise pass in a hurry to get from Point A to Point B. Not to mention the fun people we meet who probably wouldn’t even give us the time of day if we didn’t have the dolls out. (Excuse me while I remove Nanea from my desk. She gets nervous when we talk about dolls going on vacation with us. She doesn’t like to share her space or vacation with dolls. Just Benny, her brother, and he’s not crazy about dolls, either.)
I thought you might like to see how we pack the dolls for the plane trip and then the time spent in vacation hot spots (Disney, beach and surf, Ron Jon’s, picnics in the park, Cocoa Beach Old Florida, and loads of other places). We use a small carry-on suitcase for the plane trip, and they get carried around everywhere else in a large zippered tote bag (made from real Hawaiian fabric, of course). If we’re only carrying one at a time, we use the standard-size Disney backpack shown here. As you can see, there’s plenty of room in there for one doll with all the other junk you can’t leave home without, and it zips quite easily.
The slightly larger carry-on case goes in the overhead compartment in the plane until we take off, then the dolls get to come out and share the seat between us. We always sit in the furthest-back row (don’t like the crush of people when the plane lands). From OH to FLA, there’s usually an empty seat between Sis and me for the dolls. On the return trip, there’s rarely an empty seat and the dolls stay in their Pullman (Nanea likes to think of it as a luxury train car). When the dolls are out, the stewardesses go crazy over them and their good manners, and the dolls get more kid-snacks than most of the kids even get. It’s a riot, and we love taking them with us!
Okay, so let’s open the softsider carry-on bag (which measures 14W x 20H x 7D”) and gather our pre-packed items to figure out how to fit them best. Pretty compact, but you’ll be impressed with how much fits inside. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that for nearly three years, when we were 16-18, we travelled around the eastern half of the country as conference volunteers for Answers in Genesis. After three dismal trips with more junk and clothes than we could have used in six trips, Sis and I were taught by the best event organizers to take only what we needed. Mom refers to it as a lesson in how to fit 5# in a 2# bag. It’s a lesson we’ve never forgotten.) Sis and I had spent about two or three weeks deciding what to take this time. Nanea likes to carry her house with her, so it’s always a bit tricky to condense her essentials down to a manageable size.These two fishing-tackle boxes keep our accessories safe.
Next comes another plastic container that holds some of the larger and/or more fragile accessories. (Pay special attention to the most important thing of all, the Dole Whip bowl in the bottom-right corner.) Now it’s time to start packing the carry-on. In go the three plastic containers.
Nanea’s crazy about shoes, so she packs one bag each for herself and her brother. (Benny said it took two days for her to get her shoes down to just what fit in the one bag.) I think Benny packed the bag with the beach accessories (necessaries for a Florida vacation, I’m told). The three bags slide neatly alongside the other containers.
Nanea made sure we got two more bags with their headgear. Nanea can’t leave home without her Mickey ears or her Moana outfit and necklace. And Benny has enough visors to lose one a day at the beach. I got to pack the third bag in this round, and it includes my absolutely must-haves when travelling with dolls: clear rubber bands for wrist control, tacky so they can hold or hold onto things, micromesh for scrapes and ouchies, and magic erasers for bath time. You might think we’re starting to get full here, but there’s room for more!
Next in is Benny’s new 20″ surfboard that Auntie Elizabeth made for him. He’s going to buy it at Ron Jon’s, though, so you aren’t allowed to see it yet!
Nanea insisted that we carry her hula outfit and accessories. (It’s useless to think you’re going to deny her any thing when she bats those eyelashes at you.) The second pic shows a small beach bag filled with Flossie’s accessories. Oh, did I forget to mention that Nanea’s pet and Islandshire’s only Grand Champion chicken is going with us, too? Like I said, you don’t say “no” to Nanea (smile). Look how nicely the bags fit next to the surfboard.
Naptime. Let’s not wake them. See, I told you Flossie was going! (In case you’re wondering, we don’t put the dolls in until right before we leave. And even that brings a bit of trauma with it. We have to pretend the netted dolls are doing the Rip Van Winkle thing, and Nanea is only game to go along with it because she wants to go on her “dream vacation” more than she hates being confined. Benny can sleep anywhere.
Flossie gets nestled up against Benny and Nanea, and a beach towel and Benny’s hat protect their faces a little. Hey, don’t worry about those long jeans and sleeves they’re wearing! They’ve packed enough warm-weather clothes to stay all summer, but Nanea can’t stand to have her skin touching the dirty airplane seats.
So, where are the clothes? They go in last, as a better layer of protection for our diminutive ticket-holders (they wear their own boarding passes around their necks). Each doll has their own small ripstop bag for packing what appears to be their entire wardrobe. (That’s Nanea for you. Next time, I’m going to have to oversee her packing.) In the bags go, on top of the sleeping dolls and chicken, and it’s time to snap the whole lot together.
Voila! One compact carry-on, holding the most precious of our belongings on this trip. Definitely not the kind of bag you check! Ooh, sends shivers just typing it . . .
We’re hoping to post here occasionally during our trip, which runs from March 13th through April 5th, so check back every now and then. Or you can hit the SUBSCRIBE button on our home page to be notified when a new post appears. (We don’t use your info for anything else.) Enjoy yourselves, and we’ll try to share a bit of sunshine with those of you who haven’t seen it in so long that you no longer remember what it looks like. Of course, that’s us, and that’s why we’re going to stay with Gramma. For three nice long weeks. To sit in the sunshine. Ah . . .