Hello, I recently bought a doll to travel and she's here! Kirsten (the doll I will be sending out) will need a host. 9 to be exact! Smoke free/ odor free homes please!This is a first come first serve thing, but don't be discouraged if you don't get picked, if you don't get picked you will instantly be put on my waiting list! You will get to host for up to 2 weeks.
She ships on April 1. Here are the guide lines I will be following as well as the one you should when or if you host Kirsten. It's easier if were all on the same page so read them please!
Rules I will follow:

First, you decide that one of your girls wants to see the country. What do you do next?
1. Announce it to the Board! Let everyone know which of your girls you are sending out, and ask for volunteers to send you a PM or an email if they are interested in hosting her in their homes. Ask them to let you know if they are planning special activities at specific times (i.e. birthday parties, holiday/ethnic/religious/cultural celebrations, etc.) in which they might like to include your doll. Plan on your doll being gone a month for every two people she visits. When you have enough host families set up (based on how long you want to let your doll be gone from home), organize an itinerary based on the most direct shipping routes (to keep the mailing costs as low as possible for everyone concerned) and the dates of special activities the volunteer hosts have told you about.

2. Packing makes a big difference! Several people expressed concern about damage while shipping. That was also my biggest fear when I sent Lindsey. So I decided to package her up the best I could. First, I made sure she was secure inside her AG box. Then I chose a packing box that was several inches bigger in all directions. I think it was about 24? x 15?. I then lined the packing box with styrofoam, cutting it to fit exactly in the bottom and around all four sides, and another piece to fit in the top. This gave the box extra strength and stability. I put a layer of packing peanuts in on top of the styrofoam liner before placing Lindsey?s box inside, and then surrounded it with peanuts before fitting on the top piece of styrofoam and closing and taping the box. Tape the box closed so that it can be easily cut open and re-taped by the next person, and also tape the address labels to the box where the new addresses can be taped over top. I also marked the box ?Fragile? on every side.

3. The carrier you choose makes a difference! My rationale is that the less time the doll is in transit, the less handling the package receives; hence, the less chance there is of damage occurring during shipping. For this reason, I asked that the host person send my doll via US Postal Service Priority Mail. I know it costs a little more than 1st Class Mail or Parcel Post, but the difference in cost compared to the value of the doll makes it worth it, in my opinion. Also, I?m not crazy about shipping via UPS, which takes a longer time to arrive. I?ve also had some not-so-good experiences with UPS: packages just left sitting out somewhere and packages arriving pretty banged up. In fact, the two times that Lindsey?s box was damaged and needed replacing while on her trip, were both after UPS shipping! If you aregoing to host my doll, no UPS, and ALWAYS get insurance!!!!!

4. Be sure to get shipping insurance! Figure the cost of the doll (don?t forget the clothing and other items inside the box!) and ask for that much insurance. It should be right about $2.00 for up to $150 worth of insurance from the Post Office, and unless you are shipping a Lindsey doll, the contents shouldn?t be worth more than that.

5. Don?t ship items that you cannot replace! That seems so logical, yet we sometimes don?t think about the possibility of being unable to replace retired items or those that are especially handmade.

6. Don?t send too many things with your doll! More stuff in the box adds to the shipping costs. Send pj?s or nightgown, play clothes, and something dressy. Put each outfit in a zip bag along with a list of everything that is included with the outfit ? don?t forget to list shoes, socks, underwear, and hair accessories. Add a favorite blanket or plaything if you want and if it is small and lightweight. One thing I didn?t send that I wish I had, is a small journal or scrapbook, where the host person can record what your doll does at each home she visits. Introduce your doll (her likes, personality traits, etc.) in the front of her journal. Also, pictures, postcards, ticket stubs, etc. can be put into these journals, making them much like Samantha?s, Kit?s, and Molly?s travel adventure books.

7. Help protect the privacy of your host families! Please do not send a list of all the hosts and their addresses in the box with your doll. You should keep a master list of all the names and addresses and keep track of where your doll is. When each host has had your doll for about a week, send to that host, the name and address of the person she will be sending the box to next.

8.Contact Parents of Minors! This could become a legal issue, since we are including minors here. Make sure that you explain to the parents exactly what will be involved with hosting a doll. Include information about who you are, shipping your doll (how you want the doll packaged and sent and how much it will cost), picture taking, the length of time her daughter will keep your doll, and anything else you want your host families to know. Remember that the parents of this girl most likely don't read this board on a regular basis and might not know much about our traveling doll program. Make sure you get permission in an email (a letter with a signature would be even better), for their daughter to participate and especially get permission to give their address to the person who will be sending your doll to their daughter.


Rules to follow if you host kirsten


Okay, now what if you are going to host a doll? What do you do with her?

1. Look at your home, your community, your city, and your state from the viewpoint of someone who has never seen it before! What things are unique to the way you live, the place you live and your ethnic/cultural background? When you have come up with answers, come up with a plan to have the visiting doll discover those unique things, and photograph her discoveries. On the backs of photos, in online albums, and in the traveling doll?s journal, describe the places you go and things you see, and tell what is unique about them.

2. Involve your family! Let the visiting doll accompany your family members to athletic events, plays, concerts, competitions, school, and yes, even doctor or dentist appointments. Have tea parties, picnics, and family outings and take several dolls along. Let your children play with the dolls indoors and out, in various settings. And be sure to take lots of pictures!

3. Keep a record of what you do! Keep her journal up-to-date; and even if the traveling doll does not come to your house with a journal, you can make journal pages chronicling her activities in your home and with your family. These pages will become a precious keepsake record to the ?Mom? of your visitor and the rest of her family as well.

4. Pick a souvenir to send with your visitor as she goes on to her next stop!Choose something that will be a reminder of your family and the things you did and saw with the traveling doll when she was visiting your home. Souvenirs can be purchased or hand made. Post cards are also good. Just don?t go overboard; remember that you are not in competition with the other hosts to see who can choose the ?best? souvenir to send home! Keep it simple and lightweight, as whatever you choose will have to be packed in the box with the visiting doll and mailed along with her for the rest of her trip.

5. Keep the traveling doll?s Mom informed about what you are doing! Let her know immediately that her doll has arrived at your home. Tell her how great her girl looks and in what condition the packing box arrived. Everyone misses their kids and worries about them when they are away from home. Keeping the ?Mom? back home updated about where her child is and what she is doing and seeing with you and your family helps lessen the anxiety, and lets her share the experiences her child is having. Try to think about what you would like to know if one of your girls was having this particular experience.

6. Don?t keep her too long! Remember that other families are waiting for their turn to have the traveler come to their house, and send her on in a timely manner. Make sure the traveling box is in good condition and is well packed before you take it to the post office. Be sure to let both the doll?s Mom and the next host person know that the box has been shipped and on what day you shipped it.


If you are a teenage girl wanting to participate in hosting a traveling doll:

7.Please make sure you have your parents' permission to be a host before you volunteer! Explain to them just what the traveling doll program is. It might be a good idea to print up this thread about traveling doll tips and have them read it so they know what they are agreeing to do. Tell them all you know about the person sending out the doll you want to host, and ask them to send an email to the doll's Mom asking for more information. Remember that your parents will want to do everything they can to make sure that you are protected - the internet can be a scary place!


Privet Message me for more info and a chance to host Kirsten!!!