How To Use a Holiday in a Box Part 1: What’s in a Box?
Curious about our travel boxes but not sure how they work? Let’s change that!
Our holiday boxes are destination-themed hampers designed to give you (or your loved ones) everything you need to enjoy an immersive, ‘holiday from home’ experience.
This post will talk you through the three main components that make up all of our signature holiday boxes.
So… what exactly is in a box?
Carefully-curated Products
All of our products are sourced from, or are inspired directly by, the destination featured.
We are lucky to work with some gorgeous brands, from luxury Lisbon skincare brand Benamor, which prioritises sustainability in all of their products, packaging and operations, through to heritage Istanbul confectionary brand Hafiz Mustafa, which has been serving up treats to happy patrons since 1864.
We also love brands which share our ethos of empowering others to explore the world from the comfort of their own home.
That’s why we’ve teamed up with Aroma Holiday for many of our boxes: founder Mark built the brand to whisk others away to the places he has fallen in love with on his travels over the years.
Unlike many candles which lose their scent the moment they’re lit (recognise that problem?), Aroma Holiday candles really do capture their destination and permeate the room so you feel you’ve stepped right into your trip!
Lemongrass and Ginger take you to a sizzling street market in Bangkok, whilst white wine and citrus fruits transport you to Rome, helping you set the scene for your adventure.
A century ago, Benamor was the skincare brand of choice for Portuguese royalty, and to this day the brand’s customers esteem quality of ingredients above all else.
Responsible Sourcing
Sustainability is of central importance to us, and for this reason we avoid single-use plastic (in fact, all plastic wherever possible), and proactively seek brands that package responsibly.
All the materials in our boxes, without exception, are recyclable, and we even liaise with our suppliers to try and ensure any packages sent to us are done so with a focus on paper-based materials.
There is always room for improvement, and we are always looking for ways to improve the sustainability of our entire operation.
2. Immersive Activities
The activities and the products are often designed to go hand-in-hand to enable you to draw out the fun of the experience. For instance, in our Tokyo & Kyoto box, you’ll find origami paper, crisp and ready for trying your hand at the delicate art of paper-folding; in Bangkok you’ll discover a sleek, stainless steel cocktail jigger helping you stock your ‘bar’ to make the cocktail recipes generously lent to us by the 5* 137 Pillars Hotel Bangkok; whilst delicious Viennese blend coffee will help you to bring alive your Kaffeehaus menu card when you opt to travel to Vienna.
This ethos means that all of the products selected for inclusion in our boxes serve a clear purpose and are useful, or edible! No tourist tat, tacky keyrings or random ornaments you’re not sure what to do with afterwards will ever make their way past our oh-so-tasteful curation station (if we may say so ourselves). This fits hand-in-glove with our responsible sourcing ethos, and we do not believe in producing - or buying - useless items that serve little purpose and which will soon be discarded or forgotten.
Other activities can include a bitesize language lesson, recipe cards (for a mixture of main meals, drinks and desserts, depending on the destination featured), additional games and suggested adventures (for instance in the Rome City Break box), and quizzes.
3. Last but not least: the Digital Library
The digital library is where the magic happens. Each Holiday in a Box comes with a password-protected webpage (the URL and password are in every activity pack, and can also be accessed via the individual product pages in the ‘shop’ section, too).
It’s here where you find the focal point of each adventure: a carefully researched, deliberately curated City Map, designed to highlight some of the most interesting places to explore in each destination.
Each point along the way contains a detailed introduction to the history and heritage of the place, as well as travel tips I’ve assembled in my years travelling, studying, living and working in our featured destinations (in some cases, all four of the above apply!).
I love all things history and culture: in fact, this is the main reason why I love to travel. To me, there is nothing more exciting than being in a place you’ve spent so many years reading about, and having the privilege of exploring it ‘in the flesh’. My life has been spent studying history, languages and literature, and all of these aspects work their way into each city tour.
What’s more, I’ve worked-in my first-hand knowledge of each place to offer travel tips and showcase some under-the-radar gems that you might miss if you simply follow the crowd.
The tours are presented as clickable city maps, embedded on the webpage. All you have to do is click on a point within the map, and away you go!
Behind your password-protected webpage, you’ll find all that you need to discover your destination to the full.
But wait! There’s more.
The digital library also houses other important elements, such as links to music that will help you set the scene (don’t you just love a bit of Portuguese Fado?), additional images, as well as other activities. In the Bangkok City Break, we’re lucky enough to work with the Courageous Kitchen - a Bangkok-based NGO supporting marginalised young people in the city through the power of food. Through the digital library, we are able to share one of their filmed cookery courses, with a portion of proceeds from each Bangkok Box going directly to the NGO.
Tempted to have a holiday from home?
If you’re tempted to travel with us now you know more, let us know in the comments! Of course, if you’ve any questions you can contact us here.
Plus, keep your eyes peeled for the next two blogs in the series.