Destination Scents That Make You Feel Like You’re There — These Perfumes Travel

As winter slowly settles into Texas and the holidays quickly approach, it’s natural to long for distant shores, dramatic vistas and far-flung destinations. But even if you cannot get away, the scents of favorite travel destinations can bring you there. All you need to do is wrap yourself in the evocative perfumes of the places you love. Even when you’re home for the holidays.

Here’s a whiff of the best destination-inspired scents this season:

Kilian Paris

From the fresh fragrance dubbed Moonlight In Heaven to the rich floral called Can’t Stop Loving You, Kilian Paris is ready to transport you. Both these perfumes have staying power as well.

The blue-bottled Moonlight In Heaven smells like a starlit beach with moonlight dancing on the waters. Coconut milk and rice blend with citrus-like lemon and grapefruit, a powdery hint of jasmine and fresh mango. While the white label Can’t Stop Loving You goes full-on floral. It leads with orange blossom flowers and honey from Provence, adding layers of Madagascar vanilla and rich jasmine.

$290 – 50 ml refillable eau de parfum

Gallivant 

The Nomad Set by Gallivant allows you to change your scent with your mood, and fall in love with a few before you purchase the larger bottles. Featured perfumes allows you to travel through 12 of the world’s great cities.

My three favorites were Tokyo, Tel Aviv and Los Angeles. The Tokyo scent has the perfect soft spice of that beyond vibrant city.

“What I am trying to evoke with this fragrance is that special feeling of early morning Tokyo. The air is humid and misty,” its creator Nick Steward notes. “Wandering the back streets, electric cables overhead, everything is tranquil and surprisingly quiet. Like being in a village with small wooden houses.

“I also wanted to capture the tastes of izakaya eateries, fruits, spices, wasabi — sour and sweet — a zing on your tongue. The earthy dampness of potted plants outside shrines and wooden temples. It’s refined, spiritual — sandalwood and smoky incense. A calm elegance amid the big city neon energy.”

Yes, it’s all in there.

Tel Aviv is an equally intoxicating and noticeable floral with its own distinct Mediterranean flair ― clementine, bergamot, jasmine, freesia and sandalwood notes. As for the Los Angeles scent? It’s described as “woody floral with a marine breeze.” Is that what LA really smells like? Who cares, this perfume is a worthy scent either way.

$45 sampler Nomad set (100 ml full size $191)

Acqua di Parma

The newest perfume from one of Italy’s most notable fragrance makers Acqua di Parma touts twirling you around a Venetian Palazzo where terrazzo merges precious stones and marble.

Likewise, Zafferano leads with notes of golden Italian citrus and opens to precious and indulgent red saffron. A touch of flowers shines through the essential oils of orange blossom, jasmine sambac and geranium. Slightly spicy, Zafferano is an East meets West fantasy, blending Middle Eastern spice markets where saffron originates with the golden citrus of Italy.

$143 ― 0.7 ounce at Neiman Marcus

Even when you can’t be there, you can still wrap yourself in the scents of the travel destinations you love most. Or dream of one day visiting.