Travel Light: 11 Scented Candles That Will Take You On A Journey

Strike a match and be transported. From the lavender fields of southern France to buzzing Jazz-Age Harlem, these scented candles pay an olfactory homage to the places all over the world that inspired their creators.

Destination: Hawaii
How To Get There: Lanai by Boy Smells
Boy Smells launched in 2016 as a playful response to today’s evolving representation of gender in fashion, beauty and lifestyle products, including home fragrance. Boy Smells candles come in beautiful shades of coloured glass, but with a signature pink label – your first clue that this brand is for everyone. Their goal is to serve up delicious and creative scents with a side of inclusivity. The Lanai candle is an ode to the Hawaiian Islands, bringing together the earthy minerality of lava ash with creamy coconut, tonka bean and tropical fruit, plus a tinge of green mango skin for brightness. It’s warm and sensual – and definitely original.

Destination: Paris
How To Get There: Paris by Dyptique
Quintessential Parisian lifestyle brand Dyptique began as a quirky collection of art and home goods from all over the world, so it makes perfect sense that their fragrance house and candle production should take inspiration – and even some raw materials – from very specific places. Paris is a limited-edition candle, a tribute to the brand’s birthplace. It combines warm and sumptuous notes of myrrh, old books, wood patina and a special accord meant to evoke the stone streets of Paris. Illuminate it and be transported to the City of Light.

Destination: Harlem, New York City
How To Get There: Savoy by Harlem Candle Company
Inspired by the rich cultural of Harlem, travel and lifestyle expert Teri Johnson created the Harlem Candle Company as a culmination of her love for fragrances, jazz and Harlem, the New York neighbourhood that embraced her when she moved up from Texas. Every candle in the collection is an olfactory tribute to people and places from Harlem’s golden jazz age; the Savoy candle evokes the Savoy Ballroom, once an iconic stop along the buzzing Lenox Avenue scene. A block long, dripping in crystal chandeliers and marble, it was the essence of Harlem glamour and the pride of the neighbourhood’s residents. The scent opens with opulent blackcurrant, tart mandarin, crisp green apple and pear. It’s got a flirty floral heart, sensual sandalwood and delicate musk. Energising and intoxicating like a night out on the town.

Destination: Madagascar
How To Get There: Madagascar by Ava-May
Ava May is a niche European brand dedicated to safe and cruelty-free fragrances for the home and body. Each candle is hand-poured with 100% natural soy wax and topped with an elegant wooden lid. The Madagascar candle is a bestseller, and it’s easy to see why: Inspired by the lush tropical beautiful of Nosy Iranja and the Red Island, the scent composition swirls sweet coconut and vanilla with the delicate zing of bergamot. The candle was so popular, Ava-May produced a body wash, scrub and moisturising cream to go with it.

Destination: Scottish Highlands
How To Get There: Balmoral by Cire Trudon
Head for the hills – or rather the highlands of Scotland – when you light this candle, housed in an elegant dark glass and blazoned with the golden crest of the historic brand. Close your eyes and imagine damp foliage, pine woods and sweeping meadows after the rain. Balmoral is a Cire Trudon classic candle, inspired by the grounds of  Queen Elizabeth II’s royal summer residence, which is located on the banks of the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It exudes the freshness of dewy mornings, sunny afternoons and delicate wildflowers. A scent fit for a queen, or your living room.

Destination: Brazil
How To Get There: Brazil by Homesick Candle
It’s quite the ambitious task to capture the scent of so many places, but Homesick Candles definitely nailed Brazil in this candle with top notes of orange along with ocean breeze accord, mango, guava and spearmint. A warm and sexy base includes jasmine, vanilla and sugar cane. The minimalist clear glass and natural soy wax lets the scent speak for itself. This candle will get you in the mood for a mojito and some sassy samba in no time.

Destination: The New York Countryside
How To Get There: Poolhouse by LAFCO
US-based LAFCO uses hand-blown, beautifully coloured glass vessels for their vegan soy wax candles that come in exquisite and long-lasting scent combinations and a variety of sizes. For its part, Poolhouse evokes summers in the American countryside, with a delicate and almost sunscreen-inspired floral that also calls to mind the first blooms of the season. Creamy French lilac, jasmine and hyacinth are bold and luscious alongside a more languid and cool hawthorn, heliotrope and green herbaceous notes. If you’ve dreamed of escaping the city – say, trading the Big Apple for New York’s pastoral yet hip Hudson Valley – this candle might just soothe your craving.

Destination: Positano, Italy
How To Get There: Positano by Eau D’Italie
The Italian niche perfume house began as a tribute to summers spent in Positano, more specifically at the founders’ family hotel, Le Sirenuse, a five-star destination that frequently makes the list of most gorgeous places to visit before you die. Their namesake original scent combines sun-warmed terracotta, Mediterranean herbs and a bit of incense that drifts in on a sea breeze. If a candle can be sunny, this is it. The aroma lasts and lasts, and fills entire rooms with savoury inimitable Mediterranean quality. Hand-poured in small batches into elegant white porcelain and stamped in gold lettering, these candles will give your home a luxury lift.

Destination: Dominican Republic
How To Get There: República by La Boticá
La Boticá Studios channels the minimalism of a contemporary gallery space with the vibrancy and creativity of Afro-Dominican culture. Dedicated to rituals and self-care, their line includes candles, perfume and incense, with The República candle representing the heart and soul of the brand. The fragrance contains botanical essential oils sourced from the Dominican Republic: warm woody amyris, a plant akin to sandalwood that is native to the island, as well as deep, earthy amber, benzoin and olibanum lend it warmth and strength – just like the founder, Dawn Marie West, an accomplished photographer with an eye for luxury perfumery, street-wear and contemporary art who never loses sight of her roots.

Destination: The Himalayas
How To Get There: Devdar Spring by Bombay Perfumery
Niche Mumbai-based brand Bombay Perfumery has been in the business of scents and scented candles for more than 30 years. They blend high-quality ingredients with clear origin stories and seek to bring back memories, or inspire new travels with each fragrance they produce. Evoking the stunning solace of the Himalayan hills, Devdar Spring is made up of green, forest-filled notes including bergamot, orange, clary sage, geranium, cedarwood, moss and lavender.

Destination: Provence, France
How To Get There: French Cade Lavender by Voluspa
Ignite a sense of pure calm with Voluspa’s Provence-inspired scented candle. The combination of rare French cade wood, lemon verbena and lush Bulgarian lavender evokes sun-drenched fields of flowers, their petals rustled by a sea breeze. Voluspa knows that scent comes in all shapes and sizes; the mini tin version of this fragrance is perfect for travelling, so you can turn any bland business hotel into a Provençal paradise.