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My 9 favorite travel smells

The new scent globe a London Heathrow Terminal 2 (LHR Airports)

The new scent globe a London Heathrow Terminal 2 (LHR Airports)

This week sees London-Heathrow’s brand new Terminal 2 “The Queen’s Terminal” operating at full capacity with all 26 airlines (primarily Star Alliance) now in their new home. Airport authorities planned for the transition to take place over the five months instead of in one fell swoop. Good thinking since the process seems to have gone without a hitch, and the new terminal is a far cry from the old cramped quarters of Terminal 1 & 2.

TravelSkills got an early sneak peek at the shiny new terminal and United’s nice new business and first class lounges last spring. But regrettably, we missed out on the terminal’s new, one-of-a-kind “scent globe” which the airport says “will immerse the curious in the aromas of Thailand; South Africa; Japan; China and Brazil.”

The scents emitted from the globe come from key ingredients associated with the designated country and “are designed to transport passengers to far flung destinations.” South Africa smells of tribal incense, wild grass and musk. Brazil’s scent is rich in rainforest fauna with a palette of coffee, tobacco and jasmine. Japan smells cool, oceanic with a mix of seaweed and shell extracts, green tea and Ambergris. Thailand is mix of lemongrass, ginger and coconut.

This of course got me on a train of thought about distinct travel smells… there are many and some so strong and memorable that I could be blindfolded, yet know exactly where I am due to the olfactory sensation. 

For example, there’s what I call “the Marriott smell.” Have you ever noticed that Marriotts (all brands) smell like band-aids? I’m not certain, but I assume that the lodging giant centrally sources an iodine-based antibacterial cleaning compound that emits the smell. It’s not a bad smell… it’s a clean, reassuring smell. But it’s there. Am I crazy or does anyone else notice this?

Speaking of travel smells… here are nine of my favorites (in no particular order)… what are yours?

Chestnuts Roasting NYC IMG_1703

Chestnuts roasting in Manhattan (Steven Depolo / Flickr)

  1. The smell of coffee brewing on a plane as a long overnight flight is coming to an end. And the smell of jet fuel as you walk off the plane and onto the jetway.
  2. The acrid, sour, but memorable smell of chestnuts roasting on a dry, cold New York City night.
  3. Getting into a rental car, noticing the “new car smell” and looking down at the odometer reading 000016 miles.
  4. The smell of rain & tropical flowers when stepping off the plane at almost any airport in Hawaii
  5. The minty-soapy-lotiony-cologne-y smell of my toilet kit- it means the road is calling.
  6. The leathery, carpet-y “new plane” smell on a brand new or refurbished aircraft.
  7. I love it when you walk into a hotel with a spa… and you can smell it. Usually eucalyptus. On the other hand, I hate it when you walk into a hotel with an indoor pool and you can smell the chlorine.
  8. The smell of cookies baking on a plane (even if they are only served in first class).
  9. A Cinnabon at the airport. A Lush boutique somewhere overseas. And yes, even a McDonald’s when I’ve been away from the US for too long.

To me, Seattle and San Francisco smell like dark roast coffee. Los Angeles and Phoenix smell like orange blossoms. Houston smells like refineries. Tampa and Orlando smell like hot summer afternoon thunderstorms. Paris like bread. London smells metallic, and rubbery, like the Tube.  Mumbai like sewerage and sandalwood. Boston smells like fish or the ocean. Denver like wood smoke. I could go on and on.

What about you? Please leave your comments and favorite (or least favorite) travel smells below.

–Chris McGinnis

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Comments

  1. Thanks for your beautifully scented comment, Mary! Coconut suntan lotion smell brings me right back to childhood at the community pool where I would wander through the throngs of “teenagers” dousing each other with Hawaiian Tropic and smoking cigs in the sun. 🙂

  2. Fabulous post So many of the smells when we travel are unforgettable. I love the chocolate cookie aroma in the lobby of Doubletree hotels. The salty, humid air of coastal and beach destinations. The smell of fermenting grapes in any wine region during harvest is intoxicating. I will always identify the San Juan Islands with cedar. The scent of coconut tanning lotion at the beach.
    My least favorite smell is the Delta smell — anyone remember this? It’s not as bad as it used to be but every now and then I get a whiff on an older plane.

  4. Great post! I love the smell of peat burning in Ireland and the salty yet spicy air in Barcelona! There’s also this European train smell that I can’t really describe, but love it every time. My favorite though is the airport combo of jet fuel and coffee together. Whenever I smell both of those together, it immediately takes me back to the excitement of traveling to a new country or city!

  6. Can’t believe no one’s said jet fuel. That sweet-smell of jet fuel being burned is the pure signal that I’m on my way to smelling one of those scents that Chris lists above.

  8. Smell really does bring back memories, doesn’t it? My “favorite” travel smell is diesel. When I was 15, I went on a bus tour of the US and some years later, was crew on a motor yacht from Florida through Panama up to LA.. I have to be careful not to enjoy my favorite smell too much so I protect the few brain cells I have left! 🙂

  9. I just think of New York as smelling like the piles of garbage that sit in the street. And it’s Alameda where [Peets] coffee is roasted. (I was actually at the first store in Berkeley last night, and odd coincidence)

  10. I can’t say I’ve ever noticed the ‘band-aid’ smell of Marriott but I do love their bath products! It’s something with lemon/lemongrass. I have the lotion in my desk and use the new soaps at home for guests. It’s funny how nice smelling soaps and lotions really make an impression, especially on short trips when I don’t bother bringing my own.

  11. I notice that all Hyatt hallways used to smell the same, because of the butter bar they put in their vent. Agree with your comments on Hawaii as well… the coco-mango smell in their spas..

  12. San Francisco used to smell like coffee in the old days ( because I can’t say I remember it smelling like that now) because they roasted all the Folgers and Hills Brothers coffee South of Market. There used to be a huge percolator coffee pot sign that was illuminated, there was steam coming out of the mouth. I remember asking my father to slow down so we could see the steam bursts that happened periodically. This was back int he 1960’s.
    Geneva smells like the alps. Fresh, clean clear, and in winter- the faint smell of roasted chestnuts which they roast on the street.

  13. The Paris Metro has a smell that I can’t describe. Metallic, rubbery, industrial, and yet very pleasing and comforting.

    Does the Scent Globe have buttons for Gary, Indiana? Hoboken? Camden? I am picturing this sooty black spray.

    And for all you Houston haters, only the east side of Houston smells like refineries. One of the most glorious smells on this planet is a summer afternoon in Houston’s Memorial Park after a rainstorm.

    By the way, I just went to the Cinnabon web site and checked the
    nutritional information. A Carmel Pecanbon and large MochaLatta Chill
    are 1630 calories. I bet even the smell has calories.

  14. No way to smell the globe at terminal 2 at Heathrow. Sorry it may be nice but the walk from the check-in to the gates for a United flight is terrible. They really need some sort of tram because even with moving walkways it’s too long of a journey

  16. Great post! I laughed out loud when I got to thoughts on Houston – and completely agree. Many a morning I’ve wondered if the sky was going to spontaneously combust given the smell of petrochemicals in the air!

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