BC Business
What your travel-savvy friends and family really want this holiday season
Business travellers want not only to seal the handshake deal or get their professional development conference credits, they also want to find peace and quiet, encounter no lineups and perhaps own a bag that lets them stuff in one more file or souvenir for the trip back home.
For tasteful corporate gifting
Whistler’s chicest new spot, Flute & Fromage, assembles decadent gift boxes, with delivery (in Whistler and Sea to Sky; contact for Lower Mainland), pick-up and gift-card options. They can decadently cater your cheesy holiday parties and gatherings, too.
For lounge lizards
For top-tier travel perks without the airline status, give an airport lounge gift card or a membership like Priority Pass, Plaza Premium Lounges or the Club Airport Lounges. Some airline lounges, like American Airlines’ Admirals Club and Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges, sell annual memberships, too.
For putting junk in the trunk
It’s not for the carry-on crowd, but trunks are the hottest trend in luggage. If a classic LV is out of your grasp, gift a Hybrid Trunk from B.C. company Monos, with its chic matte metallic aluminum finish. Though Rimowa was founded in Germany more than a century ago, some of its aluminum and polycarbonate bags are made in a Canadian factory in Cambridge, Ontario. These trunks come in neutral and matte or glossy and rainbow-bright colours.
For stuffing compression stockings
Little items that make a big difference in comfortable business travel include cute compression socks, collapsible water bottles or pouches, gourmet instant-coffee packets and Tide pens. Trending brands to gift include Curaprox toothbrushes from Switzerland, Conair mini travel steamers and the Trtl neck-wrap/pillow.
Kate MacDougall and Suzie Stadnyk co-founded wellness company Goddess Sphere, inspired by a love of travel and the desire to create a marketplace for woman-founded products that promote focus, balance and well-being. “Supporting local creators not only boosts the local economy but… fosters a deeper connection to the destination,” Stadnyk says. Bonus: thoughtfully curated gift boxes arrive in as little as two days within Canada.
Stadnyk favours travelling in “thoughtful exploration,” immersing herself in a culture through local events and customs: “This could be experiencing a traditional Indigenous sweat lodge in North, Central or South America; booking a fishing charter in Haida Gwaii; trekking epic vistas in Colombia; or embarking on a tapas tour in Spain.”
Her travel hacks include bringing hotel slippers on the plane, booking directly with hotels and attractions (versus third-party websites) and queuing up not only downloaded entertainment but also tasks to complete during downtime, to “make the entire travel experience smoother and much more enjoyable.”
She always packs Goddess Sphere’s The Original Ache Oil, a blend of 11 fresh-scented essential oils for alleviating sinus pressure, headaches and “those inevitable muscle aches during flights.” Nature’s Bodega, Anto Yukon and Helena Lane skincare products are also on her list.
Stadnyk shops woman-owned establishments in B.C. such as Spirit Gallery in Horseshoe Bay. “This Indigenous-represented art gallery and gift shop, owned by Erin Sam, showcases exceptional Northwest Coast Native art and remarkable carvings,” she says.