business traveller advent calendar

15 Advent Calendars Travelers Will Love

Count down the days to christmas with these advent calendars filled with chocolate, coffee, and travel-size beauty products from around the world..

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Each day of the Onyx Coffee Lab Advent calendar includes a different blend of beans sourced from such places as Ethiopia, Mexico, Ecuador, and Kenya.

Photo by Niki Weegens

Every year as a kid, I looked forward to my annual chocolate Advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas. Starting December 1, I’d peel back a paper door each day to pop out miniature milk chocolates in the shape of Santa’s face or a tiny bell. (Well, except for the year I was five, when I ate all 24 chocolates in one sitting, unbeknownst to my mom.)

Not only have I grown up—so have my beloved Advent calendars. Today you can mark the days to December 25 with Advent calendars for adults filled with high-end chocolate from Paris, beauty products from artisanal skincare brands in upstate New York, and sustainably sourced loose leaf tea from India. I’ve scoured the internet to find something for everyone, including Anglophiles, whiskey drinkers, and even lovers of Danish licorice (I know you’re out there).

Best of all, each one of these Advent calendars can be ordered online and shipped to the United States. Just be sure to place your order ASAP, so it arrives in time to start the countdown on December 1.

Candy Advent calendars aren’t only for kids.

Courtesy of Lakrids by Bülow

1. Lakrids by Bülow Danish Licorice Advent Calendar

• From: Denmark
• Type: Candy Advent calendar
• Buy now: $60, lakridsbybulow.us ; food52.com

Good & Plenty this is not. Inside this Advent calendar by Danish brand Lakrids by Bülow, you’ll find 48 pieces of gourmet candy-coated licorice—two per day—in a variety of flavors like salted caramel, passion fruit, and milk chocolate. This year, the calendar comes in a fully recyclable box made with just a few grams of plastic and decorated with a golden braided Christmas heart—a traditional ornament in Denmark. Gluten free or vegetarian? This licorice is made with rice flour and is free of gluten and gelatin.

Although the Murray’s Advent calendar only has 12 days—instead of the standard 24—the servings of cheese are generously sized.

Courtesy of Murray’s Cheese

2. 12 Days of Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar

• From: New York
• Type: Cheese Advent calendar
• Buy now: $65, murrayscheese.com

Season’s brie-tings! Beloved six-decade-old Manhattan institution Murray’s Cheese has curated an around-the-world dairy adventure that includes nine crowd-pleasing cheeses from Spain (manchego), Italy (Parmigiano Reggiano), Ireland (Irish cheddar), and beyond, with accompaniments including Effie’s Oatcakes, apple butter, and three types of jams (spiced cherry, wild blueberry, strawberry rhubarb). You could get in the Advent spirit and sample a different three-to-five-ounce serving of cheese or accoutrement each day—or simply wait until the end of December and have yourself the perfect ready-made cheese plate for your New Year’s Eve bash. Of course, that approach won’t land you on Santa’s gouda list.

The 24 drawers of Bokksu’s Advent calendar are filled with dozens of snacks, candies, and more imported from Japan.

Courtesy of Bokksu

3. Bokksu Japan Wonderland Advent Calendar

• From: Japan
• Type: Snack Advent calendar
• Buy now: $175, bokksu.com

From Bokksu, a premium Japanese subscription box company, this Christmas Advent calendar is filled with 45 Japanese snacks, candies, and collectible holiday items. While most items are designed to be a surprise, preview images on the website show gifts like a miniature Mount Fuji candle, a daruma doll, and chocolates.

Each day reveals a beautiful and tasty flavored chocolate.

Courtesy of Compartés

4. Compartés Gourmet Chocolate Advent Calendar - Garden

• From: Los Angeles
• Type: Chocolate Advent calendar
• Buy now: $110, compartes.com

Handmade in Los Angeles, Compartés chocolates are known for wild and wacky flavors like potato chip crisp milk chocolate or doughnuts and coffee milk chocolate. Expect nothing less from its 2023 garden-themed Advent calendar, which is decorated with peacocks, palm trees, and lotus flowers. It’s filled with 24 chocolates with flavors exclusive to this calendar like honey lavender, caramel apple, and passionfruit.

This lovely blue box is filled with 24 days of Parisian candies.

Courtesy of Food52

5. Food52 x Maison Boissier Parisian Advent Calendar

• From: France
• Preorder now: $99, food52.com

Founded in 1827 in Paris, Maison Boissier is famous for its classic French confections and its iconic art nouveau packaging. Available exclusively in the USA at Food52.com , this Advent calendar takes its design inspiration from those beautiful tins of candy. Behind the daily doors, you’ll reveal treats like chocolate-coated nuts, caramels, and heart-shaped gummies. Available for preorder now, this advent calendar starts shipping November 15, 2023.

If you can’t go to Italy this Christmas, an Advent calendar filled with Italian chocolates is a good consolation prize.

Courtesy of Venchi

6. Venchi Prestige Italian Chocolate Advent Calendar

• From: Italy
• Buy now: $99, us.venchi.com ; food52.com

Founded in Italy’s Piedmont region in 1878, Venchi has been handmaking chocolate for over 140 years. The outside of its book-shaped Advent calendar is illustrated with a festive wreath by artist Andrew Bannecker. Inside the 25 drawers—which can be rearranged to show four different designs—you’ll find a variety of chocolates, including milk, dark, and gianduja hazelnut flavors.

A beauty Advent calendar is one way to restock your travel-size toiletries.

Courtesy of Beekman 1802

7. Beekman 1802 Decadent Advent Calendar

• Type: Beauty Advent calendar
• Buy now: $175, beekman1802.com

Meticulously hand-assembled, this Advent calendar filled with goat milk–based skincare products from upstate New York is designed to look like a three-layer cake. It comes topped with a nutcracker that looks like one of the company’s beloved goats (reuse it as a cake topper after the holidays!). Inside the Advent calendar, you’ll find 24 drawers filled with $320 worth of hand creams, serums, and soaps (both mini and full size).

Enjoy a different type of tea each afternoon leading up to Christmas.

Courtesy of Vahdam Teas

8. Vahdam Teas Loose Leaf Tea Advent Calendar

• From: India
• Type: Tea Advent calendar
• Buy now: $70 (was $150), vahdamteas.com

Pop open each of the 24 boxes in this Advent calendar to find a metal tin filled with enough loose leaf tea for two cuppas. Handpicked in India, the tea varieties include Earl Grey citrus black tea, turmeric ginger herbal tea, and ginger masala chai, to name a few. Beloved by Oprah, Vahdam Teas works directly with tea estates in India to eliminate middlemen and ensure farmers get a fair price. Additionally, Vahdam Teas gives 1 percent of its revenue to the education of its farmers’ children.

This coffee advent calendar includes enough beans per day for two cups so you can share with your family.

9. Onyx Coffee Lab Advent Calendar

• From: Arkansas
• Type: Coffee Advent calendar
• Preorder now: $189, onyxcoffeelab.com

Based in northwest Arkansas, Onyx Coffee Lab is known for its mindful bean sourcing and sustainable roasting practices. Each of the 24 drawers in its Advent calendar includes two ounces of whole bean coffee—enough for two 12-ounce cups. Each day includes a different blend of beans sourced from such places as Ethiopia, Mexico, Ecuador, and Kenya. The calendars are available for preorder now and will begin shipping starting November 15, 2023.

The Flaviar Advent calendar comes with 24 vials of whiskey that are 1.7 ounces each.

Courtesy of Flaviar

10. Flaviar Whiskey Advent Calendar

• From: Various countries
• Type: Whiskey Advent calendar
• Buy now: $250, flaviar.com

Prefer your beverages harder? This whiskey Advent calendar from the online spirits club Flaviar will take you on a tour of the world with two dozen 1.7-ounce vials of bourbon, rye, and scotch, as well as whiskeys from Ireland, Japan, and Australia. Two Glencairn tasting glasses and a tasting booklet with details about each whiskey are also included with the Advent calendar.

Count down the days to Christmas by burning through a number a day in December.

Courtesy of Georg Jensen

11. Georg Jensen Advent Calendar Candle

• Type: Advent calendar candle
• Buy now: $20, nordicnest.com

Ubiquitous in Denmark, Advent calendar candles are just now starting to catch on and be sold in the United States. Here’s how they work: Each morning leading up to Christmas, Danes light these candles marked with the numbers 1 to 24 and burn off one number each day. This pillar-shaped version from Danish brand Georg Jensen features a gold or silver Christmas tree designed by Sanne Lund Traberg. It usually takes about one hour to burn through each number.

12. Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar

• From: United Kingdom
• Buy now: $320, libertylondon.com

Anglophiles will love this beauty Advent calendar illustrated by artist Clym Evernden to look like Liberty’s famous London shop on the outside. Tucked into each of the drawers you’ll find 29 skin care and beauty products—including 20 that are full size—from luxury brands like Sunday Riley, Le Labo, and Liberty’s own line. In a Willy Wonka–esque move, Liberty is also hiding Golden Tickets—worth £1,000 to spend at Liberty—inside drawers in five calendars.

In addition to being filled with gourmet chocolates, the Vosges Advent calendar lights up and plays music.

Courtesy of Vosges Haut-Chocolate

13. Vosges Haut-Chocolate Calendar of Advent

• From: Chicago
• Buy now: $300, vosgeschocolate.com

Inspired by Parisian candy stores, Chicago-based Vosges Haut-Chocolat’s tagline is “travel the world through chocolate.” Its 2023 Advent calendar is illustrated to look like an old-fashioned chocolate shop: Push a button and the lights on the outside of the box glow and “Dance of the Reed Flutes” plays from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker .

Inside, you’ll find drawings of woodland critters and Christmas trees, as well as 25 boxes filled with everything from red Hawaiian sea salt caramels to peppermint candy cane gnomes, Japanese kokuto black sugar caramels, and Belgian Speculoos cookies coated in milk chocolate topped with sprinkles. This woman-owned small business uses Fair Trade certified cacao.

14. Diptyque Advent Calendar

• Buy now: $510, diptyqueparis.com

If you’re going to treat yourself this holiday season, this Advent calendar filled with 25 scented goodies from French luxury brand Diptyque is a worthy splurge. Behind some of the doors, you’ll find 11 candles in classic Diptyque scents like Feu de Bois (wood fire) and Baies (berries) as well as limited-edition holiday scents like Coton (cotton) and Sapin (pine tree). You’ll also discover a selection of eaux de toilettes, a solid perfume, hand wash, and limited-edition holiday decorations. The flame-shaped calligrams on this calendar are so beautiful you’ll want to reuse it after the holidays to store your jewelry and other valuables.

The Super NYC Chocolate Advent Calendar is illustrated with New York landmarks.

Courtesy of MoMA

15. Super NYC Chocolate Advent Calendar

• From: New York (by way of France)
• Buy now: $45, store.moma.org

Though the chocolates are made in the south of France by Le Chocolat des Français , this MoMA-exclusive Advent calendar is all about New York City. British artist Jenny Bowers illustrated the colorful calendar with iconic landmarks like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty all decked out for the holiday season. The 24 chocolates feature 14 different flavors, including a praline and a caramelized hazelnut.

Nicholas DeRenzo contributed reporting to this article, which was originally published in 2021; it was updated on October 27, 2023, with new information.

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The best advent calendars with miniatures for travel

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

It seems that luxury advent calendars are everywhere in recent years, and while some could be accused of being gimmicky, there are plenty that do actually come in handy for regular travellers. The miniature products found behind those 24 doors (or 25 if you’re lucky) can prove perfect for shorter trips, you just need to choose wisely. From beauty favourites that will make sure your skin shows no sign of the long-haul flight you just disembarked to a taste of home that you can carry with you in your suitcase , these are the advent calendars that travel lovers should invest in for 2021.

Pact coffee advent calendar, £29.95

Featuring 25 specially selected filter coffee pouches (ground, for use in a cafetière or Aeropress), this calendar is great for those who don’t want to have to settle for whichever coffee brand your hotel room might offer. Ethically sourced from around the world, the selection includes festive delights such as the Santa Lorenzo Claus.

Rituals advent calendar, £59.90

Create a spa-like experience from the comfort of your own home (or hotel room) with this Rituals calendar, which contains high quality bath and body miniatures such as bath oil, body scrub, shower gel and more.

Net-a-Porter, 25 days of beauty advent calendar, £255

With more beauty advent calendars available than ever before, it can be hard deciding which one is worth the investment. For the avid traveller, though, Net-a-Porter’s offering has everything; a cult moisturiser, de-puffing eye masks, cleanser and even a pillow mist to help you sleep in unfamiliar places. Be quick, though, as this one is guaranteed to sell out before December.

Kiehl’s advent calendar, £99

Designed by French artists, this visually-stunning calendar will look gorgeous in your home for the month of December, and is filled with products you can bring on your next trip including the brand’s classic Ultra Facial Cream, plus moisturisers and more. It’s a unisex offering, with some products designed for male skin, making it even better value for money.

Diptyque advent calendar, £320

If you like your hotel or Airbnb to feel like a home away from home, carrying a mini candle or two could make all the difference – and what better way to do so than with the Diptyque calendar? Each door contains a candle, perfume or skincare essential that will make even the most fleeting trip feel like a proper break.

Penhaligons fragrant countdown advent calendar, £375

A truly indulgent calendar option, fragrance fans will know just how much the iconic Penhaligon scents can set the tone or upgrade an unironed travel outfit. Offerings include miniature perfumes, candles and lip balm, ideal for popping in your handbag (possibly not the candles) to ensure a sweet-smelling break wherever you’re travelling to.

Amazon beauty advent calendar, £70

Amazon’s annual beauty advent calendar often sells out, but if you’re quick you’ll be able to get hold of 24 full-size and miniature products perfect for slipping in your suitcase. This year’s iteration includes sought-after brands such as Foreo, CeraVe and Elemis.

Whittard's tea advent calendar, £60

If you need a decent cup of tea to start the day right, this advent calendar – containing a different tea bag for every day – is perfect for packing in your suitcase. With flavours including classic English breakfast, plus English rose, organic peppermint, organic rooibos and elderflower and apple, you can now enjoy your favourite brew from anywhere in the world.

Fortnum’s feasting advent calendar, £200

For those who can’t travel but want to experience a quintessentially British experience, this Fortnum’s calendar includes everything you need for a delicious festive period, including classic chocolate coins, chocolate and chestnut liqueur, orange and Champagne marmalade and spiced orange and dark chocolate biscuits.

Japanese whisky advent calendar, £199.95

Travel to far-flung destinations has been off the cards for the majority of 2021, but this calendar will give you a taste of Japan regardless. Including 24 different wax-sealed drams by 13 different distilleries in Japan, it’s a great gift for a whisky-lover.

ESPA Hidden Treasures advent calendar, £160

This sleek calendar includes products that are designed to help you create a spa at home (or in this case, away). Expect pulse point oil, rescue balm, an eye massage tool and bath and body oil.

Bonne Maman advent calendar, £28.79

Bonne Maman jam is a perfect breakfast treat, and this calendar contains 23 glass mini jars of jam or marmalade, plus two surprises on days one and 24 to add some variety to your month. Expect flavours such as cherry with elderflower and mango, peach and lime.

Tony’s Chocolonely Fairtrade calendar, £12.99

Dutch brand Tony’s has become something of a cult favourite thanks to its ethos (the chocolate is slave-free) and of course, delicious flavours. Behind each door you’ll find a tiny Tony; expect the likes of milk chocolate caramel sea salt, dark milk chocolate pretzel toffee and white chocolate raspberry popping candy.