Just when you thought things couldn’t get more ridiculous in this most surreal of years, a company is now selling empty bottles for £25.
Relocation website My Baggage is marketing “bottled air” from different parts of the UK, claiming a whiff of home can help homesick expats “reconnect” with their roots – and could appeal to those in lockdown, too.
There’s a choice of air from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, “captured” by staff in Nottingham, the Highlands, Snowdonia and a field near the Irish border respectively. But the company says it can meet requests from other UK regions, and has experimented with the aroma of a fish and chip shop in Norfolk and the London Underground.
“Our sense of smell is known to be linked to emotional memories and this year Britons living abroad have been coming home less than usual – so we thought we’d offer something novel to remind them of home,” said My Baggage managing director Paul Stewart. “And, of course, it works for those in lockdown and not able to travel.”
Each 500ml bottle of air comes with a cork stopper so people can open it for a quick sniff, and then close it again for future olfactory “trips”. The website claims to offer blasts of everything from freshly mowed village greens to inner-city fumes, collected using “traditional methods” (which involve waving or swooping the bottles around, according to Stewart – though staff techniques may vary).
The scheme is reminiscent of the episode of Seinfield when Kramer attempts to make a cologne called The Beach, which captures the essence of the salty ozone. But despite the price tag, the bottles have been snapped up by expats living as far afield as the US and Australia, said Stewart.
“In a year when things have been so hard for everyone, we’re really just trying to put a smile on people’s faces – most of them just want it for the mantlepiece or a novelty gift for a friend,” he added.
A fun present when ideas run dry? Perhaps. Making money out of thin air? Definitely.
• A bottle of air costs £25, including free postage in the UK and £5 off shipping costs abroad. mybaggage.com
