Black Tomato’s Family Travel Adventures Inspired by Children’s Stories
From Call of the Wild to Alice in Wonderland, meaningful experiences drawn from adored tales
Many of us have dreamed of stepping into a book and living among the world painted in its pages. This sentiment informs a new program, “Take Me on a Story,” from the luxury, experiential travel organization Black Tomato. With the choice of five immersive itineraries designed for the whole family, the program looks to children’s classics to plot adventures around the planet. Destinations range from Morocco and Iceland to Alaska and the Caribbean, and the activities aim to inspire and educate beyond the ordinary. Be it dog-mushing on a glacier or a Mad Hatter tea party in a flowering garden, these experiences bring literature to life.
“Escapism, and wanderlust in all its forms, has been a powerful tool to keep us dreaming in moments that felt, at times, interminable,” Tom Marchant, co-founder of Black Tomato, tells CH. “‘Take Me on a Story’ is about making these dreams a reality—by letting our imaginations run wild, we uncovered a joyous way to bring families together through the most powerful tool we know: travel.”
Marchant adds, “These are far from run-of-the-mill experiences and each itinerary is acutely inspired by and, we believe, emblematic of the extraordinary worlds created in these stories, from the landscapes to carefully curated experiences designed to delight and inspire children of all ages. What is especially poignant to me is how timeless this collection of children’s stories is and how prescient considering this moment in time, when we all need a little bit of magic.”
Right now, the luxury travel company has developed an Alaskan experience around Call of the Wild, a Caribbean adventure based on Treasure Island, an Oxfordshire immersion inspired by Alice in Wonderland, a Saharan expedition in homage to Arabian Nights and an Icelandic trek that’s an ode to Journey to the Center of the Earth. Black Tomato will continue to grow this collection, as well.
“This is bedtime stories, but leveled up and brought into focus with great imagination and detail,” Marchant says, “where opportunities for learning present themselves organically—a welcome change for the past many months of home-schooling and screens.” From deciphering a custom-designed map to voyaging on a private catamaran or participating in a foraging masterclass, each imaginative immersion actively engages all members of the family.
As this is a Black Tomato offering, all details are meticulously plotted and accommodations are carefully considered. They, perhaps, might appeal to adults most of all, with properties ranging from Denali National Park’s Sheldon Chalet to the Azalaï Desert Lodge in Morocco. Further, the proposed itineraries for this program are merely a start and each can be customized per one’s wishes.
Images courtesy of Black Tomato
