Escape Monthly Subscription Box Review – October 2014
Escape Monthly is a monthly vacation-in-a-box subscription. Each box comes with food, beauty items, and other souvenirs from a new destination. You also get a tourist book – so this box might help you plan your next actual vacation too!
FYI – They recently introduced a mini-version of their box for $24.95 that doesn’t include the guide book, and is only 4-5 items. This review is of the full box.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Escape Monthly
The Cost: $49.95 a month ($39.95 a month with coupon)
The Products: Each box is a destination-inspired monthly delivery of luxury products to help you relax, renew and escape.
Ships to: US only
Check out all of my Escape Monthly reviews and the complete Vacation Subscription Box List!
Each box comes with a sheet detailing the items included and a brief description of your destination that month. The September destination is London.
Corkers Natural British Crunch Crisps in Pork Sausage & English Mustard Flavor – Value $3
Walkers Nonsuch English Creamy Toffees – Value $4.50
Hill Custard Creams – Value $3
While I couldn’t eat any of these due to wheat and dairy ingredients, my husband volunteered to try out the pork and mustard chips. He said the chips were “interesting.” Since he finished the bag I’m assuming that means “pretty good.”
Westminster Caddy of English Breakfast Tea – Value $8
This tin is full of Ahmad Tea in English Breakfast. I love tea, so I would have been pretty disappointed if it wasn’t in the London box!
London Die cast Taxi – Value $12
Rick Steve’s Pocket London – Value $12.99 (On Amazon for $8.85)
The info sheet lists this book at $19.99 – I’m wondering if not everyone got the pocket guide?
Orico London Rush Hour Vibrant Dry Body Oil – 1 oz total Value $12
SoapSmith 3-Piece Soap Sampler – Value $8
Both of these items have wonderful natural scents, and I think may favorite is this dry body oil. It absorbs quickly and is made with 100% natural ingredients. I also appreciate that they packaged these oils in zip bags since they definitely leaked a little in shipping.
Verdict: This wasn’t my favorite Escape Monthly box (in part because I couldn’t enjoy any of the food), but I think it is an improvement over last’s months box. And I love my new dry body oil so that’s a win. This box has a value of about $60 (Counting the prices Escape Monthly provided on items I couldn’t find online).
What did you think of the London Box? And what do you think about next months destination:
I cancelled after the first box – Japan. I believe most of the items came from somewhere else. Including China! Also the book copyright is 2013 and it was entitled Living in Japan – or something like that. Not a travel guide as expected.
I cancelled too. I decided to go for it since it was half off and I love Japanese art, culture, etc. The items were indeed super cheap, though. On the bright side, the bf actually likes the cheap chopsticks they sent. 🙂
I cancelled after I received the London box. This subscription doesn’t have enough beauty and skincare products for me. I got an email from Rebecca about changing to a mini-subscription but the book is the one item I consistently like. But not enough to pay $40 for it. Since then, I’ve heard nothing. They aren’t deactivating my account and I’ve already been charged for the next box. Guess I’ll have to sic my credit card company on them. It’s unfortunate because I wanted to be able to come and go with sub as the destinations changed. Now, it’s just not worth the hassle.
Huh. I didn’t have any problems – I apparently cancelled the day my card was charged, and they immediately reversed the charge.
They charged my card the day after I sent an email requesting to cancel. I paid for 2 more boxes before my account was finally cancelled. I had to send several emails
I thought it was a pretty good box too. We just went to London last summer and I sure would’ve liked to have had the book them! Those items were about like the gifts I brought home, so no complaint there. I do wish the soaps would have been bigger. I really liked them! Maybe a full size body product would have made it better and seem like more. That would be my suggestion.
I subscribed only for the London box. London is one of my favorite places ever so I knew I had to have it. I had a 50% off coupon so I only paid $25 for it. While I wouldn’t want to pay $40-$50 for this box every month, I did enjoy it! I also received a full size lotion along with the two oils. A great bonus for me but I don’t know why I got it.
As soon as I received my box Monday, I emailed to cancel. I received an email Tuesday morning, not pressuring me to stay but telling me about the next location and about the mini boxes. I replied to that that I still wanted to cancel. No response yet but hopefully today they will cancel it.
I’m new to subscription boxes and this box is my third (pop sugar and bluum being my other two) and I LOVED it! I may not be a seasoned box recipient so the size of the products didn’t bother me. I love the scent of the oil, the toffee was yummy, and my kids and I all enjoyed the cookies. I am a big tea drinker but don’t love English breakfast so that was my least favorite item but the tin it came in is so cute. I even like the travel book as I aspire to be a world traveler one day. So I say yay! for Escape Monthly!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the box, Lenette! We hope you keep enjoying the vacations 😀
It’s hard to believe anyone would subscribe to this sub. This might be the worst box ever and yet people are still subscribing. Cookies you can get here, a toy car, cheap tourist crappy tea, a couple of dollars worth of oil you can buy from any town USA street vendors and some soap slivers? Really? What am I missing? $40? Think about what is in FFF boxes for $10 more and PSMH.
I rarely, drink the haterade. But, I agree. I almost subbed for the London box and am so happy didn’t. Bargain bin chips, tea and cookies seem inauthentic. If your going to go for a British cookie it would have to be Digestive Biscuits and for Tea, P&G Tips. I have yet to go into an English home and not found these items. For oils, Boots Pharmacy would be more appropriate–this seems so thrown together and seeing how London is such a fabulous, action packed place. This box is off. I am glad some subscribers are happy with these choices, I just feel bad that you’re not getting the “good stuff”.
I loved this box and I can’t seem to find the cookies, oil or soaps ANYWHEREeven on the internet…it’s not about value to me it’s about experience, the curation of the box was nice and although id love more full size life style products I loved this box and the soaps smell amazing and are very moisturizing …so if it’s about price this may not be the box for a lot of people,,ill admint Puerto Rico was horrible and I’m not fond of the toy car ….if anyone does happen to know where you can the cookies,oils and soaps please share 🙂
you can find the soap on http://www.roullierwhite.com . I love the scents to & find online/bookmarked!
The concept of this box is fantastic, the execution is far from stellar.
I had the same feelings when I opened the Paris box last August. Many of the items were things I can get locally, and I just didn’t feel that the value was there. They gave me half off the next box to see if I might like it better, but it was still very underwhelming. I cancelled.
Didn’t they already do Hawaii? It’s disappointing that they are already redoing locations when there are so many great places they could have done
Yeah, they did Hawaii already. I subscribed from the beginning and Hawaii was one of my favorite boxes, so I’m glad London was my last Escape Monthly if they’re already repeating a location after only 14 regular boxes.
Hi Deidra! We’re choosing Hawaii in advance of some incredible destinations for the next year. We really encourage you to keep an eye out 🙂
You know what would make this box amazing? If someone travelled to the monthly location and sourced cool local products. Or maybe they could find a guest curator in each location. If they did it like that, I’d sub in a heartbeat. Does that box exist? I should start that box! You guys would sub so I can travel all over the world, right? The way that its curated now seems as if someone sits in front of a computer and types “London” into the search bar on Amazon, and then sorts the results with lowest priced items first.
I “like” this comment
That’s how I envisioned this box to be, but so far it hasn’t been 🙁 I would sub to that box!
I would KickStart this…
I re-subbed to get this box but I cancelled for the time being. I am in between about it.
What I did not like: The soap and the oil were so small, for the price you pay they should have been full size, or deluxe at least. Sample sizes for the price should be a no no. The value seems a bit better from last month but for some reason seem lacking.
They messed up on the pricing of the book and somebody catch it on FB, they did apologized for the mistake.
What I liked: Those chips were amazing, the cookies really good but you can find them anywhere pretty much and the flavor is nothing new. Like the car, love receiving a souvenir from places.
So I guess I like it more than I disliked it.
The box description says: “to relax and renew with a monthly delivery of luxury products”. I guess my definition of luxury differs from theirs so I cancelled. I gave it a three month try.
On a side note: Upon cancelling, I wasn’t offered any discounts only a push for the mini-box ” We’re only able to offer this to a few select subscribers as it’s a new program,”.
Hi Sue! We’re so sorry to hear about you going. We hope you decide to comeback soon!
I absolutely LOVED everything in this box!!!! I have a London themed montage in my kitchen and the car and tea canister made a great addition. Although one of the oils leaked, it smelled so great (along with the rest of the bath products) that I didn’t even care, and was just excited to use it. I can’t stop eating the toffees (they are dangerously addictive) and the cookies are pretty tasty. This is the first guide book from Escape Monthly that I have actually read and wanted to keep in the hopes of a future vacation to London. The only thing I didn’t like were the chips & that is only because I despise mustard, but my husband liked them so they went to good use. All-in-all this was my favorite box from them so far!!!!
We’re so happy you liked the box, Michelle! We hope you love Hawaii!
Hi Rebecca! I got a notification today of the Luxe box for Escape…any hints to what it will be like? It said only 100 boxes would be made and I made the cut (at least I think I did, I ordered and it went through!).
😎 Aloha!
A part of me wish I got this box because my family would had enjoyed it. I had no idea that the soap sample was that small. I reread the review on the original Hawaii box which had lots of items in it.
I got the mini box and it had the toffees and chips in it. The tea I got was different and I ended up giving away. I swapped the car already and gave the toffees to my mom. I love the idea behind these boxes, but this is my 2nd one and it just seems like the values not there for me. I ended up swapping most of this box and the Puerto Rico one. I can’t wait to see Hawaii’s and might cancel after that.
I can’t decide which item was my favorite from London: the oil that leaked all over or the high valued toy car from China.
These escape boxes are getting depressing. I had to cancel. Oh well, at least the toffee was awesome.
I re- subbed to get this box and was happy with it even though there were problems with delays in shipping. My oils also leaked so I really did appreciate the mini baggies. My son is a HUGE die cast car fan– I’m wondering if everyone received the Taxi or if anyone was sent the Double Decker Bus shown on the back of the Taxi package?
I LOVED THIS BOX i just wish the oil and soaps were bigger sized my husband loved the chips and the cookies were soooooooo good
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Lauren! 😀
Rebecca, how do you enter to win the vacation?? I can’t figure it out past the “take a picture of a pin on the box”. It’s a bit confusing on where to post and how to tag it.
Thanks!