Cinzia Baylis Zullo, one of half of the iconic duo Sophia and Cinzia, is filling a plastic box divided into eight compartments full of sweets and treats ahead of her four hour plane journey. I watch from behind the screen as empty containers get filled with Candy Kittens, Reemies banana bites and Haribo Starmix, and I think I have genuinely reached flow-state.
Cinzia's plane snack box haul video is just one example of the latest viral travel trend taking over TikTok. As summer holidays are in full swing, the app is filled with influencers and regular folk alike heading to their local B&M to buy a box and then filling large trays up with sweets, chocolate and crisps ahead of their flights.
These boxes, often referred to as "snackle boxes", are peak ASMR and incredibly soothing and satisfying to watch as people fill each container with a different food item. What's going to come next? Will it be sweet or savoury? Which colour items will be next to each other? Ok, maybe I should leave the house more...
That being said, outside of being very enjoyable to watch people making them, it's of course even more fun to actually make one yourself. These boxes have been around for a while, but right now seem everywhere as people use them specifically for flights (be they long or short haul), with one snackle box on the B&M website now out of stock as people surge to create their own.
Sure, it's probably less faff to buy one bag of sweets in WHSmith when you get to the airport and it will probably cost you far more buying all the different sweets (although have you seen some airport prices?), but why not extend the joy of your trip by preparing some fun snacks? If you're looking for some inspiration then here are our favourite snackle boxes and combos.
Firstly, can you take an airport snack box through security?
Yes, but there are rules. When flying out from a UK airport, generally most food and powders are allowed in your hand luggage, however they can sometimes make X-Ray screening take longer and your bag may be subject to additional checks.
Gatwick Airport's official security page reveals the following: "You can bring solid foods through security, including cakes, sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, solid cheese, and chewing gum. However, anything with a high liquid content like soups, sauces, soft cheese, pastes (including crème eggs), and stews are subject to liquid rules. These items must be in containers of 2l or less and cannot be in metal or double walled containers."
But it's still worth checking the airport you're flying from first.
It's also worth noting to avoid any snacks with nuts in, as it's not uncommon for there to be someone on your flight with a nut allergy and many airlines ask passengers to not open any packets with nuts in while flying.
The best snackle boxes
If you're heading off on a flight soon, these are our favourite boxes to pack for your plane journey.
Melii Snackle Box Regular with 12 Compartments - Pink
Melii Snackle Box Regular with 12 Compartments - Pink
Philorn 4 Pack Leakproof Bento Lunch Box with 5 Compartments
Philorn 4 Pack Leakproof Bento Lunch Box with 5 Compartments
The best food to put in your snackle box
Ok so you really can do this anyway you want to. Follow Cinzia's route and go all sweet stuff, or do like TikToker Abbey Sadleir and go full boujie with Ladurée macarons and strawberry bonbons from Harrods, or you could go super nostalgic with lots of childhood favourites, as let's face it this is basically the adult version of snack boxes we had as children.
Ideally you want to have a good combination of sweet, salty and crunchy. So things like gummy sweets, pretzels, popcorn, tortilla chips, mini breadsticks, grapes, flapjacks, dried fruit, banana chips, protein bars etc.
Things to avoid:
- Anything smelly (don't be that person on a plane)
- Anything super crumbly (so much mess that no one needs)
- Too much chocolate (what if it all melts?)
Now I'm off to watch Cinzia eat her snackle box on the plane.
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.
