It’s hard to say how I got here, beguiled by ruled paper and pencil shavings. I suppose it began with my love for school, which I associate with sparkly pencil cases and those folders with cuddly kittens that stopped being produced sometime in the ‘90s. As I got older, shopping for a new planner became an activity worth devoting hours to, and to this day, the sensation of a smooth pen gliding on a fresh new page pleases me to no end.

We all aestheticize things we need to some degree—clothing, furniture, food. For me it’s about the desk object. I can’t remember the last time I needed a rubber Milan eraser (made in Spain), or a Coccoina glue stick that smells like almonds (made in Italy), but that’s besides the point. I will go far and wide to seek the very best in office supplies, because there’s something really special about finding the foreign in the everyday (those who revel in international grocery shopping would agree).

There are certain so-called stationery cities—Florence, Berlin, Barcelona, to name a few. It was in London that I became obsessed with vintage wares, found at one-of-a-kind stores like Present & Correct and Choosing Keeping. But everyone who spells stationery correctly with an “e” knows the mecca is Tokyo. Like every other traveler who took advantage of the weakening Yen, I booked a trip to Japan’s capital last year with the intent of shopping the stationery stores I had only heard whisperings of throughout my many years of collecting.

A little bit of research on the internet led me to Ito-ya—if you can believe it, a stationery store consisting of 12 floors that’s been around for over 100 years—in Tokyo’s Ginza district. I was traveling with my brother on this trip, and once we made our way past Itoya’s glass doors, I respectfully told him to get lost. I needed at least four hours to roam the floors, unbothered and not rushed—and even that wasn’t enough.

You think you have some understanding of what stationery can be, and then you go to Japan. I’m talking walls of stickers featuring the most esoteric imagery, from gold-trimmed sea slugs to symbols of ancient Egypt; shelves upon shelves of fancy correspondence papers for those letters you’ll almost certainly start writing to your friends; the tactile delights that are distinctly Japanese, from origami kits and furoshiki wrapping cloth to washi tapes and calligraphy tools.

To put it simply, there’s no one who understands the intersection of whimsy and utility quite like the Japanese. I continued my stationery journey throughout Tokyo, stopping at other spots like Loft, a department-style store that leans more into lifestyle, as well as a few smaller shops, like Kakimori, where you can create your own original notebook on the spot, with a choice of cover, paper, rings, and fasteners. Pro tip: Make sure you carry your passport with you, as many of these shops offer tax-free transactions for international visitors.

I felt as though I got to know the city through this small channel, down to the artful way employees handed me my change and a paper receipt with a graceful bow. I returned home with bags of stickers for all my friends and made peace with the fact that I had only just scratched the surface of Japan’s stationery landscape. Thankfully, you can find Japan’s most popular planners and pens, no matter where you are in the world. Here are a few of my favorites.

Japanese stationery you can shop now:

As a content freelancer, social media can be a breeding ground for FOMO. There’s always something happening—press trips, brand launches, fashion weeks—but until recently, design weeks had passed me by. Even with my connections to that world, they felt distinctly “too industry.”

This year, however, Copenhagen’s 3daysofdesign began dominating my feed. I noticed influencers like New York–based Laura Reilly, founder of fashion newsletter Magasin, traveling for the festival, posting images of Louis Poulsen lamps and sculptural chairs. Suddenly, it felt too cool to ignore. “There’s a noticeable shift: those shaping the conversation are no longer exclusively industry professionals,” says Sophie Axon, PR Manager at Danish brand Ferm Living. “In 2025, we opened our brand events to a wider cross-section of lifestyle voices from abroad,” she continues. “If audiences discover design through social media, why not meet them where they already are?”

But are art and design showcases worth traveling for without an invite? Surprisingly, yes: many festivals are ticketed, with city-wide pop-ups designed for dropping in and out of. “I went to Milan’s Salone del Mobile for the first time and was amazed by how much I could access,” explains New York–based journalist Sarah Wood González. “Brands know fans want to experience their universe, and not everyone gets invited. Lines were snaking around the block for Gucci’s bamboo exhibition—it’s a chance to step briefly into that world.”

With many fairs held in Europe, they require extra planning for travelers based elsewhere, but interest in traveling specifically for design showcases is growing. “London Design Festival has become a cultural destination in its own right,” agrees Director Ben Evans. “We’ve seen significant growth in non-industry attendees inspired by what they’ve seen online, with the U.S. our top country of origin.”

Whether in London or Milan, Nairobi or New Delhi, the excitement around art and design spotlights is building—mirroring what was once reserved for fashion weeks. Except this time, you can buy a ticket to experience it first-hand, wander at your own pace, and enjoy a broader cultural program.

Design weeks are the newest cultural travel motivator. See below for 2026’s international design calendar—and start planning.

January

Maison&Objet, Paris

When: January 15 – 19

Where: Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, ZAC Paris Nord 2, 93420 Villepinte

Why: Paris is always a good idea, even in January. Maison&Objet is one of the most esteemed design fairs in the business, dating back to 1995 and spanning several exhibition centers with over 2,300 brands. The theme for 2026 is ‘Past Reveals Future’, and will explore the heritage behind contemporary furniture design. There’s also cultural programming across Paris called ‘In The City’ with studios, stores, and workshops inviting guests to take a closer look.
Tickets: from $70 available here

On Monday, October 27, Accor shared a first look at the carriages, marking the start of the Orient Express’s long-awaited next chapter.

The new designs were unveiled at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs’ landmark exhibition in Paris, 1925–2025: A Century of Art Deco, hailed as one of the most significant Art Deco showings ever staged.

A narrow corridor snakes along the train.

Each carriage celebrates the spirit of the Art Deco masters, Ruhlmann, Dunand, and Lalique-Haviland, while integrating 21st-century craftsmanship and technology.

The just-released images show vibrant green banquettes curving through glittering carriages, deep red furnishings in bedrooms that open up to corridors stretching as far as the eye can see, and dining tables illuminated by their golden surroundings.

Czechia has a deserved reputation for its excellent beer—pilsner to be exact—which flows all around the city, from the pedal-powered beer buses that pass you in the street to the spas where you can sit in tubs of the stuff, glass at hand. But rather than seeing beer merely as something to be swilled, it’s important to recognize pilsner as a defining part of Czech culture, treated as seriously as the French take wine, that comes with its own set of customs and rituals.

The pub, or hospada, is the social hub where you’ll find regular drinkers, known as stamgast, flipping out an empty beer coaster when they need a refill (putting the coaster on top of your glass signifies you’ve had enough); cries of “Na zdravi!” greet each round. Order a snyt, and you’ll receive a glass that’s two-thirds creamy foam; ask for a mlíko and it will be nearly all foam.

In Prague, beer and history are entwined, nowhere more so than the rococo Strahov Monastery Brewery atop Petrin Hill, which has been making beer since the 12th century and runs tours, and U Fleku, a Hogwarts-like brewery-and-bar in a series of medieval vaulted halls. For a contemporary drinking hole, head to DVA Kohouti in the Karlin district, where craft ales and classic brews are listed on a cinema-style billboard above dungaree-clad bartenders.

Those wishing to continue on a hoppy pilgrimage should head out of Prague to Ceske Budejovice and the Budweiser Budvar brewery, for an in-depth tour of its beer-making traditions, ending up in the tasting room with the chance to pour your own foaming pint.

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago is filled to the brim with Art Deco design details.

Kevin Serna

Round-the-clock dedication

At the best hotels, staffers have a magician-like ability to anticipate guest needs before guests even know they have them. Among the properties that scored 100 percent for their service, three weave this skill into their hospitality with the grace of an orchestra conductor. At the storied Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc on the French Riviera, all 450 staff—retrained each season—use the hotel’s own customized tech, named Glitch, to respond to guest frustrations; if a late-night steak is sent back, for example, the kitchen immediately notifies a manager, who will swoop in with a bottle of Champagne. The Ritz London, famous for its old-school dedication to quality, gets to know its customers so well that impromptu, personalized gifts appear in rooms: a favorite bottle of rare whiskey, perhaps, or an item from a cherished Savile Row shop embroidered with their initials. And the team at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago continues its eagle-eye attention past checkout, with personal concierges who will pack up guests’ luggage and ship it home for them, helping smooth the pain of reentry. —Lale Arikoglu

Madera, the restaurant at Rosewood Sand Hill, showcases the region’s agricultural bounty.

Rosewood Sand Hill

Straight from the source

Dim sum in a sleek Art Deco dining hall. Modern meze beneath walls of Turkish marble. A whole roast pig in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. All of these unforgettable meals can be had at hotels that received perfect scores for dining. But what goes on behind the scenes matters just as much. At the Peninsula Hong Kong, sommeliers scout and source from organic wine operations like Domaine Rougeot Père et Fils and harvest precious honey from nearby Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden to use as an ingredient in their private-label beer. For Fairmont Quasar Istanbul’s Aila—newly added to the Michelin Guide—the choice to stock the kitchens with spices and charcuterie from the city’s bazaars and fish markets is about putting money in the pockets of local vendors as much as packing the dishes with regional flavors. That’s just as true at the renowned Madera at Rosewood Sand Hill, where culinary director Seamus Mullen takes full advantage of the produce in his edenic Bay Area surroundings—and offers cooking classes where guests can learn how to use it too. —Charlie Hobbs

Located on an isolated strip of Newfoundland, the Todd Saunders–designed Fogo Island Inn has its own contemporary art gallery.

Alex Fradkin

The eye has to travel

What makes a hotel experience transportive? It starts with great design. After all, what we see around us shows us that we’ve left our everyday. At Hotel Il Pellicano, which the entrepreneur Marie-Louise Sciò runs out of a pair of burnt umber palazzi on Tuscany’s Argentario coast, even the subtlest details—lithe Gio Ponti chairs, wrought-iron patio furniture stacked with striped cushions—evoke the easy glamour of the hotel’s midcentury origins. Newfoundland’s Fogo Island Inn, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this summer with the opening of a new restaurant, The Storehouse, continues to draw guests with its blend of striking good looks and sustainability cred: Its X-shaped frame, perched on stilts (a tribute to the traditional fishing shacks nearby), is light on the land, using solar heating and filtered rainwater. South of Tel Aviv, the ancient port city of Jaffa has been enjoying a rebirth, embodied by the five-year-old hotel that bears its name. British architect John Pawson preserved many 19th-century details at The Jaffa, like stained glass windows and intricate moldings—which you can now contemplate from one of Pierre Paulin’s Oyster chairs. —Betsy Blumenthal

A kids’ tent at Under Canvas Bryce Canyon, which opened last year

BAILEY MADE

Into the wild

With travelers craving wide-open spaces in hard-to-reach places, a memorable resort stay often means total immersion in the natural world—right down to where you sleep

A glass dome sparkling on a remote expanse of white snow. A tent with a plush king-size bed dropped into a national park. Aerie-like thatched-roof suites with a bird’s-eye view of hippos ambling along a reed-lined riverbank. If the three properties that scored 100 percent for experiences are any indication, readers are seeking seamless integration with nature. A pioneer in Antarctica travel, White Desert (No. 8 in South American Resorts) unveiled its new Echo camp last year; six fiberglass sky pods in the Drygalski mountain range promise unrivaled access to the continent’s interior—where fat-biking, snowmobiling, and ice-climbing in the Henriksen Nunataks await. At Under Canvas Bryce Canyon, a 50-tent camp in a juniper forest in southwestern Utah, a new hiking excursion sends guests rappelling through Dunham Slot Canyon before returning for s’mores by the firepit. Meanwhile, game viewing at the striking Lolebezi, in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park, caters to adventurous families—aspiring trackers can learn to spot wildlife, cool off with slushy-making lessons, and bead colorful keepsakes to bring home. —Sarah Khan

This article appeared in the November 2023 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here. All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

For generations, designers have adopted towns, villages, and other enclaves as second homes and visited them again and again, imprinting a touch of their own sensibility on their chosen place—and importing something of its essence into their own work. It’s the kind of symbiosis that Coco Chanel and Le Corbusier, who summered in neighboring homes, enjoyed with the Cote d’Azur’s Rouquebrune Cap-Martine, or Yves Saint Laurent with Marrakech and Tangier. More recently, Christian Louboutin popularized the Portuguese village of Melides, eventually opening Vermelho Hotel there earlier this year. Here, five designers on the places they go, and why they continue to be pulled back.

Luke Edward Hall on Hydra, Greece

From Henry Miller to Leonard Cohen, bohemian creatives have long been seduced by Hydra’s austere, craggy mysteries. Such is its appeal for the English artist and designer Luke Edward Hall that he and his husband, Duncan, have returned to this tiny place in the Saronics every summer for six years—often tacking it on to a stop in Athens, where Hall is represented by The Breeder gallery. On Hydra, they sample various homes and villas and spend their days sunning, sleeping, and eating. Hall is never without his sketchbook. “A lot of my work is inspired by the Greco-Roman world, so I tap into that when I’m there,” he says. “You can imagine it in the ancient times and think about the mythology of the place.”

→ “I love buying things that are made on the island or nearby—sponges, soaps. One shop, Turquoise, sells block printed shirts and sandals—nice holiday kind of stuff.”

→ “The food on Hydra is delicious. We just want the same thing over and over again: loads of little things to share, like taramasalata and tzatziki. For lunch we’ll hop on a boat to this restaurant called Four Seasons. It’s not fancy, but it’s lovely. They have this amazing block of feta with honey and sesame seeds. We’ll also get squid or baked fish to share.”

→ “In the afternoon we might go see an exhibit at Deste Project Space Slaughterhouse, a slaughterhouse turned art gallery that had a Jeff Koons show last summer. Or we’ll work up the excitement to do a nice walk into the hills.”

As told to Betsy Blumenthal

Maria Cornejo on Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

For the veteran designer, whose Zero + Maria Cornejo brand celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, vacations are a much-needed chance to reset. “I’m the worst tourist,” says the New York–based, Chile-born fashion designer. “I just want to read, I want to walk, I don’t want to look at anything except nature.” That’s why, for over a decade, the pristine surf beaches of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, have been a nearly annual getaway—a time to “clear her hard drive” with family and friends in between fashion seasons.

→ “I love waking up with the sun and going to sleep early. Some days I do 20,000 steps to the far end of the Santa Teresa beach and back. There are lots of rock pools and surf. It’s very lo-fi, there’s no scene, and I can just walk.”

After an astonishingly good dinner at the estate’s restaurant, Peter Ahlström, the company’s CEO, drives me past orchards and streams, worker cottages and handsome industrial buildings. As the fifth generation of his family to lead Noormarkku, he is the custodian of its history. Even with its business interests having shifted elsewhere, the extended Ahlström family continues to gather here. “The Finns are tied to where they grew up, to land and their ownership of it,” Ahlström explains. At the tipping edge of daylight, we spot a herd of roe deer and a single white-tailed one.

In the morning, fueled by a breakfast of savory Karelian pies, smoked salmon, and rye bread, I walk to Villa Mairea, designed in the 1930s by Aalto and his wife, Aino, for Maire Gullichsen, an art patron and the granddaughter of the ironworks’ founder. It appears around a bend in a forested path bathed in silence. Its façade in wood and stone is modest but still manages to make my heart skip a beat. The free-flowing interiors offer more stunners, from the site-specific furniture to Gullichsen’s trove of Picassos and Légers. I am particularly taken by the forest-inspired staircase and rattan-wrapped pillars, which make the home feel virtually inseparable from the surrounding woodland.

The living room in Villa Mairea, with its nods to the surrounding forest and collection of seminal art by Massimo Campigli, Juan Gris, and Edgar Degas

Andrew Taylor

Before leaving, I take a smoke sauna on the banks of the Noormarkunjoki River. Water laps rhythmically against the bulrush-lined shore. Birdsong fills the air. According to Ahlström, the family plans to make this the site of an ambitious design center and world-class arts pavilion. I have a hard time imagining a modern structure here, especially on a morning such as this, but it would be a fitting way to bring the family’s design legacy into the future.

Sustainable sensibility

“There’s a Finnish saying, punainen tupa ja perunamaa, meaning ‘a red house and a potato field,’” explains Kaari, the young driver taking me to the village of Fiskars, “indicating all you need to be content.” We’re talking about those distinctive farmhouses that we whoosh past as we head 150 miles south. I’m making a quick stop at the Finnish Design Shop, the first showroom for the world’s largest online Nordic design store, on the outskirts of Turku, the historic former capital.

A few years ago, says COO Reetta Noukka, the company picked this site abutting the Pomponrahka nature reserve to house its dream headquarters. In developing it, care was taken to preserve the natural forest undergrowth and excavated stones, allowing the warehouse, offices, showroom, and wild-food restaurant—helmed by award-winning forager-chef Sami Talberg—to blend seamlessly into their surroundings. The result is a unique prototype for a next-generation design hub. “Finnish design has always been inspired by nature,” Noukka says, “but sustainability will shape its future.”

The traditional gatehouse on Korte Nieuwstraat offers no hints to the eccentric wonderland that awaits within. A historic merchant’s quarters dating to the 15th century has been converted into Hotel Flora. The seven-suite boutique hotel is full of personality—thanks to fêted Belgian designer Gert Voorjans, who waved his wand over the interiors to create the ebullient mix of color, pattern, and decor styles. You can take over the entire place as your very own aesthete’s mansion, complete with a magical courtyard garden. 

Fashion designer Annick Van De Weghe and her daughter, Romée Bleys, reveal their favorite spots in Antwerp below.

AVDW

The Insider 

Fashion designer Annick Van De Weghe, who runs the travel-inspired AVDW brand with her daughter Romée Bleys, on the pair’s favorite city spots

Snake bites 

“Cobra has been a go-to for the fashion community since it opened earlier this year. There’s always a great vibe, and the dishes are meant to be shared. Try the pizza with chutoro tuna and the fennel salad with a Modern Mary cocktail.”

Start and finish

“For a cappuccino, Caffènation is still the best in town—Rob Berghmans was a pioneer of specialty coffee in Europe when he opened in 2003. After work, we like Revista for spritzes and snacks like grilled pita and dips.”

Boutique beat 

“Renaissance is great for pieces that really pop. Baby Beluga is our favorite for emerging designers, and Enes, in a beautiful space decorated by maximalist Gert Voorjans, is the best in town for classic brands.”

Fresh air

“We love walking along the quays of the Scheldt—the city is adding parks and playgrounds. It’s fun to ride the old wooden escalators in St. Anna’s Tunnel, an underpass beneath the river, and view the city from the other side.”

MoMu Fashion Museum Antwerp was expanded in 2021. 

Matthias De Boeck

Culture crush

From the neo-Gothic Handelsbeurs, which became a multipurpose event space in 2019, to the Red Star Line Museum (famously supported by Diane von Furstenberg), Antwerp has a wealth of cultural institutions, and two of its best are recently renovated. Following a 2021 expansion, MoMu stages thought-provoking exhibits like the recent “Man Ray and Fashion,” which tracks the avant-garde photographer’s impact on fashion houses from Chanel to Loewe. After an 11-year-long closure, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) reopened last year. No longer just a showroom for Old Masters, it’s now a place to hang out and listen to DJ sets, sit on a contemporary sculpture by Christophe Coppens, and enter into deep conversations. The museum’s new Radio Bart programming pairs visitors with blind KMSKA hosts, who encourage new ways of thinking and talking about art.

This article appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.

When I backpacked through Europe for the first time after college, I often found myself gazing not at the famous paintings in the Louvre or the grandeur of La Sagrada Familia but at European dudes’ sneakers. Especially in Paris and Barcelona, there were so many unfamiliar styles and brands on display that just looked so…cool. Eventually I ducked into a random shop in Florence and came out with a pair of white-and-red Golas that would make me feel much more stylish than I probably was as I sauntered around San Francisco the rest of the summer.

We all do this when we travel: Our eyes wander from the stuff we’re “supposed to be” looking at to what people are wearing, driving, riding, carrying. We study how they walk, ponder how they engage with their environment, imagine the daily rhythms of their lives. When we do this, we’re soaking up this ineffable thing called style, and so often elements of what we absorb bubble up later in our own self-expression: the furniture we choose to fill our homes with, the way we wear our hair, or, yes, our choice of sneakers.

While every issue of Condé Nast Traveler touches on this idea in various ways, this one makes it the focus. From Milan to Miami, we explore the way a destination’s material culture can make it worth visiting. Often as you’re putting together a magazine, themes emerge that you didn’t even realize were there, and for me this time it’s the way bold young people are pushing design traditions into the future—that’s the story in Milan and Tangier, San Miguel de Allende and West Africa. Every place is ever-changing, which is why each return visit is an opportunity to discover a destination anew.

This article appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.