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:

In search of the best cities in the US for shopping? Well, if Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards voters agree on anything, it’s that the United States doesn’t have a shopping capital, and probably never will. What it has instead are ten competing theories about what retail should become as the fluorescent purgatory of mall culture fades away. With regard to the wider world, readers believe that Asian cities beta-test the future and Europe buffs its gilded archive. On the other hand, American shopping cities are test labs. Some are wired on data and design. Others run on nostalgia, spectacle, or a kind of stubborn authenticity that hasn’t checked the algorithm in years—and isn’t about to start now.

New York and Los Angeles still make the cut, no surprise there, but they now share billing with places that would have drawn blank stares a decade ago. Las Vegas has compressed a short stretch of the Strip into a luxury gauntlet that’ll wreck your step count and your credit limit in the same afternoon. Miami hums as a warm-weather clearing house for Latin American taste and capital, part art fair, part duty-free fever dream with better coffee. Santa Fe trades entirely on provenance and connoisseurship, the rare American city where knowing what you’re looking at matters more than flashing what you bought. Even Orlando muscles onto the list—not for theme-park merch, but for the immigrant-built neighborhood economies thriving just past the storyboarded simulation, waiting for anyone curious enough to take the rental car somewhere new.

Taken together, the list reads less as a ranking than as a field guide to shopping dialects that barely speak the same language. What threads them is an insistence, maybe even a stubbornness, that shopping still belongs in the physical world. That it should cost you something beyond the price tag. Time. Attention. Sore feet. The willingness to get a little lost and feel a little dumb before the good stuff reveals itself. Each city demands that you participate: Book the appointment, learn the local grammar, walk the right blocks at the right hour, ask the question that marks you as a tourist and not care. In an era when most transactions die between thumb and screen—another cart, another confirmation email, another box on the doorstep you barely remember ordering—these places make you work for it. And according to our readers, is one hundred percent worth it for the story. These are the best cities in the US for shopping.

New York City is still the country’s original fashion mecca, the place that normalized the sample-sale sprints and the showroom appointments.

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New York City

New York tops the list because shopping here runs on momentum and insider routes, and nowhere else in the US offers the same density of flagship polish, niche discovery, and time-sensitive access in a single day. It’s the country’s original fashion mecca, the place that normalized the sample-sale sprint, the showroom appointment, and the downtown-to-uptown circuit visitors still try to replicate at home. Shopping here moves like the city does: fast, restless, always updating. Walk Madison Avenue between East 69th and East 79th, where the old guard of jewelers and maisons shares pavement with newer power players like Khaite and Toteme. On the way, the big institutions still loom just off the route—Saks on Fifth, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, the kind of department-store gravity that turns a quick errand into a half-day. A Saturday might start with a townhouse fitting, pivot via WhatsApp to a 260 Sample Sale line snaking around the block for half-off runway, then swing to Canal Street, where the city’s parallel retail economy runs on cash and plausible deniability.

The same day can shift downtown. SoHo is the flagship district, dense with global brands and glossy storefronts, and it’s also where digital-first upstarts like Thuma and Brooklinen make their case in real life. A few neighborhoods over, Orchard Street on the Lower East Side holds a more idiosyncratic New York. Fifth-generation Moscot frames sit a few doors from Collina Strada’s under-the-radar boutique, and Dimes Deli anchors the corner where fashion people refuel between stops. Cross the river and Williamsburg’s Bedford Avenue corridor resurrects the old Barneys edit. Maimoun stocks SC103 and Eckhaus Latta for clients who remember when downtown taste required a subway ride. Front General Store in DUMBO rewards patience with the right pair of vintage Levi’s, sorted by decade and wash.

On the savannah, stretchy trousers, jodhpurs, cargos, utility trousers, or soft drawstring trousers in khaki or earthy muted shades can be matched with T-shirts: “Those that contain polygiene are great,” says Marshall. Pack UPF40 Patagonia tops and long-sleeved linen shirts (that don’t require ironing and can be hand washed in cold water) in similar colors. “I love zip-off cargo trousers, which are shorts and trousers in one,” says Marshall.

Layers and jackets

Sunrise and sunset will demand a light, neutral-colored safari jacket as the temperature drops. A lightweight fleece or cashmere hoodie is handy for nippy moments, as is a thin puffer jacket or Primaloft jacket that scrunches up to nothing. Another safari maestro, Lisa Grainger, takes a thin water- and wind-proof jacket, which rolls into a ball for swifter travel.

Don’t forget your swimsuit if the lodges have pools. Bring extra undies. Grainger warns that many safari lodges often won’t wash them, so she always brings a little packet of laundry powder for an overnight wash and dry. And don’t overlook socks: Grainger recommends Smartwool socks, which are a stretch-blend of merino wool from New Zealand.

The savannah can handle a khaki safari suit, but when tracking chimpanzees or gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda, “the cliché of safari wear doesn’t work,” founder of Volcanoes Safaris Praveen Moman says. High-altitude forest—up to 9,000 feet—can be glaringly sunny or extremely, and suddenly, damp, requires different sorts of layers—moisture-wicking base layers, thin fleeces, rain jackets, and decent waterproof hiking boots with a grip (Marshall recommends Merrell’s range with Gore-Tex). “The weather can change, it can rain at any time, it can be cold, and it can be sunny,” says Moman. “The UV light at high altitude can be strong—so the right sun cream with a sun hat and sunglasses is essential. It’s also critical to have strong footwear that allows you to walk through mud and exposed roots, and gives you a grip in slush.”

Must-have safari accessories

Necessary accessories include a roomy but lightweight scarf as that can be draped over shoulders during game drives for sun or dust protection. This can also be used for coverage when a cool breeze sets in or wrapped around hair to protect it from dust. Alice Gully, co-owner of Aardvark Safari, is a fan of sarong-like wraparounds, ubiquitous on the Swahili coast of East Africa, especially Kenya. “These are the scarves that serve many purposes: If you are cold, a wrap on the beach, a makeshift towel, or something to mop up child-induced incidents. They also wash and dry quickly.”

Rosamund Pike’s filming schedule never stops taking her to unexpected places. “I was recently shooting in South Africa near the northern border by the Orange River, which is somewhere I probably would never have gone otherwise,” she says. “It’s wildly beautiful and forbidding, and you feel vulnerable, as the environment is so hostile: There’s no water, and no shade until the sun goes down. These otherworldly experiences are so precious and exciting.” It also means that, at this point in her career, the actor and Dior Capture ambassador has nailed down how to maintain her wellness habits during long flights and time zone shifts. Here, Pike, who admits she “doesn’t travel light,” shares her tried-and-true must-packs for when she’s on the road.

In-flight essentials

As much as I’d love to have a glass of Champagne, I order peppermint tea and drink that consistently throughout the flight. I pack my own slippers, an eye mask to sleep, blankets, and a pillow spray. I’m very rigorous with flight socks—they’re really important—and I always take eye patches for [the plane], and minis of my favorite products, decanted into little pots. I apply a face spritz often to keep my skin hydrated. The paparazzi used to be much more of a problem, so I would worry about traveling without wearing makeup, but now I put my skin first.

Jet lag rituals

The Dior Capture Dreamskin 1-Minute Mask is my quick fix. It’s a resurfacing skin boost that I carry with me because I know it will sort out my skin after jet lag, disturbed sleep, or a late night. I use melatonin to help regulate my sleep and try to eat in line with the timings of my destination. Once I’ve arrived, I’ll go for a walk outside and breathe fresh air, which helps. Plus, there’s always coffee.

Ways to unwind

Scent is very important to me, so I travel with perfume. I like a fragrance oil called E11even, which was developed by my friend and makeup artist Amanda Grossman. Whenever I use it, I feel more serene. But simply immersing myself in nature can also be a reset. In the UK, particularly if I’m feeling anxious, I seek out green spaces, whether that’s the South Downs or Hampstead Heath.

This article appeared in the January/February 2026 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.

While Dubai may have become synonymous with over-the-top glamour—a caricature reinforced by TV shows such as Dubai Bling and Real Housewives—in reality, it’s a city of eclectic style sensibilities that far outshine the sequins and skyscraper heels for which it’s known.

Priding itself on diversity and with an entrepreneurial spirit at the heart, Dubai attracts a host of different cultures and personalities, resulting in a dynamic variety of style tribes influenced by just about everywhere. Oumayma Elboumeshouli, a creative director and content creator, perfectly embodies the reactive dressing that sees city suiting and beach chic all in a day’s wardrobe changes for Dubai residents. Growing up in Amsterdam and of Moroccan descent, Oumayma first moved to Dubai in 2017 and has since cultivated a strong style identity, thanks in part, she says, to the confidence Dubai has given her to be experimental with her fashion choices.

“Dubai has actually influenced my style a lot, in a very positive way—I feel like I can be more myself. In Amsterdam, or Europe in general, it’s all about being comfortable, but in Dubai, you can go as crazy as you want because you’re not the only one. I really love dressing up here, the city makes me feel more confident.” A multifaceted city where one moment you can be at a meeting in the shiny D3 Design District and the next having cocktails on the beach at sunset, Dubai requires an arsenal of adaptive outfits to see you transition to any and every environment.

Traveling often between Morocco and Dubai over the years, Oumayma says the Middle East has influenced her in myriad ways, not solely in a modest aesthetic. “The Middle Eastern woman is very strong which also defines my style perfectly, as well as being independent,” she says. “Although people outside may see Middle Eastern women very differently, in my household, we’ve always been told to be strong, feel strong and confident.”

Oumayma is always on the hunt for inspiration for her unique photo shoots, and when in Dubai, she can be found scouring markets and hidden corners of the city. “I like to go to Alserkal Avenue where a lot of creative people hang out to sit in a cafe and work,” she says. “For shopping, I like THAT Concept Store—it has lots of interesting labels. And I love the vibrant mix of cultures in Dubai, so I go to Satwa for the food and to discover new restaurants to eat where locals eat. I also love customizing my own stuff so I meet with the tailors there, who are very talented.”

Here’s what to pack for Dubai, according to ultra-chic style expert Oumayma Elboumeshouli.

A tote bag

“Always carry a tote bag with you. They’re perfect for a beach day—I choose raffia or canvas, and my favorite style is the Loewe tote.” It’s true—no matter your travel style, having a go-to tote in your rotation makes packing (and navigating in-transit days) a whole lot easier.

An oversized suit, blazer, and more modest attire

“A blazer has always been one of my essentials, especially one with power shoulders.” Given that modest dressing in public places is expected, Oumayma often wears her signature look of an oversized suit for daytime meetings, switching up her shoes and accessories for evening events. “I think suits are so underrated, I wear them all the time for meetings with a nice pair of heels or made more casual with a pair of sneakers and a crop top underneath,” she says. “Or I go for a flared skirt under a blazer.” For dressier moments, have fun with formalwear. “For events, you can never go wrong with a nice tuxedo. I wear it with my hair down and slicked back.”

Swimsuit or bikini

From a quick dip in a hotel plunge pool to long days by the ocean, a great bathing suit pulls double duty: It’s functional, flattering, and makes packing that much simpler. “I prefer bikinis as it’s easier to maximize a tan, but I love a swimsuit worn with a skirt or pants. Swimsuits can also double as a bodysuit, which looks cool.”

Cocktail and maxi dresses

Especially for stylish travelers, lightweight vacation dresses are crucial when heading to warm cities. “I wear more maxi dresses in Dubai than anywhere else as they are super light and are great as an easy cover-up if grabbing a quick lunch at the beach.” If she’s heading out for a night on the town with friends, you’ll often see her in a “cute cocktail dress for dancing the night away on the beach.”

A pair of sneakers and a hoodie

“You’re going to be walking around the city a lot. If you want to go to the mall, you need a pair of sneakers because the malls are huge. Sometimes if I haven’t done enough cardio, I go to the mall to walk around and reach my 10,000 steps (easily). Tip: The mall can be very cold, so I always wear a jacket or a hoodie.”

Comfy sandals

The best sandals to pack are the ones that are lightweight, durable, supportive, and great for night-to-day versatility. “A pair of comfy sandals is very important. I love to invest in a good pair of designer sandals as I wear them every day while on vacation.”

Sun-protectant accessories

Whether it be sunglasses or face cream with good SPF protection (ideally, both!), for ultra-sunny destinations like Dubai, protecting your skin should always come first. “The sun is so strong in Dubai, you have to avoid sun damage with a good SPF face cream; as for sunglasses—these are definitely something that you need to bring with you—it is always sunny.”

Local brands

Some of Oumayma’s favorite looks have been sourced locally from homegrown brands. “I really love Bouguessa,” she says. “It matches my style perfectly—it’s very modest but also very modern, and a perfect mix between East and West. They have beautiful cover-ups, abayas, kaftans, as well as suits and dresses and I love the fact that everything is made in the UAE.” Two more of her favorites: Saudi label Abadia (“they have gorgeous abayas and kaftans”) and Qatari brand 1309 Studio (“beautiful, and very modest”).

This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date. Additional reporting by Jessica Chapel.

Dates: November 13 through December 24, 2025

Why we love it: If you say “holiday market” to a New Yorker, chances are they’ll direct you to the bustling Union Square Holiday Market. With 185 vendors spread across concentric half-circles of booths, we’re not exaggerating when we say you can find the perfect present for everyone on your list at this sprawling pop-up. Some buzzy vendors to look out for this year? Wicked Heathens handmade crystal jewelry, Meow Parlor’s cat beds, and make sure to save time to explore the many food purveyors for snacks, like Rubyzaar’s absurdly delicious torched hot chocolate. Pro tip: As the city’s most famous market, it can get quite crowded on nights and weekends, so try to opt for daytime weekday visits if possible.

Printemps New York Holiday Market

Location: 1 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005

Dates: Every Friday through Sunday in December

Why we love it: Paris import Printemps opened its first department store in New York this year and, as is no surprise, both its selection of goods and interior design are stunningly chic. Happily, you can take a bit more of that French magic home with you this December, when the store launches its first weekend holiday market. Four stations will be scattered around the first floor selling everything from mulled wine and spiced Old Fashioneds to beautifully boxed gift sets of nougat, chocolate, and candy. Keep your eye out for a massive Arc de Triomphe, too—made entirely out of gingerbread.

The first weekend of December sees the Brooklyn Navy Yard transform into Wallabout Wonderland for an eighth season of local vendor takeover.

Courtesy of Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation

Wallabout Wonderland Holiday Market

Location: Brooklyn Navy Yard, 63 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205

The global shopping map has been redrawn, and your flight plan may be outdated. For years, Paris was the reflex splurge and Tokyo the “culture trip with a little shopping on the side.” The most committed shoppers now build routes around Seoul’s dermatology corridors and Singapore’s air-conditioned superblocks, where retail, dining, and leisure sit under the same pane of glass. This year’s Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards for shopping confirm the shift: half of our top ten destinations sit in East and Southeast Asia, where the future of retail is already playing out in beauty labs, skybridge megamalls, and night markets. The dominance of Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Bangkok marks Asia’s rise as the global arbiter of retail futurism, where brands launch serums that will not hit Bergdorf’s for sixteen months, and where twenty-somethings queue at 5 a.m. for Supreme drops while their mothers negotiate Birkins in Ginza’s secondhand luxury boutiques—and where staff can spot a fake stitch from across a showroom.

Europe’s fashion capitals, meanwhile, endure through reinvention, their centuries-old maisons sharing streetscapes with carbon-negative boutiques selling €3,000 sneakers grown from mushroom leather. At the other end of the spectrum, Cape Town and Dublin, this year’s wildcards, demonstrate how powerful shopping can become when it is anchored in local makers, charity shop circuits, and the rhythms of daily life, rather than legacy logos. Taken together, they make the case that the most magnetic destinations now sell premises, not just products: the promise of transformation, the theater of discovery, and the idea that the right purchase might sharpen, or at least briefly upgrade, the person toting the bag. These are the top 10 cities for the best shopping cities around the world, according to our readers.

Seoul is a living and breathing test lab for how people want to live, dress, and take care of themselves next.

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1. Seoul

Shopping in Seoul operates on two timelines at once: 600-year-old markets and hanok villages holding the line on craft, and a K-beauty ecosystem that treats launches like software updates. That collision is why people now fly in with half-empty suitcases and saved-location spreadsheets. Start in Seongsu-dong, where Amorepacific has turned a former car repair shop into a beauty lab, layering custom lipstick counters over monthly art shows so retail feels like research. Gwangjang Market pulls the camera back to old Seoul, alleyways festooned with vintage silk hanboks hang just a few steps away from ajummas frying bindaetteok—proving that shopping and eating are essentially the same activity here. Then swing into Myeongdong, where Olive Young’s flagship store serves as a live dashboard for cosmetic innovation, its Trend Zone updating stock based on what Koreans are actually searching for before the rest of the world catches up.

On the luxury side, Cheongdam pairs 10 Corso Como with Sulwhasoo’s flagship, where you can book a TUS Moon Jade Hand Service between ginseng cream consults. Nearby, Garosugil frames Tamburins’ sculptural perfume balms along tree-lined streets, while Bukchon’s alleys hide appointment-only buncheong ceramics at Yiyeha and personalized perfume engraving at Granhand. Together, the city reads less like a set of districts than a test lab for how people want to live, dress, and take care of themselves next.

Our annual Readers’ Choice Awards winners have been announced! We loved poring over the results to find out what’s sticking with readers and spinning the data into a snapshot of the current moment in travel. Ahead: your manual for planning that next adventure. View the complete list of Readers’ Choice Award winners here.

Since it opened in 2010, more than 500 million visitors to Singapore have passed through this 1,850-room city within a city. Book your next stay in one of the Paiza Collection suites, which have gotten a refresh as part of a sweeping reimagining of the resort’s three iconic towers. Some are outfitted with cutting-edge in-room wellness amenities like Himalayan-salt walls and private dry saunas. Another new addition: the chic Jin Ting Wan on the 55th floor, which is exactly the kind of see-and-be-seen restaurant you’ll want to pack something special for.

Our annual Readers’ Choice Awards winners have been announced! We loved poring over the results to find out what’s sticking with readers and spinning the data into a snapshot of the current moment in travel. Ahead: your manual for planning that next adventure. View the complete list of Readers’ Choice Award winners here.

With an ideal downtown location and oodles of local charm, The Charleston Place has seduced visitors since it opened 39 years ago. Now it’s in the midst of a sweeping $150 million renovation courtesy of the chic design firm Atelier Kim. For cocktail hour, pick a look that matches the mahogany-laden vibe of its lounge, the Thoroughbred Club, then dine at the new year-long pop-up restaurant helmed by star chef Daniel Humm, which offers plant-forward twists on Lowcountry classics.

Inspired by European brocantes-style markets, The Ticking Tent curates the very best in home, design, fashion, and wellness, whether that’s Casa Branca upholstery, Gannon Munro tableware, or Stovall Collection stationery. Founded by tastemakers Christina Juarez and Benjamin Reynaert, The Ticking Tent is a twice-yearly object wonderland, and this fall, it’s taking over the Old oHHo Firehouse in Bedford, New York. Tickets are on sale now.

Where to stay nearby:

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Location: Bedford, New York
Dates: November 15–16

Double-up your Bedford weekend with a visit to Fine Day Fair, Sue-Jean Kang’s seasonal home and garden show. This year’s holiday fair will take place at the Bedford Post Inn (a Martha Stewart fave), featuring over 42 vendors selling antiques, found treasures, homewares, garden essentials, and artisan goods. Past vendors have included brands like Farm + Sea fragrances and J. Earl & Sons barware, plus a few trucks operated by Wild Iris Flower Co. and Ash & Ale pizza. Tickets are available for half-day slots.

Where to stay nearby:

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Location: Hudson, New York
Dates: November 28–30

Born in 2013 as an anti-Black Friday affair, Basilica Farm & Flea combines a timeless flea market, farmer’s market, and contemporary craft and design fair. This year’s holiday market brings together local businesses offering high quality products that promote environmental and social wellbeing, a few of which include C. Cassis, a liqueur made with fermented Hudson Valley blackcurrants, and Zapware, a fashion-forward line of clothes made with bug protection in mind. Tickets, which start at $5, are on sale now.