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On a trip with a young traveler in tow, a writer reflects on her first Venice adventure—and how it changed her life.

Boutique hotels that appeal to the design-minded and large desert resorts with amenities beyond a dazzling swimming pool: Choosing from the range of accommodations in this glamorous region is bound to present a challenge.

Love to shop? Head out on a weekend shopping romp in the hip Chilean capital. Start in designer-driven Barrio Italia and continue with a visit to Lastarria or posh Vitacura with jewelry, young independent designers, and fashionable stores.

Founder’s Note: Travel Like an American

Some of New Zealand’s best souvenir shopping is found at art and craft galleries around the country. Locally-made crafts include Maori woven pieces and wood carvings. One color you’re sure to see all over the place: green, the color of pounamu, the Maori name for greenstone. But the country’s shops don’t just stop at souvenirs, of course. You’ll find local designer labels at shopping centers, including Auckland’s High Street. Watch for pieces by Karen Walker, one of the country’s best-known designers. Living in a camper van during your stay? Stop at the many farmers markets around the country to restock your cooler.

Gothenburg has a good selection of local designers, so why not bring home something you can wear? As well as in individual boutiques, you’ll find work by designers like Maria Westerlind (lovely dresses) and Maska (soft knitwear) in larger department stores. Gothenburg is also a great destination for browsing vinyl, and you can visit a clogs manufacturer that has been making the traditional shoes for nearly a century.

Iceland’s shops sell plenty of goods worth packing into your suitcase for your trip home. Best bets include traditional wool handknits and plenty of Icelandic wool, high-end Scandinavian design, local records and books, art, and more. From shopping streets to flea markets and art galleries, you can browse for days and days.

New Zealand’s city hotels combine comfort with modern design touches, while the lodges and country houses—set amid coastal cliffs, pristine fjords, and the soaring Southern Alps—serve luxury with a side of drama.

These Cape Town markets peddle everything from native crafts and flea market goodies to artisanal food, local designs, and fresh flowers. Some pop up weekly in neighborhood squares, others operate full-time in airy refurbished warehouses, others are in luxury malls, but what they have in common is that they all sell authentic local flavor.

Santa Fe is known for its distinct cuisine, unique architecture and strong art scene. Many hotels incorporate Southwestern elements into their architecture and design, such as adobe, kiva-style fireplaces, Native American artwork, and textiles.

French-colonial influences meet Vietnamese cultural touchstones in the design hotels and family-friendly resorts of Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City. From opulent luxury or low-key authenticity, you’ll find the hotel that fits your style here.

Denver shopping offers a variety of experiences: You can browse the offerings at a world-renowned bookstore and then go find a cowboy hat fit for a rockstar or ranchero. Denver’s rich art scene means galleries, locally crafted jewelry, and designer clothing, too.

In the past, aspiring artists would head for Mexico City as soon as they could scrape together the cash. More recently, however, they’ve been drawn to Guadalajara, where a new crop of funky art galleries and creative spaces has turned neighborhoods like Colonia Lafayette and Colonia Americana into design destinations for Mexico’s cultural set.

A trip through Austin’s shops and boutiques will send you home laden down with great vinyl, used and new books, and top-notch vintage western wear, but you may be surprised by local designers, too, showing off their stuff, from fashion to housewares.