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Row after row of booths are sprawled across this small part of Shanghai, just south of People’s Square. Here, you can find pretty much anything you want, from tiny Mao statues, to old leather suitcases stacked 10 feet tall. Each vendor will be on you as soon as you approach their booth. They are quite polite, however, and will have a calculator or phone handy to show you the price for their items. The catch is that the majority of these “antiques” are actually factory-made items, and most booths have similar items. The good part is that you have a really good chance of a low price if you bounce back & forth between booths that have the same items. Shopping aside, this is also a great spot to see daily Shanghai life. Laundry hangs over your head, food trucks cruise up and down the rows, and the vendors socialize with each other when they are not selling items. This is a must for any visitor to Shanghai.

Without a doubt Versailles is the most luxurious palace in Europe, built to astound visitors and impress the king’s subjects into awed submission with crystal chandeliers, gilt, and fine art. This opulent monument is also attractive to those with simpler tastes: Visitors with green thumbs will love the king’s kitchen gardens while others may want to rent bicycles to pedal the lavish grounds, and animal lovers will enjoy the sheep, goats, and chickens receiving the royal treatment at the queen’s quaint hamlet. La Petite Venise, an excellent restaurant on the grounds, offers garden seating on sunny days.

Hobart’s most famous cobblestoned square was once known for whalers and sailors. Today, it’s inhabited by artists and food purveyors, who mix and mingle every Saturday at the Salamanca Market—the largest outdoor market in Australia, which boasts some 300 food and craft vendors. Sample locally produced cheeses, chocolates, and jams; browse jewelry, ceramics, photography, wool scarves, and bowls hand-hewn from local Huon pine; or do your organic grocery shopping for the trip. Also on this blessed square is the Salamanca Arts Centre, a collection of 1830s Georgian sandstone warehouses converted into more than a dozen galleries and performance spaces. Look for timeless tunics and capes by designer Leonie Struthers at The Maker, and some of Australia’s best cheeses at the Bruny Island Cheese Co.

It’s always fun stumbling upon places the locals frequent. If you’re in Athens, venture beyond Monaistaraki/the Plaka and all the typical souvlaki joints to the Metaxourgeio neighborhood. Here, you’ll find Seychelles—described by Buzzfeed as “one of the 31 places you should eat around the world before you die.” Here, not only are the clientele and interior space hip, but the menu is fun and creative with simple but elevated dishes such as chickpeas with feta and mint, tomato and zucchini fritters, and a fantastic selection of cheeses from all over Greece. The pappardelle with kavourmas (cured pork) was jaw-droppingly delicious! Do yourself a favor, and make the trek out this way ... take the metro to Kerameikos, then walk or grab a cab for under five Euros. You’ll be glad you did. Ask about the daily specials and always book ahead (in warmer weather, ask for a table outside on Avdi Square).

This airy, oceanfront restaurant can get crowded, so expect a wait whenever you go. It’s worth it, however, for the stellar menu of Hawaiian seafood dishes, plus the tropical cocktails. Pair a ginger mojito or strawberry piña colada with pupus (appetizers) like macadamia-crusted calamari and soy-ginger ahi poke, topped with local Surfing Goat Dairy cheese. Then move on to entrées like citrus-herb grilled fish tacos or the coconut-crusted catch of the day. If you’re not one for seafood, there are also excellent burgers and a teriyaki sirloin on the menu.

For quality quick eats on the Westside, Flake on Rose Ave. is a cheap and cheerful delight. Breakfast is their bread and butter with pieces of toast literally hanging on the walls. Okay, they are actually art; the toast slices are framed and burnt with images of celebrities like Bill Murray and Pee-wee Herman, and on the opposite wall hangs vintage cereal box fronts. They serve cereal, granola, oatmeal, and yogurt bowls with over 20 ingredients, including fruits, nuts, and sweets to concoct your own mix. Their hot savory dishes include favorites like ‘The Super Cro-Jo!’ (scrambled eggs, gouda, bacon, lettuce, tomato and secret sauce on a croissant) and ‘The Veggie Rad!’ (egg white, avocado, veggie sausage, American cheese and secret sauce on an English muffin), both of which are the only menu items with an exclamation mark to their name. Flake’s retro charm, old-timey playlist, indoor/outdoor seating (or simply to-go), and friendly staff make for an overall enjoyable and tasty experience.

I have eaten a lot of pizza in my time, but Kesté is different. It’s been been firing up serious, foodie-level delicious pizza on Bleecker Street since 2009. Owner Roberto Caporuscio was born and raised outside Naples, Italy, where he studied the art of pizza making with the masters. His pizzeria has won accolades from national food critics, as well as pizza lovers. The 950-degree oven turns out perfectly-cooked pizzas—with bubbling, chewy, slightly burned crusts—in less than two minutes. The wide-ranging menu covers traditional pizzas, gluten-free options, panini (lunch only), and creative pies, including: Pistacchio e Salsiccia (pistachio pesto, sausage, pecorino romano, homemade buffalo mozzarella, basil); Pizza del Papa (butternut squash cream, red and yellow peppers, zucchini, imported smoked buffalo mozzarella); and Sorrentina (imported smoked buffalo mozzarella, sliced lemons, basil). My favorite is Salciccia e Friarielli (broccoli rabe and sausage with imported smoked mozzarella). The slight bitterness of the greens, the hearty sausage, and the smoky, creamy cheese on their trademark crust smells, looks, and tastes heavenly.

A Good Year, starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard, was shot in Cucuron, just 35 miles north of Aix-en-Provence. While the medieval town hasn’t had many celebrity sightings since, it stills draws visitors with its exquisite Michelin-starred restaurant Le Petit Maison. Here, the weekly set menus—each available with wine pairings—come courtesy of chef Eric Sapet, who worked for 11 years in renowned Paris restaurants like the three-Michelin-starred Tour d’Argent. Ranging from wild shrimp bouillabaisse with chanterelle mushrooms to roast duck breast with peaches, his dishes are something to be savored, especially when enjoyed in La Petite Maison’s elegant dining room, which charms with old-fashioned woodwork, Renaissance tapestries, and period tiles.

If you are looking for a quick bite while passing through or doing some shopping at Punta Cana Village (or just craving a taste of home) Pizzarelli, in business for more than 30 years offers what it calls the “real Italian pizza.” The restaurant’s thin-crust pizzas, prepared using fresh ingredients, and other Italian-style dishes are a hit with locals and might just be the best you’ll find in the Dominican Republic.

Part third-wave coffee shop, part gallery, Distrikt is a great spot to enjoy high quality coffee as well as discover local up-and-coming artists. The exposed brick walls are perfect backgrounds for the rotating displays of artwork, as well as the café’s regular events, which include stand-up comedy evenings and even small operas. As well as locally-roasted coffee blends, you can also find whole-leaf teas and a brunch menu with antipodean influences.

“The Medina is like Brooklyn in that there are all sorts of neighborhoods within it. The Old Jewish Quarter is still a very local place. It feels like Marrakech 30 years ago—a bit rugged and run-down, but it’s cool to wander around in. There are a bunch of shops selling herbs and spices and crafts such as jewelry.”-Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj This appeared in the August/September 2014 issue.

The Bermuda Triangle and Kansas Rectangle may be places of mysterious disappearance, but Milan‘s Fashion Quadrilateral is a small area of style where you will definitely want to get lost. With Via Montenapoleone, Via Manzoni, Via della Spiga, and Corso Venezia defining the sides of the quad, the internal area is a fashion lover’s oasis. The best shops in the world fill up the area, and the Quadrilateral is considered the most important fashion district in the world.

Throughout the markets and shops of Oaxaca you’ll find traditional clothing, but if you would like to purchase regional garments with a more contemporary feel, head to Xquenda boutique. They carry clothing made of linen and silk as well as manta (unbleached cotton). Besides women’s clothing, you’ll also find shoes, jewelry and accessories and guayabera shirts for men. They offer a good selection of items from Mexican fashion house Pineda Covalin.

Milliner Mona Strand makes hats for the rich and famous - and for anyone else who would like one. The Philip Treacy of Oslo, Mona Strand has made hats for the Crown Princess of Norway and regularly holds exhibits in many parts of Europe. Her hats also appear on stage, on TV, and in film productions. She makes bespoke hats (appointments needed) and sells ready-to-wear hats in her shop in cosy area St. Hanshaugen.

Pop by the Strada Nuova in the early morning for a cappuccino in the sunshine between the beautiful palaces. With a few coffee bars to choose from, you can always find a small table outside to enjoy the passersby as they head to open their shops and catch their buses. (Personally, I love the M cafe and bar inside the Palazzo Rosso, but there are plenty to choose from!)