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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.

Even visitors who have never cared about jewelry before find themselves mesmerized by the black pearls found in French Polynesia, scanning the loose pearls at pearl markets, visiting farms where the gleaming little seeds are cultivated, heading to the Robert Wan Pearl Museum (where, of course, you can buy the lovely items on exhibit). At the Papeete Municipal Market, or Marché de Papeete, browse the spectacular local fruit and fish, but stop by the stands selling locally produced vanilla and fragrant body products made with monoi oil (which is coconut oil infused with the scent of flowers). While you’ll hardly need a souvenir to remember these magical islands, it can’t hurt to pick up a gift made here.

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent Vendela Vida on a spontaneous journey to St. Maarten.

Veteran traveler shares her best tips and stories from life on the road.

St. Lucia offers a wide range of dining options, from rollicking local fish fries and casual beachside meals to candlelit dinners with views of the Pitons.

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.

Live like a local and seek out sunny moments surrounded by greenery. Pack a picnic, put on your walking shoes, and stroll these wonders like the Parque del Retiro, the Parque del Oeste, and the botanical garden.

In a city known for clean lines, Stockholm’s Södermalm district (“Söder” to locals) is nonconformist. A slum in the 18th century, the neighborhood is now home to a mix of vintage shops, eclectic cafes, hip clubs, local dive bars, and ethnic restaurants. It was also the backdrop for author Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy and best seller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

A cotton checked krama, the scarf worn by locals in myriad ways, is probably the most quintessential of Cambodian souvenirs for travelers to Siem Reap, however, a number of other locally made objects have become must-buys for many visitors to Temple Town. These are my tips as to what you should buy, including everything from colorful lacquered elephants made by the artisans at Theam’s House to a soft silk scarf or silk ‘fur’ handbag by Siem Reap-based designer Eric Raisina.

At this Charleston hit, James Beard Award–winning chef Sean Brock reinterprets traditional Southern dishes with a steadfast commitment to local and regional ingredients—the restaurant even has its own garden. Constantly changing, the menu is filled with inventive new takes on Southern cuisine, such as pig’s ear lettuce wraps done up “buffalo” or “Kentukyaki” style.

Don’t miss the Carolina Grouper—it’s one of the most beautiful dishes at this establishment, and a regional classic you have to try while visiting Charleston.

Note that the restaurant also has locations in Nashville, TN and Savannah, GA.

In the country’s wine region, you can pick grapes, sing songs, and keep ancient harvest traditions alive. It’s so much fun, you can taste it.

A perfect day in Doha may involve a trip to the desert for the thrill of dune bashing and a swim, or a few hours shopping for traditional souvenirs at Souq Waqif, or breakfast, lunch, and dinner at three of the many fine cuisine restaurants in the city, or a visit to the Museum of Islamic Art or to the private collection of Sheikh Faisal, or a leisurely walk along the corniche, or window shopping for luxury cars at The Pearl, or a dhow dinner cruise. The options are endless.

Fine dining at the very highest level is somewhat thin on the ground in Da Nang and Hoi An. Nevertheless, there are stirrings at the top end of the market, with Pierre Gagnaire the biggest name to stamp his presence on the central coast dining scene. Other chefs are also doing a fine job in everything from fusion cuisine to exemplary hotel venues.

From croc balls to mud crabs, Australia offers many dishes one might not at first consider food. But outback bushrangers have been hunting wild animals and raising livestock for generations, while indigenous people have lived off the plants and animals of Australia for thousands of years. Many restaurants and tours specialize in such cuisine, called “feral food” or “bush tucker,” depending on what it is. If you can’t hunt and gather yourself, hit up one of these iconic spots.

Florence may be full of fancy restaurants, but it’s also easy to eat well and eat cheaply in this Renaissance gem. Look out for good value lunchtime menus at restaurants where dinner may challenge the wallet; delis offering cheap lunchtime snacks; wine bars serving up gourmet eats to pair with the best vintages; rosticcerias with a mouth-watering selection of food to go and mom-and-pop joints with the kind of authentic, homely cuisine rarely found in more up-market restaurants.