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Watch local artisans weave handmade baskets, hats, and bags from local grasses and palm fronds using traditional methods at the Middle Caicos Co-op. This nonprofit center helps support the local community on Middle Caicos and keeps Caribbean crafting traditions alive. Visitors stopping by the studio, located in Conch Bar, will often find a handful of the co-op’s 60 artists on site, happy to demonstrate their process and answer questions as they work on their pieces. Along with woven items, you’ll also find model sailboats, jewelry, and other handicrafts.

Shoppers with a discerning eye can find surprisingly stylish clothes in San Miguel…the ladies, that is; high-style men’s offerings are rarer. For something uniquely chic, try Angela’s exotic handpainted dresses at Sindashi, where different creators present everything from blossoms to Greek keys or motifs inspired by Mexico’s indigenous traditions in their quest for true “conversation pieces.” You’ll find the latest in Mexican couture as well, at Bendita, and updated serapes at Recreo. Patrice’s Abrazos carries items in colorful Mexican prints, everything from aprons to shirts. Get that bohemian look at Marcia’s Agua de Coco, or head to Girasol Boutique for linen clothing.

Visitors often want to bring a souvenir from San Miguel back to the kids or friends at home...nothing too elaborate, but authentic nonetheless. Head to the three-block Mercado de Artesanías for a leisurely stroll amid the stalls. Start at the west end and work your way east to find silver, crafts, jewelry, pottery…if it fits in a suitcase, you can buy it here. To the east of the artisans’ market, visit the Mercado Ignacio Ramírez, where you’ll find head-high pyramids of fruits and vegetables, perfect for great photos; nightstand-worthy flowers; and food stalls offering everything from custom-made licuados—think smoothies, Mexican style—to peeled cactus leaves freshly prepared for a nopal salad. Good hunting!

Mavi means “blue” in Turkish, as in denim, and in Turkey the retailer Mavi is analogous to Gap, producing fashionable and affordable clothing made in Turkey. While they now have a worldwide presence, you’ll find shops in each of Istanbul’s considerable clutch of shopping malls, as well as several on İstiklal Avenue and in Nişantaşı and Kadiköy. In addition to jeans, Mavi collaborates with local artists for their range of original and surprisingly non-touristy Istanbul T-shirts, with designs depicting iconic city silhouettes like the Galata Tower or graphics of ubiquitous street cats and seagulls. The shirts are a good choice for kids’ souvenirs especially, and if you forget to shop, you’ll also find them at the airport (at a decent but reasonable markup from city stores).

The Omani Souq, located behind Wholesale Market, is small and unassuming, but full of unexpected finds. Under its massive corrugated iron roof and along its narrow pathways, a visitor can find oud perfume of all qualities next to an Omani dried fish stall, or authentic Omani frankincense across from a stall selling camel sticks or spices, nuts, and plants. If the desert has had the right amount of rain, during certain times of the year, this is the place to buy white truffles at incredibly low prices. The Omani Souk is a small open warehouse, selling mostly truffles, different varieties of dates, ceramic, hand made engraved clay pots, straw hats, and woven baskets, and a small collection of locally grown fruits and vegetables. The souq has a section dedicated to flowers and other leafy plants, ranging from daisies, to hydrangeas, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, pansies, and the odd bonsai tree.

Given the lines you’ll almost inevitably find at the original Puesto—an authentic taqueria so beloved, it’s expanding into a small SoCal empire—you may well be discouraged. But don’t be: Simply put your name down, walk the two blocks to the beach at La Jolla Cove, and consider the seaside view your appetizer. Or the first of many appetizers. Back at Puesto, forget moderation altogether as you’re contemplating the house offerings—most dreamt up by Mexico City–born Luisteen Gonzales, who still loves to visit his father’s fish stall in the famed Mercado San Juan. Blending this inherited appreciation for seafood with an equal reverence for seasonal produce, Chef Gonzales has created an array of award-winning tacos, from spicy atún (seared ahi with avocado, jalapeno-cucumber salsa, and chipotle crema) to zucchini and cactus (crispy melted cheese with calabaza à la Mexicana, avocado, and cilantro-tomatillo salsa). Pro tip: If you’re a vegetarian, you’ll find some—but not all—of your options on the main menu. There’s also a separate plant-based menu available on request (don’t miss the Sikil Pak—a Yucatan pepita dip served with jicama, cucumber, and heirloom carrots).

Café Du Monde is always open; it’s the clientele that changes—from visiting families and local pensioners early in the morning, to couples in the evening, to Bourbon Street refugees looking for coffee and ballast in the night’s thinnest hours. This huge coffee stop is a rarity—a tourist trap that locals actually love (although they will rarely wait when lines are long). It’s been around for more than a century, and basically serves two items: beignets and café au lait. The beignets are similar to Spanish buñuelos, fried fritters of dough, and are one of those French traditions that’s survived here more durably than in France. While probably not on anyone’s diet list—they come piled with powdered sugar—they’re surprisingly light, and an order (which equals three beignets) disappears with unusual haste.

In San Pedro, a town on Belize‘s northern island of Ambergris Caye, the Mestizo traditions are strong. The Mestizo people are descendants of the Maya and the Spanish, and when those two cultures mixed, a new one was born. You’ll find many Mestizo people in San Pedro, but you’ll hardly find a better Mestizo restaurant than El Fogon, a spot owned by a local woman known as Miss Suzanna and run by her daughter. All of the food is cooked in a traditional outdoor oven (fogon means “kitchen hearth”), and everything is delicious. Try the salbutes, a tacolike dish made with fried tortillas, with a texture that’s somehow both soft and crunchy, or the pig tail with split peas. And the coconut rice is to die for.

Tempt fate at the Monkey Paw’s Book-O-Matic machine, where for the price of a toonie you’ll be delivered an archaic tome in the vein of Elementary Arabic, Vol. 3. I’ll let you know how my studying gets on. The Monkey’s Paw is an eclectic vintage bookstore on Dundas with a collection of unique books, vintage maps, and bugs preserved in Lucite.

Originally opened to promote Irish design around the world, the Kilkenny Design Shop continues to champion traditionally inspired goods. Expect to find glass, knitwear, blankets, pottery, jewelry and clothing from Irish designers.

The mother of unique Bangkok retail experiences is undoubtedly Chatuchak Weekend Market, Thailand’s largest outdoor bazaar. Known as Jatujak or simply JJ, it has 15,000 stalls spread over 35 acres and sells almost everything under the sun. This is the place to buy a Beatles cushion or shop for a new pet cobra or a hand-carved Buddha icon. With 200,000 people descending on the market every weekend, it’s best to come early, and perseverance can uncover a veritable treasure trove of collectibles ranging from beautiful ceramics and handicrafts to exquisite jewelry.

Frenchmen Street is, more or less, the local-music version of Bourbon Street. It also has its share of tourists trundling about with go-cups in hand, but they’re drawn more by the music than the drink. Plan to spend an evening (things start to pick up around 8 p.m., earlier on weekends) along a three-block stretch of small, informal clubs where there’s often no cover (give generously and give often when the bucket comes around), or at most $5 or $10. Notable clubs include the Spotted Cat, the Maison, Blue Nile, D.B.A., the Apple Barrel, and Snug Harbor. Earlier in the evenings, there’s often an impromptu brass band at the corner of Chartres and Frenchmen. Between sets, take a moment to browse the night art markets, the largest of which is next to the Spotted Cat.

The most quintessential Cambodian souvenir must be the checked cotton krama that you will see around the necks, heads or waists of every Cambodian you meet. Cambodians like to boast that the krama has a dozen different uses -- some clever, some cute, some cringe-worthy. The most popular way to wear the krama is as a handsome scarf and a symbol of national and cultural pride, hung loosely around the neck over a pressed dress shirt. However, head out to the villages and you’ll see local farmers wearing them wrapped around their forehead to soak up the sweat, while village women will wear them as a head-dress. I’ve used mine as a belt. They’re handy for wiping the perspiration from your brow while scrambling temples in the sticky humidity. You’ll see kramas sold everywhere and in the Old Market they start from as little as US$1, however, these are generally made from a polyester-cotton mix and don’t do the trick. I love the authentic, quality cotton kramas sold at boutiques like Wa Gallery, which is where the ones above are from.

A year ago I had dinner at the Clifton, then under the supervision of Tucker Yoder. Mr. Yoder was elsewhere that evening, but I spent several hours at the “chef’s counter” in the kitchen, watching executive sous-chef Jarad Adams work his own delicious magic. Naturally Mr. Adams was meticulous with his food prep, but he was also surprisingly generous with his time for me. Imagine my delight when I returned this year to find Mr. Adams had been promoted to Executive Chef. On this visit, Mr. Adams’s tasting menu showed the same attention to detail as I remembered, but with a greater sense of adventure — even whimsy. From the amuse bouche (a spoonful of polenta topped with pork belly, apple, and a sprig of fennel) all the way through to the sticky toffee pudding with candied pecans, dates, and caramel ice cream for dessert, I was enchanted. The tasting menu consists of four courses and varies by the season. My first course was a toss-up between the butternut squash and apple soup and the shaved winter vegetable salad with hazelnuts, black cocoa, and a buttermilk dressing. I had no regrets about my choice of the salad, especially as butternut squash was the foundation of my next course: the most perfectly seared sea scallop I can remember. From there it was onto monkfish with beluga lentils, with Brussels sprout leaves dancing on top. Mr. Adams knows what he’s doing in the kitchen, and the Clifton — and Charlottesville — is lucky to have him.

A Greek Revival family mansion built at the turn of the 20th century, Hotel Ella owes both its name and its grandeur to its very first lady of the house, Ella Wooten. Known for her impeccable style and grand tastes, Ella was a fixture of Austin high society who hired the stone carver responsible for the Biltmore Estate to craft her house’s columns and verandas and worked with Neiman Marcus’ Stanly Marcus to redecorate the interiors in 1925.

Nowadays, Hotel Ella pays homage to her good taste with fashionably understated decor, a locally sourced restaurant, and an art collection that the original proprietress would have coveted. Works include original Ansel Adams photographs and Wooten family portraits and jewelry. The owners pride themselves on making guests feel just as pampered as Ella might have, with perks like a free town car service—even though the hotel is within walking distance of downtown—and a concierge team for whom no request is too much.