#souvenir-trade

#souvenir-trade

In 2025, travel didn't just return to pre-pandemic levels, it surpassed them, highlighting the growing strain on the world's most visited destinations.

Clothing that bears the name of a city near or far has become a closet staple for many consumers in recent years, evolving from impulse purchases to mainstream fashion.

Looking at old art gives me a sense of craftsmanship, of what can be achieved with paint. There is nothing comparable with Tefaf. The atmosphere of quality is unmatched. Contemporary art collectors are discovering value in historical works and the fair's curatorial standards, representing a potential shift in how different collector demographics engage with art across temporal boundaries.

Travel broadens the mind thing has been knocking around since long before time immemorial, but I'm pretty sure for Seneca, among others, travel meant pottering about with great effort, getting to know other peoples, their ways of speech, habits, and foibles.

Rather than chasing diminishing returns through additional advertising, the agency advocated for an entertainment product: a film that could function as a vehicle for repositioning perception while operating as a single investment with long-tail value, capable of shaping how audiences feel about a place over time and across markets.

Traveller check into hotels for easy access to historical Mayan sites and the cenotes beyond, with ambles through colourful squares and late, balmy nights digesting feasts over tequila tipples. Between cultural excursions and natural wonders, however, there's much to be said for the artisans in these parts. From crafted perfumes to handmade chocolates, these are the gifts and trinkets to make space for in your luggage.

That is one of several conclusions you're likely to draw after reading an article by Sheila Yasmin Marikar recently published in Air Mail. Marikar takes the reader into the world of small boutique hotels, the sort of establishment that attracts travelers looking for properties with an independent streak and a unique approach to doing business. The challenge here, though, is figuring out where that line exists, as some iconoclastic companies have acquired massive corporate parents over the years.

Paris didn't invent shopping (even if it sometimes feels that way), but it arguably invented the specialty shop as we understand it today. Long before concept stores, lifestyle retail, or anything resembling "curation" entered the vocabulary, Paris was already organized around doing one thing extremely well -and it still is. From cheesemongers to winemakers and beyond, specialization remains the point.

I thought retirement would be about slowing down, but this gives me more energy than my teaching job ever did.

The traditional museum experience, pausing in front of an object, and absorbing its history visually or by reading its description, has long shaped how collectors and others relate to cultural treasures. Yet, over the last few decades, digital technology has quietly rewritten many of those rules, changing not only how collections are exhibited but also how they are documented, preserved, and even inherited.

From walking gently through Kotor's ancient streets to building a soulful, high-end life abroad, this guide blends mindful travel with smart expat strategy.

No doubt a response to the extreme digital connectivity of the world, but small and secret hotels have never felt more appealing than right now. The ultimate antidote to the 'see and be seen' scene. Extreme exclusivity is the name of the game here - where there's no waiting times for check-in, no scrounging around for a sun lounger, and staff greet you like family.

A 2026 travel report from Hilton identified "inheritourism" as a notable trend for the new year ― with 66% of travelers surveyed by the hotel brand saying that their parents have influenced their choice of accommodations, 60% saying they guided their choice of loyalty programs and 73% saying they shaped their general travel style.

We're spoiled for choice when it comes to reasons to travel in 2026. Whether you plan to take a trip inspired by a favored period drama; want the best views of the solar eclipse on August 12; or hope to be the first to embark on a luxury train journey across Saudi Arabia, here are 26 things to be excited about as you plan this year's travels.

Last summer, I found myself in Venice during peak tourist season. The crowds were suffocating. Every piazza felt like a theme park, every restaurant seemed designed for Instagram rather than actual dining. Standing on the Rialto Bridge, packed shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other visitors, I couldn't help but wonder: is this really Italy? That question stayed with me long after I returned to London.