3 Great Travel Destinations for Shopping

If you love to shop for traditional crafts and other artisan-made goods that capture the essence of your destination when you travel, China, Colombia, and Madrid, Spain, stand out for the heritage and quality you can discover. The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) can be invaluable when planning a trip that highlights design and culture beyond typical souvenirs in places like these.

For more than 50 years, the organization has been a trusted traveler resource. Composed of a network of United States-based tour operators who help make travel more thoughtful, sustainable, and secure, USTOA tour operator companies can help you seek out artists and craftspeople whose work reflects place through local materials and heritage. Think colorful night markets of Shanghai, the historic alleyways of Bogotá, and two legendary shops hidden in plain sight on the bustling streets of Madrid.

You’ll have support from USTOA’s tour operator members at every turn. Guided by local experts, you’ll discover lesser-known shops and those offering the highest standard in keepsakes to take home. Your trip will also come with peace of mind, thanks to USTOA’s consumer protection program, the $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program, and a long history of excellence in travel.

You can also take precautions to help protect your baggage, including any treasures you’ve acquired on your return trip home. Through its partnerships, Crum & Forster provides reliable travel insurance that can help keep travelers and their treasures safe and secure from start to finish.

Shop Shanghai’s historic Tianzifang District

Few places on Earth offer a more stimulating blend of past and future than China, with the many sights, sounds, and flavors to take in among its traditional open-air markets and sleek supermalls alone. In Shanghai’s Tianzifang District, it might seem you’ve transcended time altogether. You’ll find hyper-modern boutiques and cafes in the niches of 19th-century shikumen buildings’ east-meets-west architecture, hearkening back to when the neighborhood was part of the Shanghai French Concession.

Still under the radar after all these years, Tianzifang attracts China’s most stylish visitors. Browse the artist ateliers among its leafy alleyways, including the Changhe Zhinan Pottery Studio, or the many textile houses where you can be custom fit for hanfu clothing, the famous traditional garb of the Chinese Han people.

You could also hop a two-hour flight west to the city of Xi’an for a veritable trip back in time. Consider a visit to Tang Paradise, an immersive, romantic theme park. The destination has traditional wares and excellent cuisine set against structures modeled after those from one thousand years ago when Xi’an was the largest city on Earth.

Another option is a hanfu photoshoot, whether at a boutique called Lianxi Zhi on Yanta South Road; with a professional makeup artist at Xin Liufeng Mu Jin; or in Qujiangchi Ruins Park, situated among the enchanting remains of a Han Dynasty palace.

Bogotá’s shopping street where tradition and innovation meet

By far the largest city in Colombia—known as the “Country of Beauty” for reasons obvious to anyone who’s been there—the capital city of Bogotá lies in the country’s geographical heart. As such, it boasts centuries of influence from all over the country and beyond. The effect is perhaps most immediately evident when it comes to design—vivid, tropical colors from the Caribbean commingle with rustic, handmade goods available in modern and traditional shops alike. At the center of all is the Calle de los Anticuarios, home to the latest in cuisine, art, and crafts.

When it comes to the freshest looks on the Calle de los Anticuarios, St. Dom is a must-visit. Since 2014, the concept store (with a second location in Cartagena) has been uniting hundreds of emerging Colombian designers through a “positive consumption” ethos, manifested in attire suitable for the beach, the ball, and everywhere in between.

One door over, you’ll find the Calle de los Anticuarios location of Artesanías de Colombia, part of a national organization that features four retail shops and several initiatives designed to support the production of home goods, gifts, and more made by Colombian craftspeople through traditional means and with local materials. Among the many quality offerings are colorful knit hammocks, jewelry woven in the traditional momposina style, and intricate fiber baskets by Indigenous groups like the Huitoto.

Timeless fashion in Madrid’s historic downtown and region

Courtesy of Only in Madrid

While it dates to the 9th century, Madrid is a modern destination, from the historic downtown to picturesque villages found throughout the meseta, or plateau, on which it was founded. A fashion-forward region through and through, the capital owes its well-earned reputation in no small part to Cristóbal Balenciaga, who opened one of his first ateliers here. Credit is also due to the Movida Madrileña, a revolutionary period of underground aesthetics that changed Spanish fashion forever.

Opportunities abound to take stock of such modern flair, including at El Corte Inglés, a venerable department store headquartered in Madrid with multiple locations. Visit its flagship on Calle Raimundo or its location across from the Casa de la Arquitectura museum to find the best of Madrid’s name-brand shopping in one location.

Alternatively, anyone who has strolled around downtown Madrid, particularly through the stylish barrios of Malasaña and Chueca, some 20 minutes south of Castellana by Metro, will find plenty of elegance and grace among its 19th-century architecture and grand boulevards. Standing out in particular among the vast array of centuries-old shops are two of the destination’s most enduring and beloved boutiques, where centuries of commitment to quality have afforded its artisans ample room to innovate in the present day.

Courtesy of Only in Madrid

For those looking to take home one-of-a-kind Spanish footwear perfect for a breezy day at the beach, Antigua Casa Crespo has been making its espadrilles, otherwise known as alpargatas, by hand since 1863. Suitable for women, men, and children, these iconic rope-soled shoes are made from natural, sustainable materials and come in a rainbow of colors and styles.

For something to wear when the weather’s a bit grayer, take the Metro a few stops south to Capas Seseña, another legendary shop that looks the part and has a history of producing handmade cloaks, ponchos, and capes since 1901. Worn by celebrated madrileños and extranjeros, from King Alfonso XIII and Plácido Domingo to Federico Fellini and Ernest Hemingway, the outerwear lends an eternally modern, elegant, and uniquely Spanish look.

Bring home your bounty with Turkish Airlines

Courtesy of Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is an excellent choice for traveling in style and comfort. It ensures you transport yourself (and what you buy) where needed while feeling your best.

With flights serving 130 different countries—more than any other airline worldwide—the airline offers massaging seats and onboard chefs cooking meals to order for Business Class passengers, inflight entertainment in every seat, and private lounges at airports worldwide. Plus, a free stopover in Istanbul (an excellent shopping destination itself with antique bazaars, Anatolian rug ateliers, modern megamalls, and more) gives you yet another opportunity to explore culture through retail.

For a chance to win a $10,000 travel certificate toward a trip to the winner’s choice of China, Colombia, or Madrid, Spain, with a USTOA tour operator member, head to USTOA now through October 31, 2024.

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