20 Of My Favorite Things From Around The World

Over my 15+ years of traveling, I’ve come across some rare gems that have made my life better.

No, I’m not talking about packing cubes or neck pillows or any other travel-related products—this list is all about fun discoveries, buy-it-for-life items, and little luxuries I scored while abroad (often for way less than I’d pay at home). Some are just plain useful, others are total splurges, but all of them have earned a permanent spot in my rotation.

You’ll notice a lot of these come from Japan—because honestly, no one beats them when it comes to quality and design. We’ve also been to Japan seven times at this point (the country we’ve visited the most), so obviously a lot of discoveries have come from there.

I hope this list inspires you to keep an eye out for your own favorites on your next trip!

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My Favorite Things (Discovered On My Travels!)

Barbour jackets – UK

Barbour jackets have been on my list for YEARS. I actually first discovered this UK-based brand in Japan and had immediate sticker shock the first time I saw it. I then started seeing Barbour jackets everywhere.. especially the ones with the colored collar.

After doing more research, I realized that their jackets weren’t just cute — they’re wardrobe pieces that are supposed to last you decades and get better the more you use them. I’m waiting til the day I go to the UK to buy one for myself!

Blundstone Boots – Australia

Okay, so I didn’t actually GO to Australia to discover these — Papu went to Australia and discovered them there. So that somewhat counts, right?

If you need a buy-it-for-life pair of boots, these are the ones. I have the Original #510s since I wanted an all-black look to pair with anything and everything I own, but they also have other color combos you can choose from with The Original #500s. You can see their complete collection on REI here.

Bellroy bags – Australia

At this point, Papu and I are Bellroy devotees. We have so many of their bags — I have their travel backpack and their sling, and Papu has just about 5 other bags from them (too many for me to keep track of, honestly).

He’s way more obsessed with them than I am, but I can’t blame him. Bellroy makes some really great bags, perfect for minimalists who love pockets and organization.

Fugglers – Japan

Oh yeah, these are the ONLY useless item I’m willing to buy in Japan. They’re so ugly that they’re actually cute to me. It’s the squinty eyes and the teeth for me… LOL. Check out a sample assortment of ugliness here.

Shun Premier Chef’s Knife – Japan

Coming from a Chinese household, I grew up using a butcher knife for nearly everything — slicing meat, chopping bones, julienning veggies, mincing garlic, etc. It wasn’t until I started traveling that I realized life did not need to be this way. Prepping/cooking could be way simpler with a proper knife!

I love the Shun brand. Their knives make all the difference. We have this Shun Premier 8″ Chef’s Knife (that Papu got as a gift) and this Shun Classic 8″ Chef’s Knife that we bought years ago.

We love them both! Slicing sashimi is so easy, chopping veggies into extremely thin slices is possible, and it’s the only knife that can slice through a thick ass kabocha squash effortlessly.

Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker – Japan

If you didn’t already know, Japanese rice cookers are superior to all other rice cookers out there. Growing up, I don’t think we’ve owned anything other than a Zojirushi.

After doing tons of research, I recently bought my mom the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker. Papu’s mom found out about it and wanted one too. SO, I actually bought one in Japan and lugged it through the train stations to the airport all the way home for her. 💀

(In hindsight, I’m not sure the struggle of carrying this thing back in an extra duffel was worth the savings. But she was quite happy with it! Lol. I’d say just buy it online.)

Hario V60 Coffee Dripper – Japan

As someone who only really ever drinks pourover coffee at home and at cafes, this is the best pourover dripper we’ve found. Whenever we visit Japan, we always try to bring 1-2 of these back as gifts for our coffee drinking friends/family.

There are tons of V60 versions, but we like the glass versions in size 02. I have the standard glass/plastic version and Papu has the fancier glass/olive wood variation — I actually bought that for him while I was in Japan one year!

Mount Fuji Ceramic Coffee Filter – Japan

This is the exact one that I always see at lifestyle stores like Loft and Hands. Because I already have the Hario V60, I haven’t needed to upgrade, but I’ve been eyeing this one for quite some time!

If you ever get the chance to visit the Lake Kawaguchi area near Tokyo, you’ll understand my obsession with Mount Fuji-shaped things.

Ippodo Tea: matcha and tea – Japan

Shopping for matcha is a ton of fun in Japan, especially in famous producing areas like Uji, Kyoto, Northern Kyushu, and Shizuoka. There are lots of legit teamakers and producers in Japan, but if you need help narrowing things down, I like Ippodo Tea. This longstanding brand has been producing the finest tea products in Kyoto… since 1717!

If you’re new to the matcha world, their Sayaka Matcha is a great beginner’s introduction. From there, you can experiment with more robust variations (like the Ummon version), or change it up and try hojicha (roasted tea) or sencha (classic green tea). These all make great gifts for tea lovers.

Uniball Jetstream Pens 0.5mm – Japan

Uniball Jetstream pens are one of our go-to shopping items whenever we’re exploring Loft or Hands! We’ll usually buy a few for ourselves and a few as gifts/souvenirs for our most practical friends.

Papu likes the thicker ink feel (0.7mm); I like the thinner ink feeling (0.5mm). They come in so many cute pastel colors!

Kinto coffee mugs – Japan

Kinto products are great. Whenever we’re in Japan, we try to make it a point to hunt for them, but they’re so hard to find.

The travel tumblers and tea cups are usually pretty easy to find, but it’s the glass cups from the SEPIA line and the porcelain coffee mugs that are elusive and hard to find!

During one of my last trips, I tried as hard as I could, but I could not for the life of me find the sepia cups, so I ended up buying 4 of the clear tea cups instead. Still a good buy!

MORE JAPANESE STUFF I LOVE

Elixir – A Shiseido brand! Elixir sells anti-aging products for people between the ages of 30-40. Per the Japanese worker I chatted with, it’s great for people “who aren’t at the age where you need Shiseido yet” 😉
Lululun face masks – this has been the #1 best-selling face mask brand in Japan for a while.
Heroine Make Liquid Eyeliner – Japan’s beloved drugstore eyeliner. I always bring back 4-5 sticks from Japan because my family members love ’em too.

Palatti Porcelain Coffee Filter – China

Can you tell we love buying coffee-related items when we travel? When I recently traveled to China for the first time in my life, I finally understood that porcelain can be so much more than those fobby blue and white colored sets.

I came across some really cool contemporary stuff while I was there! For example, this porcelain coffee filter is handcrafted by porcelain artisans in Dehua, China.

DJI Osmo Pocket – China

Did you know DJI is a China-based brand? DJI is the leader in the personal drone world, and they also make some of the best gimbals in the game right now. We didn’t get any of those products, though.

Instead, we opted for the DJI Osmo Pocket. Perfect for photos, home videos, and vlogs, without the bulk and weight of our DSLR!

We had actually learned about the camera ages ago, but waited til our trip to China for cost and tax savings. The only drawback of doing this is that if we ever have issues with the camera, we have to ship it back to Hong Kong (where we bought it) to get it fixed.

Tinned sardines – Portugal

These days, tinned sardines are the only thing I bring home from Portugal. If you don’t like sardines, that’s sad! They’re such a good source of protein–how can you deny such cute tins???

Extra virgin olive oil – Italy or Spain

I live in California where there’s pretty good olive oil already, but I still prefer the ones from Italy and Spain. Part of the fun of traveling is tasting local specialties and buying them to enjoy at home!

Candles from Brooklyn Candle Studio / PF Candle Co – USA

Brooklyn Candle Studio is based in New York, and PF Candle Co. is based in Los Angeles. Their diffusers are great too — same amazing scents, but better for people who are too lazy to light and put out candles.

For Brooklyn Candle Studio, I love the “Maui” scent. For PF Candle Co., it’s all about “Teakwood & Tobacco” and “Amber & Moss”.

To Summer perfumes – China

This luxury fragrance brand is one of our newest discoveries! To Summer is from China and as far as I know, you can only find them in China.

Their flagship store is in Beijing, but I visited their Shenzhen store during my last trip to China. After visiting the store and buying two bottles (one for me and one for Papu), I learned that you can also get it on Taobao!

For $75 USD each, I think they’re a total steal considering they’re a luxury fragrance brand.

BYREDO everything – France

I’ve been obsessed with BYREDO ever since I first discovered them while staying at Four Seasons Resort at Costa Palmas in the Los Cabos area.

I’ve bought a bunch of their stuff (hand lotions, body lotions, etc.) in the USA, but they’re about 20% cheaper in France since that’s where it’s made.

Gypsy Water and Bal d’Afrique are two of the most popular since all the fancy hotels feature one or the other. Papu is personally in love with Mojave Ghost and I must agree. It’s pretty damn nice smelling!

Moft phone stands

I’ll be honest, I have no idea what country Moft is based in, but I first discovered this brand after meeting a content creator while I was in Portugal on a Contiki trip. He had the tripod wallet, and after seeing him demonstrate its functionality to us, the whole bunch of us were ready to buy one for ourselves right then and there.

Their products are super cool, they are essentially magnetized phone wallets that double as a phone stand and even a tripod. I used to just have a phone wallet, but looking back on it now, how inferior of me. The tripod functionality is such a game-changer for watching shows on flights!

20 Of My Favorite Things From Around The World