A few weeks ago I had about an hour to spare in Vienna, and having consulted our Black Book thoroughly before my trip, I knew I wanted to visit Saint Charles Apothecary. The Black Book entry on the apothecary had a photo of a dark, seemingly hand-carved wooden cabinet lined with rows of neatly organized tinctures and potions, which was enough to pique my interest. When I arrived, I learned that the cabinets (and the pharmacy itself) date to 1886, and that the shop has always focused on the healing power of nature, specifically herbs, though they now carry brands like Aesop alongside their own product line. 

I was fascinated by their hyper-specific products: antibacterial spruce resin ointment, a magnesium gel for sore muscles, essential oil blends for aufguss sauna sessions, and even a spray made just for yoga mats. I came across a 100% propolis spray and remembered hearing about the amazing properties of this bee byproduct during a beekeeping lesson last year. 

Propolis is a resinous substance bees produce primarily for hive maintenance—to seal cracks and holes in the beehive—and the claims around it are pretty incredible: antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, packed with polyphenols and antioxidants. After two trips to Europe in two weeks, I was starting to feel run-down—you know that feeling when you cross the tipping point and just have to admit you’re getting sick and ride it out? That’s where I was, and this 18-euro bottle of amber-hued liquid staring back at me was my only hope. 

I took a few sprays and immediately questioned if this was meant to be ingested or applied topically, that’s how potent the taste is, but was assured it’s meant to be sprayed in your throat and that you get used to the flavor. Jury’s still out on that, but it did nip whatever oncoming malady I had in the bud, and I’ve been taking a spray of it once or twice a week since for good measure. Luckily, they ship worldwide, so if you want to stock up for cold season, you don’t have to fly to Vienna. If you do give it a try, I’d just recommend keeping an Altoid on hand as a chaser. 

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We’re not a plastic-tumbler-used-outdoors kind of family. Maybe if we had lots of young kids around we would have to be, but that isn’t the case for the time being. So I am always on the lookout for a sturdy real glass that doesn’t make me nervous to have around the pool. 

Cue the Bee Glass from La Rochère. I’d always seen these glasses in the homes of my fancier friends when I was growing up, but I had no idea where they came from. Then the other day we were in Bordeaux looking for martini glasses (which always break because we keep them in our freezer), and I spotted these, in all shapes and sizes: tumblers short and tall, tea cups, and this  super sturdy wine glass. I figured we would give it a go! When I got home I did my research, and now I like them even more: La Rochère is the oldest continuously running glass factory in Europe—over 500 years—and the bee references Napoleon as well as Provence. So we opened one of our favorite bottles of Provençal rosé to road-test the glass, and it’s perfect! 

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Every summer—well, actually, every time I’m in France for any length of time—I make a special trip to the pharmacy. I make it very clear that this is going to be a long visit—not a run-in-and-pick-something-up situation. I tell Matt, just come when I text you, and I spend a blissful hour or so just looking at every single thing. On our recent visit, Clara and I picked up the above. From top left clockwise: 

I bought the Cicaplast Gel because I have such sensitive skin, and any kind of laser treatment can activate some secret underlying rosacea I didn’t know existed. Cicaplast helps fix that up so fast.

I needed a new sunscreen—the one that I got in New York was feeling too tacky/sticky, and this Bioderma goes on very smooth and transparently. I’ll give it the real try in Greece later this month. 

This tiny La Roche Posay 50 SPF is so cute and can always live in my purse. You may say you can get it in the US, but I’d say they allow a lot of bad ingredients in the products they produce for the States, and I’d rather buy it here. Also, it’s cheaper!

The Crème Apaisante is excellent for bug bites—a natural itch reliever. Onctose, an OTC hydrocortisone, is a more heavy duty version of the same thing.

We saw the ad for the SVR serum on our way into the pharmacy, which promoted that it helps with bumpy skin. Clara bought it, and within one use she saw a difference. A week later, and she can’t believe how good it is.

Avène face wash, just because I need a super gentle face wash and I didn’t feel like decanting for our trip to Greece.

Chocho bite stick: We first discovered the bite zapper when our friends from Austria were using it on vacation with us. It essentially heats up the bite and destroys the enzyme that causes the itch. This is a new version, and uses a USB, not batteries.

Avène moisturizer: I bought this on a whim–I wanted a new moisturizer, and I also wanted one that had SPF in it. I figured this was worth a try. On first use, I fell in love—my skin is so soft, it doesn’t feel dry, and it makes me look more dewy. Now I wish I’d bought three.

Cinq sur Cinq insect repellant in roll-on form. It fits in a dopp kit and is easy to travel with, and it WORKS!!!

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Last week I was walking around our local seaside town of Soulac-sur-Mer, and discovered a shoe store on a side street I’d never walked down. The owner had a great selection of sandals and espadrilles, and in this case, a combo of the two. I’d never seen an espadrille sandal—my daughter said they looked “so Alaia,” which definitely influenced my purchase—but I also liked how the leather covered so much of the foot; I’m not a fan of sandals where your feet flop all over. She explained that they come from a small family-owned company who have been making them by hand since 1960, in the Landes region just below the Médoc. Because they’re so close to us here in the southwest of France, and because it’s not every day that you hear about a family-run business making cool espadrilles by hand, I looked them up, and now I’m even more excited about them. They have great trad espadrilles in such good color ways which both Matt and I immediately became obsessed with, and you have to watch their video on how they make them from start to finish. It’s fascinating how much goes into making these simple shoes, that, in France, cost at most, 25 euros. 

If you’re shipping to the States, it’s 40 euros just for the shipping—so it really only makes sense if you’re buying several pairs. But once you’re on the site, that won’t be a problem—there are so many great colors and designs. We just bought 6 pairs, and with shipping, it was 144 euros. They also arrived at our office in NYC in three days!

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We talk a lot about souvenirs here—the things we love to bring back from a place—but there’s also something to be said for what we bring with us when we travel—talismans, good luck charms… whatever you want to call them. Whether it’s an evil eye, a St. Christopher medal, or a corno, it’s something that has significance to you and keeps you grounded and connected, wherever you are. I wear only two—the thumbprint of my daughter, which my husband gave me when she was little, and an En Route charm that my friend Celine Yousefzadeh gave me, which couldn’t be a more fitting message. My daughter wears about 15 of them—if you’re a charm person, you know you can’t just take them off. Whether it’s a pendant picked up at a French antiques stall or a shell that reminds you of home, these small keepsakes are the perfect souvenir: personal, functional, and full of feeling. We love them especially in summer, when they aren’t covered up, and find them to be a great conversation starter. Below are some of our favorites. 

Beck Jewels makes pendants that are literally a piece of the place you can take with you. The designer Rebecca Zeijdel-Paz collects rocks everywhere from Montauk to her home of Curaçao—she turned these pebbles into pieces that look like precious stones.

Marlo Laz’s En Route charm is so elegant and doesn’t scream travel talisman, and these are literal good luck charms.

The Il Sole pendant from Jennifer Alfano is inspired by an Alexander Girard Sun relief in Santa Fe that she has fond memories of, and it pairs well with the vintage Sardinian coral branches she just launched this week.

This gold-plated flipper charm from OOOF screams summer vacation. 

“Charm necklaces are like little bits of meaning locked around my neck—they tend to stay on. I thoughtfully layer them, each one says something, and the stack is often a high-impact statement. I definitely have a thing with heart pendants—there’s something timeless and a little tender about wearing your sentiment where everyone can see it.” —Marlien Rentmeester, style editor, founder of the Le Catch website and her Substack of the same name  

Melissa Easton makes a tiny beautiful Swiss shield charm that transports us straight to the Alps.

Pack this or this evil eye for some good travel juju. 

Malachite is a traveler’s stone that’s meant to bring luck on trips—this one from Van Cleef in their clover shape would be extra good luck, or for the nautically inclined, this mariner link charm in malachite is really beautiful too. 

Some say it’s bad luck to buy a corno for yourself, but it makes such a great gift, and maybe the recipient will reciprocate.  

“I used to always travel with a St. Christopher charm (the patron saint of travelers!), and though I don’t carry it with me anymore, I realized my Dragon Diffusion bag has one stitched into the leather. So I guess he’s still been looking out for me!” —Carly Shea

If you want to go the initials route, these from Roxanne Assoulin or these from Hart are so playful (and well-priced), these from Adina Reyter are impossibly chic, and Sarah Hendler’s disk charms can be engraved with initials, too.

This is called the “aperitivo pendant”—we can totally see it paired with a caftan and Negroni by the sea at golden hour.

You know that we love postcards, and this sweet charm is no exception. 

“While pictures may record the details of a trip, travel charms offer something more personal, a wearable memory of cherished experiences from around the world. I started collecting charms to add to a bracelet as a child, that I knew I would give to my daughter Ella one day. One of my first charms was from Paris, I bought a key with a heart on it to remind me of the Love Lock Bridge, similar to this charm from Adina Reyter.” —Larissa Mills, content creator

A Passport that will never expire!

The chicest olive branch you could possibly extend. 

“Around 15 years ago, I splurged on a gold charm at Calypso—a small disc stamped with a spiral of tiny symbols that looked like they held some ancient cosmic code. It turned out to be a replica of the Phaistos Disc, discovered at the Minoan palace of Phaistos in southern Crete and dating to around 1700 BC. Its meaning remains a mystery to archaeologists, which only adds to its allure. Mine fell off years ago, but two summers back I found another in a little shop in Hydra. It’s become a personal talisman—I never travel without it—and as someone who once spent hours poring over ancient texts (ie, minored in dead languages!), I love the idea of this miniature Rosetta stone, quietly guarding its secrets and waiting to be understood. Here and here are similar versions.” —Alex Postman, Yolo Deputy Editor

This black & white cookie or this coffee cup makes a very portable souvenir from NYC. 

“Charms are my thing as I road trip around, gathering and curating vintage collections for shops and pop-ups. I try not to grow attached to many, as it is a joy to see a charm regain its place of pride on someone’s charm bracelet or necklace. The charm I have held onto for many years, and hope to admire for years to come, is a simple metal heart stamped ‘MARIE’ and strung on a red thread necklace. I discovered her on a first visit to Paris at the Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves. It was the best souvenir I could imagine despite her wear, as it appears she has lived a few lives before turning up before me inside the cardboard box lid of a French antiques dealer. I will forever be smitten with engraved charms, contemplating their origins, their meaning, how they were once a celebrated memory. Spy your initials or meaningful date/sentiment at a market or antiques shop? Grab it or you will forever dream about the piece that got away.” —Marie Moss, author and vintage curator

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When our daughter was little, we used to do Sun Light prints as a fun sunny-day activity, and especially on vacation. They’re so easy: find whatever object you would like to make a print of (think shell, leaf, flower), place on the treated paper, leave it untouched for about 15 minutes and, like magic, you have this beautiful souvenir of the simpler moments from your holiday. They also make great host gifts! 

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Earlier this year I was in Brussels for a couple of days, and while we were window shopping I spotted a painter’s smock—it looked super OG, and it was beckoning me to come look at it. It was inside a huge art supply store called Schleiper, which had everything you could possibly imagine, including some beautiful still-life paintings with gilded frames that were in and of themselves worth more than what they were charging. We found the smock section, and I chose the tan one, as I already have some vintage black smocks that I picked up at a flea market in France. What can I say—even though I’m definitely not a painter, I love a smock for many reasons. I wear it as an apron/coverall if I’m doing some dusty cleanup work, or I’ll have it in a bag for a summer night if it gets a bit chilly, or I’ll bring it to wear over any kind of legging or pant where I want to have some backside coverage. This one is made in France, and while I thoroughly enjoyed having mine be a souvenir from my short trip in Belgium, you can also order them online here.

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I first saw one of these intricately filigreed rings on a friend’s finger a decade ago. “It’s a fede sarda,” she said. Someone had brought one back for her from Sardinia. I’ve been trying to find one ever since. Needless to say, this ring was at the top of my Sardinia to-do list when I was there this fall. As soon as we checked into the Su Gologone, an antiques-filled, family-owned property in the mountains of Barbagia, I asked where I could find one. They directed me to the town of Dorgali, about 20 minutes away. 

We parked the car and walked around, going in and out of at least five jewelry stores that carry these rings, all made by hand in 18k gold. The word fede means faith or loyalty—which is why they’re typically used as engagement rings—and the filigree technique, resembling lace or flowers, dates back centuries on the island. I finally settled on one from Filigrana Pira—the price was 445 euros, which was established by the weight of the gold, and it came with a certificate and guarantee. They also make them in silver, which are less than 50 euros. Another store, Oreficeria Nieddu, had a great selection, but they were pre-priced (not by their gold weight)—they also had great local textiles from rugs to bath mats! While I’d like you to make the journey yourself, I’m sharing their sites so you can actually order them online, but if you do, please DM me a photo—I’d love to see what you got! 

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Around 25 years ago, my husband Matt was in St Tropez on a photo shoot and brought me back a pair of sandals from Rondini, the family-owned sandal business that has been making them just shy of 100 years (since 1927!). Sadly, they were a bit big, and I never wore them, but I also never got rid of them, because they just felt like this piece of a place that I dreamed about. Earlier this summer I finally stayed in St Tropez—I had only ever driven past it in super high season, so we never stopped—and this was my first time. My first stop was Rondini, where they sized me and I picked out the above sandals. As can happen with sandals, they look and feel great when you’re in the store, but somehow you get home and they don’t work, or the sole is so flat that you can’t wear them for very long. These were perfect—I have worn the criss-cross sandal (called the British) for entire days into evenings in NYC, and have had no issues. Okay, they don’t have the cushion of a Birkenstock, but they are supportive, and they look great. —Y.E.

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The other day in Rome, I walked a route to Piazza Farnese that I hadn’t taken before, and not only did I run into friends from the Napa Valley, I found this incredible store,  Emporio Centrale, that opened in December. If you’re a fan of Labour and Wait in London, this place is for you—in fact, they acknowledge it was a big source of inspiration. Every single object (from kitchen to cosmetics, with the best old-world packaging for kids’ games) was so well considered, and even better, well priced. We bought two coffee cup sets at 4.90 each, and a little Calabrese perfume for just under 10 euros. They even have Venetian slippers in great colors (gray, navy, and also brights) for, shockingly, just under 50 euros. It’s an amazing place to get inspired and to also pick up any souvenirs for yourself and whomever you’re gifting.

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