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It’s that time of year when hopefully you have squared away your travel plans. (If you haven’t, members will receive another blast next week with still-available-for-the-holiday options.) And now we can begin to focus on holiday shopping. I believe that the best presents I give are the ones that I find when I am traveling and discover something that is just right for someone who isn’t with me and may never get to where I am.

A number of years ago I was in Napa and found wooden folding chairs that had been made out of wine barrels. I could picture my father, who loves his fine red wine, sitting on one under an old tree and enjoying the view of Lambert’s Cove from his house in Martha’s Vineyard. So I sent him a pair.

My stepfather so loved the pile of Charvet cashmere and silk socks that I put under the tree one year that now I pick up pairs for him whenever I am in Paris. Of course, I also bring home a box of macaroons from Ladurée, only a few blocks away. Both the socks and the cookies come in seductive colors and enticing packages that convey a taste of la vie Parisienne.

I admit I have made a few mistakes. Some beaded crystal bracelets that looked ravishing in a little shop on London’s Walton Street appeared a bit costumey when my mother opened the box. And when I was in a full shopping frenzy with friends in Hanoi, I imagined that my sisters really would wear the red Vietnamese flag with a central yellow star as sarongs. The image didn’t appeal to them back home—nor did the stacks of linen napkins embroidered with blue oxen.

Many of the people on my list are lucky enough to have what they need and to be able to buy whatever they want. To offer something special to them involves unearthing something that they wouldn’t or couldn’t find easily on their own. One of my sisters loves fine green tea and chocolates so it was a thrill when I tracked down rare Japanese tea that she now orders herself from Kyoto, and when I first introduced her to Vosges chocolates that she can now buy nearby.

This year, I plan to buy many things from Marcella Echavarra, who is profiled in our Style section this month. Her company Surevolution combines great style with doing good in a fascinating sustainable luxury goods business. She sells everything from accessories to home furnishings—all the products are made in Asia and South America.

For the hard-to-shop-for people on your holiday list—whether they be friends, family members or business associates—we’ve teamed up with Smythson to come up with the perfect solution: a gift membership to Indagare, paired with a gorgeous leather travel accessory and packaged in an elegant blue Smythson box. Click here to send gift memberships and to see all of the premium options, from luggage tags, passport covers and folding leather picture frames to a sumptuous jewelry roll and a slim travel wallet. (FYI: We will soon be selling back issues of the newsletters and special finds from our journeys in our online store.) Or call us at 212-988-2611.

TIP: For details on products above and additional global online shopping ideas, see our Style Passion.