British handbag designer Anya Hindmarch, who has stores in more than ten countries around the world (her New York flagship is in SoHo), spends a lot of time jetting between her home base in London and such cities as Tokyo, Los Angeles and Shanghai. Hindmarch also recently collaborated with Friends of the High Line by designing a special tote to raise funds for the elevated railway in the Meatpacking district that is being transformed into the city’s newest public park (the first phase opened to raves in June 2009). When it comes to spending family time, the designer, who started her business at age nineteen, loves to escape to the island of Mustique or stay close to home, renting a cottage on the British coast. Here, she shares her travel discoveries from around the world.

What are your favorite travel destinations and why?

Cap Ferrat is very special to me as I married my husband James there and we have had a home there all of my life. Marrakech is a place I have revisited many times since I first traveled there with my parents when I was 6 years old. Going there is like stepping back in time and feels like visiting a medieval city only 4 hours from London. I like to explore the old Medina and the narrow streets of this old walled city to watch the snake charmers, jugglers, fire eaters and to see almost all of life in the main square Jemaa el Fna. Staying close to home is often underrated. Each year we spend a week in a cottage in Cornwall on the South West coast. Staying in England is less stressful than flying abroad and our trip to Cornwall is a relaxing, family escape that I look forward to each Summer.

What are your favorite hotels and why?

I love the Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat (www.grand-hotel-cap-ferrat.com). It has a fabulous salt water swimming pool with the most amazing swimming teacher. He has been there forever and has taught the most incredible people to swim from the David Niven days. He feels like a bit of history and is great to teach the kids to swim. In Marrakech I stay at the Amanjena, which is fabulous and has a true Moroccan vibe. I have also stayed at The Mamounia which is where Winston Churchill always used to stay. It is art deco and has fabulous gardens and a great Italian restaurant. In Tokyo, I love the Park Hyatt for it’s view, pool and incredible service. The China Club in Beijing, which my great friend David Tang owns, is a favorite. It’s a 400-year-old building which was built for the 24th son of the emperor. It has a series of five courtyards with beautiful rooms for dining set around them. There are only 10 bedrooms, all furnished with Ming dynasty furniture contrasted with all mod cons. The two newest rooms are really private and have stunning hand painted silk wall coverings.

You often vacation on Mustique. What do you love most about the island?

We travel as a family to Mustique every year as a family tradition. It is the one destination where I know I can go and truly relax. I turn the Blackberry off ( at least for a few days) and we enjoy the beach, reading (at last!) long dinners at friends’ houses, bike rides. It’s rare to just be able to let your kids run wild and that is one of the things I cherish most about the island’s atmosphere. I love the fact that it is safe and family oriented and the beaches are deserted and there is no traffic and you don’t have to book a restaurant. I have had some of my happiest times on that island.

Where has been your greatest inspiration for work?

I truly believe that one can get inspired anywhere (even in your own garden!), however it does help to take a step out of your daily routine and lay eyes on something fresh and new. I have always been inspired by architecture, specifically John Lautner and Arthur Elrod. After a trip to Palm Springs many years ago I fell in love with the clean, modern lines and smooth surfaces of the homes which they collaborated on and have designed a few collections based on what I saw. Some days, I wish I could revisit that moment in time and lounge poolside by one of Lautner’s homes as if in a Slim Aarons photograph. A few summers ago, Mykonos made me mad for Boho baskets and ‘evil eyes’ and St.-Tropez makes me want to design perfect evening bags.

What do you never leave home without?

That said, I travel an awful lot for work, inspiration and holidays with my family and have developed a travel uniform which is comfortable but still makes me feel good and ensures I don’t arrive at my destination a crumpled mess! I love old-fashioned Plimsoles by Oki-Kutsu, cashmere sweatpants and hoodies by Bamford, loose cotton dresses by Hanii Y or Marni and a cashmere scarf by Faliero Sarti, which doubles as a blanket. I always have a pair of sunglasses (currently Barton Perreira) at the ready to disguise red eyes.

What do you bring if you’re heading to a resort destination?

If I am packing for a beach holiday, I always take a big basket like the Halen, which is great with a smaller clutch inside. This is the Russian doll idea of having smaller inside bigger, so you can squeeze in everything you need. The Judd straw clutch (the bright yellow packs good punch) is a zippered woven pouch which can double up as an evening bag, so again this means less luggage. This year I will also be packing my toiletries in the new wash bags I created for Spring. I am obsessed with labeling and organizing and have created a new collection of embossed bags to arrange every area of my life, including “Lotions & Potions,” “Nails” and “Wet Bag.” Things like this give real pleasure to us girls!

Lastly, I make sure I bring a handful of Green Vibrance vitamin takeaway packets to keep my energy and health intact, and I pack my Leica camera. They make the best lenses and I don’t like to skimp on anything, which records or documents memories of my family.

What is your most treasured possession from abroad?

A pot of sand from the beach in the Philippines where I was standing when my husband proposed to me. It is like flour: soft and white and a nice memory. I have engraved the pot it sits in with the date.

Also: postcards and letters from my children when they are traveling and I am stuck at home. I have a bundle of correspondences from South Africa, Nepal, and Mozambique from my daughter, Tia, who is off to glorious places on a gap year at the moment.

Where did you find your last bargain/your latest splurge?

DR Harris crystal eye gel is a lifesaver and is only £9! I splurged on a beautiful vintage clutch at a Parisian flea market recently, which I plan to rework and use in the red carpet evening collection we are currently developing. And although I don’t like spending too much on T-shirts, I do love to layer lightweight versions by Rick Owens, which are worth it.

What are some of your favorite restaurants around the world and why?

Toraya in Tokyo is just incredible. They serve the finest Japanese green tea and the most exquisite confectionary here. True artistry is involved in creating their traditional Japanese sweets. My favorites are namagashi; delicate little cakes beautifully crafted to look like flowers.

At home in London, Cecconis is a stand by for breakfast or dinner. I live around the corner from Daylesford Organic and pick up a soya latte almost every day on my way to work for my caffeine fix! And Petersham Nurseries, a cafe and tea house, has exceptional food and a great spot to eat alfresco during the summer. I love its rustic, down-to-earth feel, and its also a lovely place to shop for beautiful flowers and gardening knick knacks. Pop by for a homemade sandwich and a pear juice- it is divine.

What are some of your favorite shops abroad?

When I come over to New York for fashion week I visit in Soho. I love to treat myself to a framed butterfly at the Evolution Store (120 Spring Street; 800-952-3195) each time I visit. I get amazing presents for my children and godchildren at Tokyu Hands, a department store in Tokyo. There’s an overwhelming choice of toys and gadgets there.

Where do you dream of traveling next?

I would love to go to the Aeolian islands just off the northern coast of Sicily in the Tyrrhenian Sea for the exquisite scenery alone. I imagine the experience to be totally unforgettable.

Read where to get Hindmarch’s Highline Tote

Read travel advice, including packing tips, from party planner Colin Cowie

Read a style Q&A with designer Allegra Hicks

Read Indagare’s destination report on London, including a review of Hindmarch’s boutique