Shopping Spots

Where in the world is the best place to buy antiques? Where can you get the cheapest jeans? Where will you find your favourite food at the lowest prices? With Direct Line's annual travel insurance, you can take as many trips as you like over the next 12 months – to a maximum of 42 days per trip and 120 days per year – enabling you to make savings on shopping sprees all over the world.

A good rule of thumb when you're visiting a foreign country is to buy what that country is most famous for. In places such as Turkey or Morocco, this could be carpets or rugs; in the Caribbean, coral jewellery; in France, cheeses and wines; in South America, Inca or Aztec pieces. Look for items that are being made for the domestic market rather than specifically for tourists.

It's also worth doing a bit of research before you go. You might be surprised to know that Germany, for example, has some excellent wines. While Malaysia is becoming a hot shopping destination for its Mega Sale Carnivals where great deals apply to produce from the big city malls to the street markets.

Next, try to familiarise yourself with local customs: buying a rug in Turkey, for example, is a social occasion and you may well be invited in for a cup of tea while you are being shown the wares. In many places, too, haggling is not only permitted, but expected. Even in formal-looking shops, let alone the markets and bazaars, it’s always worth asking whether the price is negotiable.

As for specific countries, almost everything is cheaper in North America than in Britain, particularly consumer electronics. CD and DVD prices are often the same in dollars as we would pay in pounds. However, bear in mind that American DVDs may not work on British DVD players. Clothes and trainers are another option, and if you want to kit out the kids with designer gear, check out OshKosh B'Gosh; in Britain it would be pretty pricey if you're planning to fill a wardrobe with their clothes, but in the States, prices are perfectly reasonable.

If you're in China or Vietnam, you'd probably be better off bringing home the raw material in the shape of silk (it should cost you around £2 per metre) and having it made into shirts or dresses when you get home. Or better still, get a tailor to copy your favourite items while you're there.

Books are also cheaper in a lot of countries than they are back home (on account of our taxes), but bear in mind that they may not be so well produced: poorer paper quality and ink may give them a cheaper look and feel than you are used to. Whatever country you go to, do bear in mind that there are Customs limits on what you can bring back to the UK.

From outside the EU the limit for nothing to declare is two litres of wine, one litre of spirits, 200 cigarettes, 60cc of perfume and £145 worth of other goods such as souvenirs. Anything over that amount, will need to be declared and the tax paid for. There is also a tobacco limit from some EU countries such as Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia and Hungary. If travelling from the EU, you will be stopped if the quantity of non-declared items you are carrying looks as though it has been bought for commercial purposes. This can happen if you have more than 3,200 cigarettes, 90 litres of wine or 10 litres of spirits, for example. This information was correct in July 2008. For the most up to date information on tax when bringing in goods from outside the EU can be found on the HM Revenue and Customs website.

Everyone knows the reason for the ban on importing or exporting ivory, but did you know that over 800 species of animals and plants are subject to bans on international trade and many others are restricted. Some tourist items can fall foul of the law, so if you’re not certain, check with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (www.defra.gov.uk) before you go.

As for antiques, you could actually find some of the best bargains in one of Britain’s historic towns. With Direct Line annual travel insurance you can take as many trips as you like (up to a maximum of 120 days a year/42 days in one trip) with cover in the UK and abroad, so you can go shopping for a bargain whenever and wherever you want.