Where to shop to find travel bargains: Why I've stopped buying fake handbags overseas

The worst thing about the Christmas season for me (and many others I'm sure) is the enforced shopping. I love finding gifts for people but I hate the fact that this is dictated by the marketing of a festival that should really have nothing to do with commerciality.

Hating the crowds, the inflated prices of goods and the stress on everyone's faces at shopping centres, I do my shopping early. This year, I started in March, buying a few gifts, such as wonderful multi-coloured fans, at the Central Market in Phnom Penh. It's not that early – some people, I believe, start their Christmas shopping on Boxing Day the year before, to take advantage of the sales.

I'm really not that organised, it's just that travelling provides a brilliant opportunity to visit exotic markets, fairs and curious little shops to nab items that can't be found at home. Well, that's obvious. But, more importantly, when I'm on the road I have the luxury of time and the advantage of being somewhere new, which means I can shop with fresh eyes and I can do it in a leisurely way.

Sometimes that means the "what was she thinking?" kind of purchase, but usually even the simplest thing, such as a hand-woven pair of slippers from Ireland, make the most appreciated gifts. Or I hope so.

On the road, I never feel obliged to buy souvenirs for family and friends – I think the chore spoils the pleasure for everyone, but when I spot something I know someone will love, I nab it.

There was a time, years ago, when everyone was happy with the novelty of a fake handbag from the markets of Beijing. I recall one year returning with a suitcase full of them. But I have seen the error of my ways. I don't buy this sort of stuff any more. For every $20 rip-off bag there's probably a young woman working in appalling conditions somewhere, for inadequate pay.

I'm as much a fan of the bargain as anyone. In fact, I'm devoted to bargains. But I like my bargains to be authentic and of the place – cotton Hammam towels from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul; boxes of frankincense from Oman, for instance. It's not always the obvious purchases. One time I found a stash of old workers' club stick pins in a small town in the Czech Republic, gifts that were real talking points.

Better to buy the product directly from the artisan or charitable foundations that support the makers. In a city such as Siem Reap, for instance, there is the renowned Artisans d'Angkor​ centre, where artisans are supported in a series of on-site workshops and their exquisite work is for sale in a beautiful emporium. The fine handcrafts are superior to those goods found in the markets and, although pricey, the sales create job opportunities for young rural people.