Your guide to the Côte d’Opale, France’s shimmering northwest coast

We’re just a few months away from the 2024 Olympics and host city Paris is gearing up for an influx of visitors.

Good hotels are in the business of cherishing their guests. Hotels - at the highest end - are all about curation, which makes the products they sell in their shops particularly desirable, whether fashion, furnishings or art. Here are some presents that every mother will love.

Many affluent travelers seeking unique, intimate, local experiences while globetrotting will consult a specialist travel agent to arrange a custom itinerary off the beaten track. But sometimes, this can lead to travel agents promoting partners that provide hefty commissions rather than the most unique experience.

Fragrance is superb at creating a sense of place - and they are powerful sensory weapons for luxury hotels. Whether it’s a flickering, highly fragranced reminder of a perfect holiday, a signal of a forthcoming trip or an opportunity to dip into a beautifully curated world, these candles will help your mother dream of her next vacation.

Sit on a bench in Stanley Park long enough and you’ll hear a symphony of languages spoken. Stroll down the streets of Gastown and be ready to encounter a fusion of cuisines from dozens of cultures. Take a closer look at British Columbia’s biggest city and there also lies a vineyard of international connection. No event encapsulates this global unity through the art of winemaking quite like the Vancouver International Wine Festival. From the rolling hills of Sonoma and Napa Valley to the coastlines of New Zealand, the world of wine is as diverse as the cultures and climatic zones that nurture its vines. This unrivaled celebration of oenophilia is a testament to the worldwide beauty found in each and every glass.

There are many reasons to head to France in 2024—the Olympic Games in Paris, the Euro 2024 football competition or an Impressionist festival—but many will be heading to Normandy to commemorate the 160,000 Allied troops who landed on its beaches in World War Two in the biggest military seaborne invasion in history.

Italy’s best-known beaches are renowned worldwide, thanks to their dramatic seascapes, sparkling seas and settings that offer other-worldly sunrises and sunsets. Fame brings crowding and over-tourism, of course, and while it’s a challenge to find an empty beach almost anywhere in peak season (except boat-access-only coves), there are plenty of under-the-radar and less frenzied spots with ample helpings of natural beauty and historic attractions. These places have not lost their local rhythms and charms to a tidal wave of tourists, and are frequented by Italians who live in nearby towns.

There’s nothing more annoying than waiting at the airport for a delayed flight, and that’s more likely to happen with some airlines than others.

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There is so much more to the small town of Calais in northern France than its port where cross-Channel ferries join the dots between dazzling white-chalk cliffs in Dover and the Côte d’Opale, and Brits on booze runs stock up on "cheap" French wine at hypermarchés to drink back home.

Despite the Côte d’Azur’s postcard image of beaches and palm trees, much of the Alpes-Maritimes – the French département (province) which lies in the Côte d’Azur's embrace – is covered by alpine terrain.

This Mother’s Day, why not treat your loved one with a special present to ease their travels? A soft scarf or cosy socks, for instance, are the equivalent of a cuddle in a gift and are perfect for travel-loving mums while in flight or in transit. Here are our top picks of the best accessories for stylish travelers.