The first time I visited a sprawling flea market in Paris, I had no idea what I was looking for. The thrill of the hunt—and of discovering something new—kept pulling me forward. For blocks along Boulevard Beaumarchais, serious buyers and browsers moved between stalls with the same hopeful curiosity. Perhaps the next table held something they hadn’t known they wanted. When I left that day, I wanted another chance to feel that way wherever I traveled.
Antique-buying trips themselves are hardly new, but their appeal has become particularly hard to ignore in 2026. My French Country Home, a French-focused operator that leads guests through Paris, Provence, and Normandy, began hosting tours more than a decade ago. What started as just one to two trips a year has grown to eight in 2026, with 11 already planned for 2027. England-focused Claiborne & Olive launched its buying trips only at the end of 2024, ran 12 in its first year, and has already sold out its 2026 departures.
What travelers are booking is more than a string of flea markets and antique shops. The appeal lies in being ushered into a world whose customs can otherwise take years to learn. “They’re truly paying for the person’s relationships and knowledge of that location,” says Tammi Saranko, founder of Claiborne & Olive. In a travel landscape where online recommendations are dime a dozen, these trips turn the endless scroll into a considered itinerary, taking travelers beyond anything you could find on the internet.
Antiquing lends itself especially well to this kind of human curation. Alexander Widener, decorator, collector, and owner of Widener Company, begins his research online before letting the trail become decidedly more personal. “The real key is once you land and you go into a shop, and you’re like, ‘This is the most amazing shop,’ ask the shop owner where else you should go,” he says. One dealer leads to another, then another. “Before you know it, you’ll have seen all of the best stuff.” Widener notes that dealers want to foster that curiosity, and are often eager to share their favorite sources with someone genuinely interested.
The Widener Company store in Wiscasset, Maine.
