Ying Ong, a director of fine-dining restaurant Novus and WA cafe at the National Museum, always sets aside time to shop when she travels. And you can say a shopping streak runs in the family.

Her parents and older brother are in the high-end furnishing retail business dealing in designer brands like Baleri Italia, Artemide and Poltrona Frau.

The family travels almost monthly to places like Milan, London, Bali and Toronto to source for furniture, new furniture designers and restaurant concepts, and they always mark out a few days just to shop. Ong, 23, also helps to run food and beverage hub Peranakan Place Complex, which her family owns, with her 27-year-old brother.

Your family's in the furniture business, so any tips on shopping for furniture abroad?

Design is the first thing you should look out for. The piece of furniture must be something you like visually and it must capture your attention from its style to its colour.

Then try it out for comfort. Does it give your back support? A good bed or chair will ensure that you are always well supported and kept in the most ergonomic position.

After that, look at its quality and workmanship. The stitching of the fabric must be good. The stitching and fabric will give you an idea of how long the piece will last and whether it makes a good investment.

Finally, the price. If the furniture passes all the points above, it's worth the money and will last you a long time.

Which are the best cities to buy furniture?

We source for furniture through trade fairs. There's one in Milan in April - Salone Internazionale del Mobile - which is one of the most sought- after furniture fairs. Italian designers will put up their works.

There's also NeoCon World's Trade Fair in Chicago in June which features international designers. These fairs are open to the public and are a good way to find modern and new designs.

Furniture aside, which are the best places in Asia to shop for clothes and jewellery?

I like Hong Kong and India. In Hong Kong, there is no sales tax and even imported goods are not taxed, thus making your dollar stretch. My friends and I go there once a year for the summer sales around August.

I'll pick a hotel in Causeway Bay to stay in because the shopping is just in front of the lobby - extremely convenient.

The shops in Causeway Bay focus on local designers and bargain buys. Times Square is within walking distance and there are many small boutiques scattered around.

There is a chain of shops called I.T. and each shop differs from the other. One I went to had a good collection of Fred Perry apparel.

I also like the IFC Mall in Admiralty for shops such as Links of London, which is not in Singapore. It also houses Lane Crawford, which I adore for its clothes, shoes, make-up and the precious gems and jewellery collection. It has very good discounts on bags and shoes during the sale. Even the men's section has good deals. Personal shoppers can be hired to style you.

The Landmark in the Central district is where you should go if you want designer labels. But you should also check out The Lanes in Central. There are two parallel rows of shops that sell cheap fashion accessories and clothing. But don't touch anything you aren't going to buy or you might get scolded.

I went to Goa in India with my family last year to celebrate my Dad's birthday. It was an eye-opener for all of us and the jewellery there is cheap.

Workmanship is not great, but there are many shops selling semi-precious jewels and diamonds and they are much cheaper than back home.

Where and when was your best shopping trip?

In February this year, I went with my parents and brother to Milan, Nice, Monaco and Paris for about 10 days. My boyfriend and my brother's girlfriend came along too.

That was my biggest shopping spree ever.

I truly love bags and sunshades. I bought my first Chanel bag and an oversized Alberta Ferretti Philosophy bag - it can stretch to about 1m wide when you pull the handles apart. Both were bought in Milan.

My favourite city was Milan because all the best designer stores are in one street, Via Montenapoleone. In Paris, we did not know where to go and so we tried to ask a man at a newsstand for directions. He couldn't speak much English, so we told him 'Gucci', and he pointed the way to us.

The area near the Arc de Triomphe has many designer boutiques.

The service in these places is better than in Singapore. The staff don't look at you and decide whether you can afford their clothes or not.

They really have a passion for the brand and give good suggestions on what will match the clothes you're wearing. They also don't mind taking out a sea of clothes for you to try.

MY BEST SHOPPING BUY

'I used to think that Chanel bags in traditional lambskin are for older people and have always thought I would wait a while before getting my first one. But when I saw this bag in a store in Milan in February, I just had to get it. It cost $3,500.'