Vintage boutiques tell a lot about the place where they’re located: what was suitable in the past decades? Which scenes were prominent in that area? What do skirt lengths and uniforms tell about the mood of a past era? How do local trends and traditional fashion reflect culture and society? Vintage pieces tell social as well as individual stories and secrets of times long gone.
The Travelettes are a group of international female travelers, writers and photographers who reveal these secrets and share them with their followers.
They run a very personal travel blog about their experiences that goes deeper than the topics of the usual Lonely Planet: these ladies manage to inspire, inform and motivate especially modern female wayfarers as well as city jetters way beyond the main streets of travelling.
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Besides finding out about the history and nature of a new place, shopping is a to-do for every traveller as well. And how to gain a closer and more intimate insight into a socio-cultural environment than exploring the local vintage scene?!
The Travelettes publish special shopping guides for vintage lovers and inform about well-known addresses as well as insiders’ tips.
Besides vintage-classics like London and the psychedelic capital of Austin, Texas , the area around Calle Bandera in Santiago de Chile with over 20 second hand shops on one street seems to be a mecca for vintage fans. Slso Amsterdam offers a wide range of retro stores apart from grachten, poffertjes and tulips. Near or far, The Travelettes seem to have a way with finding local’s best such as the Attic in Las Vegas, a vintage boutique in the middle of the desert that brings back the glamour and magic of a time where gambling halls promised glowy shine and sweet fortune. The remains of Las Vegas’ high times can nowadays still be found in the Neon Museum in which old discarded neon signs are shown to public.
Apart from their love for vintage stores, The Travelettes’ other expertise is flea markets. Among their top favourites there are the UK-wide travelling Vintage Fair as well as a variety of rag-fairs in flea market paradise Brussels.
The Travelettes write articles that make especially vintage hearts melt. For example how to dress for travelling according to your favourite vintage movie or if your luggage reveals you are a vintage lover.
Furthermore they offer some real blast to the past like the world’s most stylish bike ride the stunning
Retro Motels or the real story behind the infamous 1950`s photo series American Girl in Italy and their adventurous photographer Ruth Orkin.
The Travelettes live the dream of The Vintage Map: travelling the world with open eyes looking for new challenges, the next adventure, unforgettable experiences…and reminding vintage piece.
Written by: Lili Duchow
Pictures: The Travelettes
© 2025 (text only): The Vintage Map
PS. We really think you should read their guide to vintage Glasgow (where we are being mentioned 😉 ). Here it is!