Shopping guru Patricia Davidson spends her time conducting research in big
cities all over the world but had her worst experience in London, when her
phone and credit cards were snatched.
“I’ve been everywhere laden with shopping bags, but never had a problem,” says
Davidson. “But when I was walking through Leicester Square, someone lifted
up the flap of my handbag and took out my phone and credit cards. The really
clever thing – if that’s the word – was that they took only two cards and
the cash out of my wallet and then put it back. I didn’t realise anything
had gone for a while because my gym membership and other cards were all
there. The police told me it happens a lot; the thieves basically want time
to be able to spend on your cards before you realise and get them cancelled.
So my first tip for travellers would be to look after your wallet and phone!”
Davidson, 53, has been described by Sky TV presenter Eamonn Holmes as the
“fairy godmother of online shopping”. Her website, www.thesiteguide.com,
advises people where to shop and she is the author of the successful series
of seven books which go under the banner ‘The Shopaholic’s Guides to Buying
Online’. She also offers advice to companies, makes numerous appearances on
television and radio and goes shopping all round the world.
Have you had any scary moments abroad?
I was on my own in the Hotel Vittoria
in Brescia, Italy when a man started to knock on my door at 3am. That
was a bit unnerving. I think he might have been a bit drunk. I phoned down
to reception and they sorted it out, thankfully.
So where do you travel to?
Really, it’s all the areas you would expect that have great shopping centres,
such as Hong Kong, Paris, New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, Miami, Rome
and Florence. My mother-in-law lives in Washington and I’ve done a lot of
shopping there. It’s all for research, of course. You don’t actually have to
buy anything, or at least not spend too much, but it is about finding out
what is going on.
Do you have time for anything else while you’re away?
I’m not exactly a culture vulture. I’m keen on opera and like a performance of
Rigoletto at the Met in New York, but that’s about it. Castles and art
galleries don’t really do it for me; I’d rather be checking out the shops.
Who do you fly with?
I mainly go with British Airways and collect the miles. As I’m paying with my
company’s money, I’ll always travel economy. I have been business class when
it has been paid for by another company and I have been upgraded, but I
can’t really justify the expense of buying a business class seat.
Having said that, I did once fly business class with Virgin Atlantic from Hong
Kong because I felt so ill and the thought of sitting in the back was
unbearable. I had been taken to a club in Hong Kong by one of my contacts
and unfortunately got appalling food poisoning. With Virgin you get a
chauffeur home and when I pulled up in a Range Rover with a driver, my
daughter was quite impressed. I did like Virgin, but I stick with BA because
I’m really a boring creature of habit.
