Instead of allocating hours to uninspiring airports and overcrowded planes, book a seat on the Swiss Glacier Express, take a winding bus ride along the Greek coast to Istanbul, cycle from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh or point a campervan towards Sydney's northern beaches. If you take to the air, consider heading to lesser-known locations such as Okinawa in Japan, Taitung in Taiwan or Nimbin in Australia. Survive flights by packing your own music and a good sandwich to enjoy en route, and drinking a delicious red followed by plenty of water. Wherever you roam, fortify yourself with portable luxuries to make the journey as good as the destination. And make time to enjoy some of the delights we cite below.

ATTEND
Chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei's exhibition Sunflower Seeds at the Tate Modern. The installation consists of 100 million grey and white replica seeds – each one handcrafted from porcelain – laid on the floor. With wide-reaching references to the millions of Chinese citizens often seen by the West as a faceless mass, and to the many people mistreated and silenced by their government, this work is one of enormous profundity and gravitas.

DRINK
Domaine Catherine et Pierre Breton, Vouvray La Dilettante 2008. If you've never sampled Vouvray before this is a perfect excuse to dip a toe. If you have, then here is an opportunity to be made to think again since the distinct cloudiness of the wine alone (the Bretons are campaigners for 'natural' winemaking techniques) is enough to raise an eyebrow on even the most seasoned oenophile. Both delightfully rich and mellow, this wine lends itself to consumption across a long, lazy lunch.

ENJOY
Aesop's East to West collection, available now. Each of the six gift kits is named after a street that inspires us and has shaped our thinking. These streets offer the opportunity to learn from other cultures, explore unfamiliar cuisines, and visit an Aesop signature store. Every carefully combined selection of products for face, hair and body comes in a black microfibre case, with a zip closure and mirror. Once the original products have been enjoyed, the case will become an invaluable travel accessory.

WATCH
Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami's latest work Certified Copy which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Kiarostami crafts lyrical films that often feature untrained actors and children, among them Life and Nothing More (1992), Taste of Cherry (1997) and The Wind Will Carry Us (1999). We admire his work for many reasons, but are currently drawn to our shared fascination with movement and the ways we proceed from one spot on the globe to the next. He says: 'My car is my best friend. My office. My home. My location. I have a very intimate sense when I am in a car with someone next to me.'

VISIT
Astier de Villatte opposite Aesop's rue Saint-Honoré store for the best-looking diaries in Paris, in addition to their eclectic mix of some of the most interesting products in the world. Earlier this year, owners Ivan Pericoli and Benoît Astier de Villatte collaborated with Shakespeare & Co to produce a new signature notebook. Look also for the small range of Diane de Clerq clothing on offer.

LISTEN
To theatre critic, director and biographer Michael Billington discuss the work of playwright Harold Pinter (1930–2008). Pinter was concerned with issues of power and control in many of his plays, including The Birthday Party (1958) and The Caretaker (1960), and received much attention in the later part of his life for his oft-articulated objections to American and British foreign policy. In addition to other accolades, Pinter was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005.

EAT
At Chez Panisse for fresh seasonal dishes. Started in 1971 by Alice Waters, Chez Panisse was ahead of its time in promoting organic and locally sourced produce, and creating an environment that values 'generosity and attention to detail'. The set three-course lunch is good value and reason enough to transit in Berkeley – this, plus the newly stocked Aesop shelves at Barneys in San Francisco. Waters not only runs a magnificent restaurant: her 1996 Edible Schoolyard at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School is the model for school garden programs worldwide.

DISCOVER
Hideki Noda's theatre work. As a widely respected actor and director, Noda has been credited with modernising Japanese theatre, incorporating clever word play and modern social issues into his work. He has performed in the Edinburgh Festival several times and the New York International Art Festival, won the Kishida Scriptwriting Prize in 1983, and is head of the Noda Map production company. Noda most recently wrote, directed and performed in The Character at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space this August.

HEAR
Mavis Staples recording You Are Not Alone, a blend of gospel music, popular soul music and original songs written for her by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. The fabulous Ms Staples has been a star for many years, originally as a member of family group The Staple Singers, but seems to have been rediscovered with this latest release which gave her the highest Billboard chart debut of her career. Staples' mellifluous voice is perfect aperitif music – enjoy while sipping Ricard poured over a little ice.

'Every perfect traveller always creates the country where he travels.' Nikos Kazantzakis