A sissy dressed in a pink maid's dress is a checkout girl in the Sissy Supermarket.

It is a travel ritual I've found myself repeating across the globe. I once spent an unreasonable portion of a sweltering Barcelona afternoon navigating the crowded aisles of a basement Mercadona, hunting down jars of pistachio cream. In a chaotic Miami Trader Joe's, I bypassed the groceries entirely and bought six jars of Everything But the Bagel seasoning, then repacked my suitcase around them before flying home.

What began as a holiday necessity has gradually become one of my favourite parts of travelling, anticipated and increasingly built into the itinerary rather than squeezed in around it. As it turns out, I'm not alone. Hilton's 2026 Trends Report found that 77% of travellers enjoy visiting grocery stores abroad, while Condé Nast Traveller recently named grocery tourism one of the biggest travel trends of 2026.