Not content to just dream about faraway places, each year Alex Woo ensures travel is a vital aspect of her jewelry design and creative process.  With a passion for travel that began at a very early age, she has been fortunate enough to have visited some of the best cities, hotels, and exotic locations around the world.

Whether it be a new location or one that is familiar, Alex Woo looks for new sights and experiences for both inspiration and to fuel her wanderlust. "I read fashion magazines to see what the new colors and styles are, what is on the cutting edge... however travel and the study of different architectural styles, the essence of a city... I assimilate all that in my mind, then synthesize it into my designs. This is what stirs my imagination."

"Here's what the jewelry has to look like, and here's what it has to feel like. Feel is vital. I am most creative when I can get away from the process... from just walking outside to my familiar, yet ever-changing city of New York, to the mountains of Rio de Janiero... a zen garden in Kyoto... a market in Istanbul.... or at a museum in Paris... To be creative, you have to go where your mind can relax, so you can see things and absorb things. You have to feel the freedom to create. If I let my mind relax, let my mind absorb all the trends and information I've seen... all of a sudden I'll get a fabulous idea."

Just a few of the places Alex Woo has travelled and stayed:

• Sabi Sands/Kruger National Park and Singita Private Game Reserves
• Chiang Mai, Thailand and Four Seasons Resort
• Morocco and La Mamounia/Amanjena
• Los Cabos, Mexico and Las Ventanas
• Bora Bora, French Polynesia and Hotel Bora Bora
• Rio de Janiero, Brazil and Copacabana Palace
• Banff, Canada and Banff Springs Hotel
• Paris, London, Tokyo, Milan, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Prague, Monaco, Santorini...