Karim Rashid is one of the most prolific designers working today. He's six-foot foot four and dresses mainly in white, has designed everything from furniture, shoes, and housewares to his first foray into hotel design, the Semiramis in Athens. Although his clients include Prada and Carolina Herrera, he's also known for producing beautifully designed products at affordable prices, especially for Umbra. One of his most recent projects is designing the new Askew restaurant in Manhattan. Born in Cairo to Egyptian and English parents and raised in Canada, Rashid now runs his design empire from New York City. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the British Design Museum in London. Rashid spends the majority of his time on the road and has strong opinions about his favorite airlines and hotels around the world, and isn't one to pass up on a bargain. For more information visit www.karimrashid.com.

What is the last place you visited?
I just came back from Dusseldorf two days ago, and before that I was in London, Moscow, Hong Kong, and Manila.  

Where is the next place you're going?
Miami, then Istanbul and Belgrade.

How often are you on the road?
Last year I spent 216 nights in a hotel. It's kind of fun to brag about it, but it's really exhausting at the same time.

What do you always pack when you travel?
I am the ultimate packer! I always, always travel with only carry on. If you check your bags you are doomed. Last year Alitalia lost my bags four times. I always travel with two bags, a limited edition Tumi on wheels and a smaller one that fits on top of it. I pack two suits, a pink one and a white one that are wrapped in a dry cleaning bag; one pair of iridescent lime running shoes for the gym; and white jeans. Tech wise, I bring my Apple G4 laptop, an iPod, and an extra battery. Most importantly, I bring a sketch pad and pen, and usually fill a whole book during a flight. I usually fly in a white track suit or white jeans, as long as they are comfortable.

So what travel secrets do you have?
Don't do laundry inside the hotel. When I was in Sydney recently, I didn't want to spend six dollars on each pair of underwear in the hotel, so I just looked up a local laundromat in the Yellow Pages and had them pick up my clothes, clean them and drop them off for a fraction of the hotel cost. That's my secret for doing laundry on a long trip.

What are your pet peeves about hotel design?
I have so many of them but I hate oversized furniture. I was in San Francisco recently at The Clift hotel and broke my toe on a huge coffee table. The table was a massive slab of marble. I mean, how many coffees is someone really going to have? People these days are decorating rooms, not designing them. My biggest peeve is that rooms should be designed for comfort and make you feel relaxed.

Which hotels- not including the Semiramis- do you love?
The Hotel Unique in Sao Paulo. The windows are round just like the Maritime Hotel in New York, and I love the overall feeling and experience there. The only downside is that the gym needs work. I like parts of The Hempel in London. Its relaxed and very Zen but can also be too minimal. You could almost argue that you are in prison. 

What is your favourite city for shopping?
New York. It has everything in the world, and it has this great American competition. There are always sales and you can generally get good deals. I usually go to Woodbury Commons which is near my country house. You have Chanel, Burberry, Barneys, Dolce & Gabbana. I just bought a fluorescent lime green Versace leather jacket for $300. It was originally $4,000. 

Are you an impulse buyer or a bargain hunter?
I'm a very, very fastidious and critical shopper. I only wear white, and sometimes lime green and pink. I just walk past a store and if I don't see white in the window I won't walk in. I love to shop for women though, like my wife and my girlfriends, especially for shoes. I can look at a woman's shoes and know exactly what size she is and where she bought them. 

What do you like to buy when travelling? What do you always keep your eye out for?
I love to look at shoes for women. For me, I only buy white clothes. I did end up buying a beautiful pink suit at a sample sale in Stockholm recently. I also like to look for jewellery. In Sydney my wife and I bought rings at the Museum of Contemporary Art. They're super pop art geometric. Mine is chrome and pink, her's is chrome and purple. 

What are your favourite restaurants?
(Pause). I like extremely simple food. I'm a pescetarian. I like simply grilled fish, some grains, like beans, and salad. I'm super fanatical about being healthy, and I usually find this kind of food in simple places, not the big famous restaurants. Last week I did go to Sketch in London and although I'm really not into food with lots of sauces, I was impressed with the monkfish which had this weird chocolate sauce. I didn't like the design of the restaurant though.  

What is your favourite airline?
I like different things on different airlines. The best bathrooms are on SAS. The best coffee is on Alitalia. The best business class seats are on British Airways because they recline fully flat. The best service is on Singapore Airlines. There's also excellent service on Emirates. The best economy is Southwest. The worst attitude? Air France.

Click here for Karim's address book.