How to Save Money on Food

Eating on on vacation can add up quickly. Sometimes I feel like our bank account drains rather fast when we travel just because we want to eat well. Fortunately, we have figured out ways to save here and there throughout our trip when dining out, so we still have money to sightsee and do other things. Not only do we never go around hungry, but we also try many local foods and enjoy our dining experiences.

Food trucks

Mobile meals are all the rage and getting better in quality all the time. In Portland, we have some of the best food trucks in the nation, but street  food is great to try everywhere. It is cheaper than traditional dining and usually there are several food trucks grouped together, so there's a good variety that should please everyone in your travel group. Tempe, like other cities, has food trucks near the university, but also specific days where all the trucks gather at the farmers market. 

University District

The area around colleges can be a veritable mine of cheap eats and shops. School kids can't afford to spend much, so there's often a good variety of affordable dining. When in Seattle, we stayed in the University district and walked to several great small eateries. 

When I stayed in Tempe, I was not far from the ASU campus. Though the area is bustling with some of the hippest restaurants and nightspots - not really all buddies to your wallet - it also has quite a few gems that are moderately priced and downright cheap. I opted to grab dinner at a little place called Glutton's and was given a choice of ordering off the menu, consisting of Chinese and American dishes, or items on kabobs that were grilled. Not knowing what I was really hungry for, I ordered 5 skewers, a side of rice and a soda. It was fun food and full of flavor and cost me less than $11...for dinner. That's crazy, right? Tempe us full of little finds like that, and so are many other university towns.

Split plates

You gotta eat, but unlike when you eat out at home, you don't always want to take leftovers with you. It's tough to carry your take out box around sightseeing and sometimes you don't have a place to store it or warm it up in your room. Since many places serve you more than you can or should eat, it can be really convenient to split an entree between two of you. Eric and I do this quite often when we travel. It saves us money and helps us not overeat.

Eat breakfast in your room 

I will often book rooms that have kitchens or kitchenettes. I'm not a morning person and would rather spend my time getting ready, checking email and listening to the news. I don't particularly look forward to getting up an hour earlier so I can ho grab breakfast before I'm starting my day. Instead, I hit the grocery store when I get in and purchase quick items for breakfasts: cereal, bagels, eggs & fruit. It's enough to get me going in the morning and last me through lunch, plus it's a lot cheaper than going out to eat (even to Starbucks) everyday.

Another good way to save on food without having to make a grocery run is bustling o book a room that includes breakfast. There are quite a few that now offer hot breakfast instead of just a cold continental, and the rates are not much more than for a regularly priced room. When I was searching rooms to stay in Tempe, even many of the very budget hotels included breakfast and other extras, giving you a better value for your money.

These are just some of my favorite ways to save on food everywhere I go. Find more ways to save on your trip to Tempe, check out the city guide on Hipmunk.

Disclaimer: This post was inspired by my partnership with Hipmunk - a great site to find low hotel rates wherever you travel. #hipmunkcitylove

Finding a Hotel Deal in Tempe and Beyond

Earlier this year, I visited Phoenix to go to the International Travel Goods Show. I had to search for a bit to find a good deal on a hotel that wasn’t too far away, but found that most hotels near the convention center were out of my price range. Luckily, I knew that Tempe wasn’t that far from my daily destination and had lower rates than I was finding nearby. Since I planned to rent a car anyway, staying a bit out of downtown was a perfect option for me.

Considering there were a lot of events happening in and around Phoenix the days I was going to be there, I was lucky to find a deal at all, but I did. If I booked out earlier, I would have had a few more options, though I was quite happy with my choice. So, what are some things to look for in order to stretch your dollar?

Suite – If you have kids or are traveling with one or more others, a suite can be a sanity-saver. Do you want to go to bed at 8 and wake up with the sun? Probably not, but if you share a traditional room with your kids, likely that is what you will end up doing. I like a suite, just because it gives us a few different spaces to hang out in. If Eric wants to go to bed before me, then he can and I can do my own thing. And if I’m just sick of being with other people, I can go hang out and read or check email in my own little space. It's also cheaper than two rooms.

Freebies – Anything you would need/use during your stay that you don’t have to pay for is always a plus. Some of the things I look for are:

• Breakfast – I’m not a huge breakfast person, but I’m happy with a bagel and some fruit in the morning. If I don’t have to go out and buy them, then that saves me a trip to the store and money I can use to do something. It’s also nice when a place serves hot breakfast, because you know there’s more to choose from, plus you probably eat better than you would otherwise.
• Internet – As a blogger, I pretty much need internet when I travel. Of course, now it’s great to be able to get online and check your emails or watch shows or play games, so not having to pay extra or wait for the shared computer to be available is a big plus.
• Parking – Some places you go, you’ll find charge for parking everywhere. When you have to pay at a hotel, it’s often $15+ per night you stay there. That’s totally money you could spend on dining or souvenirs.
• Kitchenette or microwave & fridge – This is another way to save money. I like to have cold drinks and a variety of snacks on hand when I travel. Inevitably, I’ll want something right before bed. It’s nice to not have to run down the hall to the ice machine or use the microwave in the lobby. 
• Gym/swimming pool – Eric finds having a swimming pool a plus. I also know a lot of travelers use a gym if they have one available, especially business travelers who need the exercise when they spend much of their time on a plane or in meetings.

On-site laundry – Laundry is a must for us when we vacation for longer than 3 days. It’s really inconvenient to go out to a Laundromat and, even though I am not opposed to hand washing in the sink, it’s a lot easier to do it in a machine for a few quarters.

Proximity to things you want to do – As much as I’m willing to commute, sometimes it just makes more sense to pay a little extra to stay near things you have planned, or to be in the middle of everything downtown. 

Tempe budget hotels have all these conveniences and more, making it easy to choose a place to stay in your price range. With so many awesome things to do in the city, you’ll definitely want to spend more money doing them than staying there. Soon, you’ll be able to read about all the fun things to do in Tempe, along with the best places to stay in the city based on your budget and travel style, on the Hipmunk travel site, where I am now a contributor. You can also find great a hotel in Tempe – as well as my city guide – and others on Hipmunk.

Disclaimer: This post was inspired by my partnership with Hipmunk - a great site to find low hotel rates wherever you travel. #hipmunkcitylove

How I Enjoy the Beach

Last month I was in Virginia Beach. We had planned several afternoons at the beach, because my husband is totally into that. Unfortunately, the weather didn't totally cooperate with those plans. As much as I like the beach, just hanging out there for hours is not really my thing and I rarely get in the water. Yes, maybe I'm not all that fun to some people, but I like to enjoy the beach in my own way. It also means I'm making more out of my trip.

Seafood! There's always bound to be some delicious seafood when you're near the ocean. The fun is trying different dishes and seeing how they differ from the seafood you have at home and have eaten other places. One of my favorite things about Virginia is hushpuppies. While not technically seafood, they do come with fish and are totally worth the whole trip to me. 

Eric mad about his rapidly melting cone

The boardwalk - This is great for getting exercise, seeing the beautiful coastline and people watching. It's also perfect for enjoying seaside treats without them getting all sandy. Eric and I checked off eating ice cream at the beach from our Summer wish list.

The aquarium - Cities by the beach almost always have an aquarium, where you can check out some of the local marine life without getting in the water. Of course, even if you did get in the water, you probably wouldn't see most of the animals there, so you're actually getting a better view. Some facilities also have other animals you may find in the area, as the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center did. while we saw sharks, sea turtles, sturgeon and other fish, they also had komodo dragons, which a fun viewing bubble.

Lighthouses - As many times as I've been to the beach, even in Oregon, I've never actually visited a lighthouse. For some reason, I always assume they're haunted. Is it just me? Not that that's the reason I've never been, since I love visiting abandoned and possibly haunted places. Well, I didn't meet a ghost at the Cape Henry Lighthouse, but it was the middle of the day and there are not stories that suggest it might be even the tiniest bit haunted.

Reading and people watching on the beach - Yes, just because I don't usually just sit on the beach doesn't mean I don't ever. While Eric tested out the waters, I read up on things to do in the area that I might not have known about, enjoyed the sunny day and watched the people around me having a good time building sandcastles and surfing.

I'll write more about the cool things to do in Virginia Beach and include a lot more photos. In the meantime, what are your favorite ways to enjoy the beach?