One of the most exciting parts of traveling,
besides going somewhere new, is trying new food. Are you always thinking about
when and where you’re going to eat next? Do you want to eat your way through
the city? With all the fresh air and walking one gets while out sightseeing, it
might be the thrill of being in a new city or because all the extra exercise,
but it feels like you just ate and are hungry again!
Unfortunately, it’s
impractical to eat all day. Not just because it’s unhealthy, but also because
it’s totally unaffordable. Plus, how would you get any sightseeing done? Even
if you eat just three times a day, you’re going to need some tips on how to do
it inexpensively, so at least you don’t go broke doing it. Here are just a few of
the rules to follow to get the best bargains and keep your wallet from emptying
out by the end of the first day.
Bring snacks!
Trick your stomach by bringing snacks with you
in your bag each day. This way, if you’re tempted to nibble on something, you know
you have them on you and are less likely to spend money on food you don’t
really need.
Eat where the locals eat
Just by avoiding touristy areas, you can save
a lot on your meals. When you’re out, ask a few people where they recommend.
They aren’t going to tell you they prefer a chain restaurant over their
favorite local pub. The food is likely more authentic than those that you can
find right near tourist attractions, making it cheaper, because it’s local and
not shipped in from a different country.
Make lunch your main meal
If you really want to try one of the “hip”
restaurants by a celebrity chef, make reservations for lunch. The food will be
just as good, but it’s usually much cheaper at lunch than at dinner.
Hit up the food carts
Food carts can have a huge variety of
different local and international foods, but can be half the price of (or less)
than dining at a sit-down restaurant. With this kind of savings, you can try
fare from several carts with no regrets.
Rent a vacation home or stay in a hotel with a kitchen(ette)
This is a great way to stretch a food budget,
because there are so many options. Renting can be a great value over hotel
stays if you’ll be visiting for a week or more, plus it gives you the chance to
check out the local grocery store. If you aren’t a big breakfast person,
instead of eating out for that meal, shop for new cereals and pastries that you
can’t get at home. There’s never a better time to try new foods!
Stay at a hotel that offers free breakfast
You don’t realize how much dining out can cost
until you go on vacation. A reasonable breakfast can cost between $8-15 per
person. If you multiply that by the number of people you’re traveling with and
the number of days you’ll be staying, that number can be huge. If you find a
hotel in your price range that offers free breakfast, you’ve hit a jackpot of
savings.
Sign up for Groupon
Groupon is an amazing little site that offers daily deals on a
wide assortment of things, not least of which is dining. Each day a new offer
goes up at a big discount off the regular price. Dining certificates can be
purchased quite often and many times you can grab a half-off gift certificate
to a new local restaurant or one just trying to bring in new customers. It works!
Sign up at Groupon for the destination of your next vacation (they cover
many international locations as well as the United States) and eat for less!
Don’t order off the kids' menu
If you travel with children, you’ll notice
that all kids' menus seem to have the same small rotation of foods. Obviously,
little ones don’t just live on hot dogs, pizza, chicken nuggets and PB&J
sandwiches. Not only do they charge an outrageous amount for these “staples”
that cost hardly anything to make, but they offer hardly any nutritional value
and your kids are likely to eat only half of it before declaring they’re full.
Instead, order a meal that you both will eat and share. This saves you money
and might get them to eat a vegetable or two.
This is just a small list of things you can do
to help stretch your food budget on your future trips, but they can save you
quite a bit. Remember, the more money you save on meals, the more money you can
spend on doing something else!
