Dining Out For Less

January is Be Kind to Food Servers Month, so it feels like it's time to bring back some tips for saving money while dining on vacation, along with some suggestions on how you can inject a little more kindness when you're somewhere that you are being served food or beverages. 

I love food, and I travel to try new things. I know there are a lot of Americans who try their best to only dine at restaurants they recognize when they vacation, and that's very odd to me. I understand if you travel with picky children or have sensitivity to new foods or are atypical and the one constant you need is food, but for others to go out of their way to travel to new places and then only eat the same foods they eat at home is crazy. Food is awesome and it's an amazing way to learn more about a destination. I feel like you miss out on a big part of travel by not engaging in local cuisine. Anyway, here are ways I save money on food when I travel.

When you've bought random snacks and have hunger in the evening, you don't have to go out

Bring snacks - When I'm out doing things, I can eat all day. That's not helpful when you're on a budget. I am also a person who gets hangry. When I declare I'm hungry, it means that I probably need to eat within the hour before I turn into a different person. A person you don't want to know. I travel like I have a 5-year-old in tow, with a bag of snacks, just in case. You don't have to have a million snacks, but a couple is always good. A granola bar, meat sticks, a bag of nuts. Anything you enjoy that can give you that little boost you need and keep you from becoming emotional because you need to eat. I love a good RX Bar. They're small, but mighty and I especially love the Chocolate & Sea Salt and the Honey Cinnamon Peanut Butter.

Tip: Servers are people, too. They didn't make your food, so if it's incorrect or cold or not good, be nice. They're probably happy to take it back and make it right for you, but being rude is uncalled for + don't be mean to the people who handle your food/drinks.

Choose one meal to eat in - If you have a vacation rental with a kitchen, make use of it. Choose a meal to eat "at home". A quick trip to the grocery store is not only fun, but can save you money over dining out. At the very least, and most of what we do, is to bring back leftovers and eat those instead of going out for another meal. Even doing this once or twice can save a good chunk of money, especially if it's a dinner out you're skipping. 

Tip: Give a little extra where you can. I am happy to go out a little less if it means I can tip a little more. Being a server is hard. I know I couldn't do it. Many of them don't make a living wage and depend on tips to pay their bills. Unless I get wretched service, I tip 18-20%, and sometimes more if I can or I get stellar service. I know not all places tip, but even if you're in a place that doesn't really do tipping (like France, maybe), I try to leave $5 or so, so they know I was happy. Just don't do this in places where it is rude to tip, like Japan.

Eat lunch at the fancy place  - Did you want to eat at a fancy restaurant? Then make your reservations for lunch instead of dinner if you can. Sometimes the price for lunch can be as much as half the cost of dinner and often they have the same dishes.  

Hit up food carts/trucks - I live in a food cart utopia. Luckily, more are cropping up around the world. Not only can you save by eating outside of a restaurant, but usually there is more just one truck, which means you can try several cuisines at one time, if you want, or you can find something for everyone in your travel group instead of deciding on just one place to sit and eat. I usually keep a set of reusable utensils in my bag for food cart stops, so I'm helping the earth a little bit and have a better, more durable fork or spoon to eat with.

One of the best hotel breakfasts I've ever had (in Paris)

Book a hotel that includes breakfast - If you have a choice between two hotels in the same price range and one includes breakfast and the other doesn't, choose the one with, because even if it's not the greatest breakfast, it's still free and can save you $10+ per person per day of your trip. I am usually happy to hit up a coffee shop, but even that can add up. If that boring drip coffee is not up your alley (I completely understand), perhaps bringing along an Aeropress and your favorite espresso is a great way to still get a good cuppa and save money.

Tip: If you enjoyed your dining experience, thank your server, but also write a note of thanks on your bill, because not only will they see it, but so will the manager and whoever handles the paperwork after them. It's better than a Google review, because it's specifically for your server.

Share dishes with your travel partner - Sometimes when you go out to eat, you aren't starving and can split something, but my other favorite thing to do is you each order a dish that you both wanted, then share when they show up. If you're happy splitting one entrée, you can always also order an appetizer or a dessert to round off your meal. This way you get enough to eat, but you also don't have to take anything with you if you can't go back to put it in a fridge (though some places don't do leftovers, so it also eliminates wasting any food).

Use Groupon - Sometimes you can find local favorites on a Groupon deal, saving you 20-60% off a meal. We've found a lot of cool restaurants this way. Make sure to read reviews, because I've also found some not great restaurants this way, though not many. A lot of times new eateries will post deals in order to drum up business and gain a following of regular diners. 

Tip: Be patient. There are a lot fewer staff members at a majority of places right now and it may not get better anytime soon. If you're in a hurry, try to avoid a sit-down place, or go early. Being mad that the skeleton crew can't get to you quickly is just going to ensure that you're mad most places you go. Dining out is supposed to be relaxing. If they're doing their best, that's all you can expect. Have a drink or an appetizer and enjoy your companions or plan your next day of travel. You can always bring a quick game like Fluxx. There are a lot of versions, but why not try the travel-themed version on your travels?

Eat during happy hour - If you don't mind eating a bit early or late, and choosing from a limited menu, you can save quite a bit on a meal. We often go to happy hour at home at one of our favorite restaurants. It gives us an excuse to order more things than we normally would, because it's cheaper and the portions are smaller. Sometimes we don't get hungry for lunch until 3 or we are ready to go to dinner at 5 and this really works out for us. You don't have to order an alcoholic beverage to take advantage of these food deals either, but you can.

Skip the kid's menu - If you can, try to avoid the kid's menu. Sure, they have grilled cheese and pizza and those things that all kids seem to like, but everything is overpriced and half the time kids never finish food they are given. If you can, split something with them or an entrée between two kids. Not only will you get a better value this way, but also broaden your child's taste buds.

Go where kid's eat free - There are lots of places that offer a deal where kids under a certain age eat free when you order an entrée. This can save a lot of money over the course of your trip and it's easy to Google places at your destination where it is offered. 

Tip: Clean up big messes. I see a lot of families eat out and leave a huge mess when they are finished eating. It sucks. There is a reasonable amount of mess that someone expects to clean up, and then there is a 5-foot radius of mashed up food and trash. Please don't be that person. I consolidate all my trash, put all my silverware on my plate when I'm done, and often I stack plates to keep my server from having to pick up 800 individual plates and utensils. 

It's easy to spend money, but it's also easy to save it when you do a little planning before and during your trip. What are some of your favorite ways to save money on food when you travel?

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2024 Travel Trends

I love looking ahead to the coming travel trends so I can see how travel is expected to change in the coming year. Since 2020, people have been vacationing differently than they did before. I know that I savor the ability to explore the world more than I did, while other people have finally discovered that slow travel (taking their time in a destination) is more rewarding than spending 1-2 days in a city before moving on. 

photo credit

 

I may not be going anywhere super original this year, but I also plan to visit at least 3 different destinations, travel with intention, travel with my mom, and travel to see family.

According to Hilton, travelers are looking for more personalization, easier self-booking, and will be investing in their sleep more, meaning they may pay a little more to stay somewhere more comfortable, where they can relax after a long day out. Travelers are also placing more value on culture and experiences, like dining, which is good to hear, because those are two reasons travel is awesome and allows people to really connect with a destination and people, building more tolerance for other places, traditions, and lifestyles. 

What ways are you planning to change how you travel? Do you align with the new travel trends?

Happy New Year 2024

Happy New Year! It feels like 2023 just started and now it's a whole new year. Usually, we try to travel during this time, but we've been doing so much local stuff, that it has felt like a mini vacation. Plus, there weren't any flight deals for the places we were thinking of going to, so we just skipped it this year.

As you know, the majority of my resolutions are travel-related, non-specific, and pretty easy to achieve, because making resolutions like "going to the gym" or "losing 10 lbs" or "calling people more often" are boring and I know I won't do them, even if I want to. Let's look at what I said last year: 

Be kind - this has been a relatively easy one, especially when you surround yourself with like-minded people. I've done a lot of volunteer work with PDXpelliarmus, our local chapter of Fandom Forward, making sure our LGBTQ+ members of the Harry Potter community feel seen and heard and cared for.

Go somewhere new - this year we went to Palm Springs, which neither of us had been to. It was a lovely break and at some point we will go back, because the city may be small, but it's wonderful and full of amazing food and architecture. 

I halfway add that we went to Vancouver, BC. I have previously been to Vancouver island and we had a long layover in Vancouver before, where we went to lunch, explored the conservatory, went to a salt room, and then went back to the airport. We were there for much longer this time, though still not long enough, and did quite a bit in and around the city. This year we plan to hit up Nashville.

Keep masking in crowded areas - We went to several events, rode on planes, and went to multiple theme parks this year. We wore masks in all these places. It's an easy thing to do to keep ourselves from getting sick and spreading it to others, whether it's Covid, the flu, a regular cold, or something else. I probably won't stop masking on planes, as I was trying that out before Covid came along. Not being sick on vacation is wonderful and I highly recommend it.

Encourage people to go to new places - I hope that through my own travels and tips for saving on things, people plan new adventures. I had the opportunity to give a lot of advice for places to friends in real life, from London to Las Vegas, so I know they did fun things once there. I also encouraged a new friend to come check out Portland, and she did!

Revive Destination Potlucks - Okay, we tried this for Mardi Gras and it went over okay, but not well enough for me to keep it up. It's much easier to plan a Destination Date Night for the two of us and I feel like the amount of work I put in is worth it, so we will continue to strive to get some of those in where we can. (Give me suggestions for places you want to see/read about! Hit me in the comments.)

What would I add for this year? 

• Do more local activities and events - We spent a good chunk of December exploring the city's holiday markets, pop-ups, attractions, and events. It was pretty great and I hope to continue finding things to do the rest of the year. In February, we'll be attending a tea tasting and lantern viewing for Lunar New Year at our Chinese Garden. 
• Meet up with more friends on my travels - If you're like me, you have a lot of social media friends you've never met in real life, but you know they are awesome. We met up for meals with some last year and I look forward to doing it again. I usually ask for recommendations for places to eat and get coffee before I travel and our trip to Vancouver was no different, except that when people gave me recommendations for their favorite places, I asked if they would be willing to come eat with us, and they did, and it was fantastic.
• Try something new - I don't know what this will be. Maybe it'll be an activity, maybe it'll be a hobby, it'll definitely be food. The more new things I can try, the better. I'll keep you posted as I'm able to achieve them. 
• Bring back 48 Hours on a Budget series - I love this series, but it takes a lot of work to do each post, so it often gets put off and then I haven't done any and I am disappointed in myself. 
• Do more holiday/month-specific posts - I hope to bring you more specific posts like for Women's History Month, and travel for holidays/events. 
• Create more reels for Instagram - I don't know that I am great at them, but I hope to do more and get more creative now that I know what I'm doing and can do it all within the Instagram app. Let me know if this is something you care about (you can see my latest one at the bottom of this post) or if you just like stories and regular posts.
• Support more local and small artists - As someone who purchases a lot of Harry Potter and magical things, but doesn't want to buy branded merchandise whenever possible, I have been buying things from artists I love. It helped a lot going to 5 or 6 holiday markets in a month. I plan to continue this into the new year, because without artists, what is life even? 

We started out 2024 on a high note though, working on that last resolution, and I hope my whole year goes the same way. A local(ish) artist opened up her home on the 1st and gave tours of her collection of devil and Krampus pieces. It was truly amazing and then we came away with a new piece of pottery she made. I'm excited to see what things I find for myself and others this year at more things like this.

Here's hoping for a prosperous, adventurous, and delicious 2024. I hope the start of the year is already good for you. Let me know your resolutions for the coming months, no matter what they are. I want to read all your comments!