How To Save Money On Food When Traveling

[jeffrey]

By Tony Robinson

Food can be one of the most expensive items in a travel budget. Keeping those costs low can be one of the most important ways to keep any travel budget under control. This article focuses on some of our favorite ways to enjoy great food and low prices while on the road.

Act, and eat, like a local. Eating where the local residents do is one of those time tested tips for getting the best food and lowest prices while on vacation. So, instead of asking the concierge for the name of a four star restaurant, try asking the hotel clerk or chambermaid where they eat. Eating where the local people do, and avoiding touristy or trendy restaurants, is a great way to sample the local food, meet local people and save some serious money.




When embarking on a long road trip, stock a cooler with plenty of homemade sandwiches, chips, bottles of water, etc. Doing this will allow you to make better time as well as saving money, since you will not have to stop as often, or spend as much money in restaurants along the way.

If you want to splurge on a great meal, do so at lunch instead of dinner. Many upscale restaurants offer the same food choices at lunch as they do at dinner, but lunch provides a much better value. You can enjoy the same food for much lower prices by eating a great lunch instead of dinner.

Take advantage of the free breakfast options offered by your hotel. Many hotels provide a free continental or American breakfast, so be sure to stock up on food for the day by eating a hearty breakfast. Eating a great breakfast will give you the energy you need for a busy day of sightseeing, and help tide you over until lunch.

Save even more money by stocking up on staples at a local grocery store. Stocking up on bottles of water, fruit and snacks is a great way to provide yourself a great, low cost late night snack while saving you lots of money.

Try eating in the various ethnic neighborhoods in your destination. Eating in ethnic neighborhoods provides great local color, a chance to meet interesting people, and very low prices as well. In addition, most ethnic restaurants post their menus in their windows or on the door, so it is easy to ensure they have abundant food choices and great prices.

Eating cheap on vacation does not mean scarifying quality food or great experiences. It just means shopping around and making smart choices when it comes to eating out.

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Tony Robinson has travelled extensively throughout this wonderful planet with his family in tow. For great travel saving tips, techniques and articles on visit Budget Travel Site

[PrincessPerky]

pack a brita water filter , you can fill it from the hotel and not have to buy bottled water, or drink yucky water

[byusteeler]

I like the water filter idea. I do however go to places where water need purification not just filtration. So I carry my own bottled water. I buy it by the case when it goes on sale it runs me between 12 and 14 cents for a .5 litre bottle. I also, take advantage of grocery stores even in foreign destinations many have deli departments where you can get ready made salads and lunch meat and you can get rolls or baguettes from the bakery. Food courts in shopping centers are a good option also. You don't have to give up atmosphere either for instance in Sydney, Australia you could picnic down by the opera house or at a light house at Watson's Bay or many other scenic places. If the hotel does not offer complimentary breakfast get some fruit and/or pastries and keep them in your room for breakfast. In the United States many of our meals are larger than one person can eat and on vacation it may not be as easy to take a doggie bag to your hotel, So why not split meals. Often my husband and I will order 1 meal then get an additional side salad or an appetizer or something and this is usually plenty. I am away from home at least 8 nights a month and eat quite well on a small budget.

[januarymarch]

You're a whiz, kid. My family has used every one of these tips on various trips. They came second nature but it's interesting to see them all outlined in one place.

What could be finer than an outside diner--a picnic table by a lake, for example? And if the weather's bad, what could be more exciting than parking the car next to the picnic table and lunching with rain drops spattering your windshield. Some of the best memories I have on the road.

[lynclarke]

When traveling, in the US or overseas, we always rent a place with at least a microwave and refrigerator. We eat the majority of our meals "at home". Last year, in Venice we ate out 3 times, one full meal at a quality restaurant, one full meal in a cafeteria, and one lunch in a pub. Our last night after we packed and cleaned the apartment, we ate pizza slices and beer in a campo. Our total dining out costs were $168.00. The groceries for the other 18 meals and snacks we ate that week cost $145.00. One can really stretch a budget using the local grocery store.

[Aleta]

Depending upon the distance that we are traveling by car often determines what food we take with us. We normally take a large cooler and place prefrozen meals (seal-a-meal), pre-shaped hamburger patties, frozen frankfurters, steaks, frozen shrimp, etc in the larger cooler on ice. About a month before vacation, I buy all of the items on sale. We also take small cantainers of mayonaise, mustard, and ketchup (because of space). To buy these items when you're on vacation really add up to your overall grocery costs. I also take a small bottle of cooking oil, napkins, paper towels, and even a favorite small fry pan for eggs. Of course, we always get a vacation spot that has a kitchen. by doing this, it gives us more time to vacation rather than to go shopping for food and to wait in the long lines of restaurants. We do eat out, but it becomes more selective. If we're at the pool, we can easily have some sandwiches and snacks nearby. Before we arrive at our destination, we stop very quickly at a large chain store and buy such things as eggs, butter, milk, bread, OJ, fruit, etc. By using smaller containers, you don't have to pack huge containers that take up space. This has really worked for us. Also, we try to bring some charcoal in case they don't have propane tanks on the grounds. You have to do alot of checking and asking questions before you plan your vacation even down to the nearest stores which could even be blockbusters if your kids like that . Some places have free video rentals and games.

[flavor]

On many of our vacations, especially the ones in US, we have always bought some groceries for breakfast and lunch: milk, oj, cerial, oatmeal,
and deli stuff for sandwiches. It is economical and handy.

Some of our hotels did not provide a fridge in the room, only a microwave,
so what we did was also buy a large foam cooler, for couple of dollars, filled it with ice from the ice machine, and keep some of the groceries in it. The ice had to be changed daily, but we didn't mind, it took about 10 min.

[Aleta]

You can pick up those foam coolers on sale and in the end save you alot of money on food and eating out.

[RedThunderBird]

you are right , and it is something I never thought of