Eating Well on a Small Budget when Travelling

There are all sorts of ways to be smart about your spending when you travel. Here are some ideas:

– Don’t eat out for every meal. Of course, indulging in local food is an important part of the travel experience but going out for every single meal is very time consuming when you are trying to do other activities. Unless you’re on a short mini-break type trip, eat out for one or two of your three daily meals but not all three! By eating out less, you’ll be able to afford higher quality options when you do go out.

–  Skip the hotel breakfast. 99% of the time hotel breakfasts are gross. Everything is white and sugary, and definitely not organic!

– Get out of the tourist zones for eating. Just going a few blocks can get you away from the restaurants that succeed because of their location rather than their food.

– Eat the local “fast foods” e.g., bagels when in New York, blintzs when in Russia, street food when in Thailand or India, falafel in Israel. Eating local street food ticks the box of getting a local cultural experience without the costs of a sit down meal.

– If you want to try a more expensive option, check if there is a lunch pre-fixe available.  For buffets, lunch time rates are often cheaper than dinner time rates too.  If you’re jetlagged or busy rushing around, you might find that you don’t eat lunch till 4 o’clock anyway, and then just have a light snack back at your hotel for dinner.

– In relation to the point about, keep ingredients for a light meal on hand. Cheese and crackers and a bottle of wine will usually do the trick! A bag of apples or other fruit also works.  Dipping Apples in peanut or almond butter is healthy and quick, and something that’s easy to put in your day pack or eat on the way out the door.

– In expensive locations, check out university/student areas or vegetarian restaurants. These can give you some cheaper options.

– Stick to one course. Restaurant meals tend to be high calories, so there is usually no need to also eat dessert or a starter.  Also, if you want dessert, get a gelato from a gelato shop or some similar option. This is likely to be both cheaper and more awesome than getting a dessert at restaurant, since that’s what they specialize in.