Find Cheap MealsYou can have cheap meals but still eat well when you travel. The price may be cheap but the quality of the food will not be.
What are the special meals? These are the foods for which your destination is particularly famous i.e. a Hawaiian luau, an Argentine parrilla (barbeque), Spanish paella etc. Perhaps you enjoy sampling new ethnic foods when you travel to a foreign country. This is your opportunity to taste foods that you may have heard so much about but have never had the opportunity to try at home. Travel guide books often outline the different types of food for which a country or area is known. Furthermore these guidebooks often recommend restaurants where you can try these particular foods. Make a note of these recommendations. Sometimes what you consider to be a delicacy at home is just plain everyday food and cheap meals for the locals at your destination. Furthermore this “delicacy” might be quite reasonably priced at your destination as well. When you plan a trip, research the particular dishes for which your travel destination is famous. If you feel adventurous, go out of your way to locate and sample these foods as you travel. You may never have this opportunity again. When you search for that special meal of interest, ask the locals where they would go if they wanted the same meal. If the locals would eat there, the meal is more likely to be good and reasonably priced. Restaurants frequented by the locals are also less likely to have been written up in a travel guide, which means that tourists probably have not discovered them yet. And this means cheaper prices. Selecting a restaurant from your travel guide is the next best option.
The plain everyday meals will likely comprise most of your eating experiences while you travel. Realistically it is probably impractical for you to dine out at every meal. Doing so could really compromise your travel budget. Then there are times when you are forced to eat on-the-go, or when you want a picnic in the country. Buy reasonably priced foods that are nutritious, that will not spoil and that can be eaten on the go. Consider items like bread, cheese, vegetables and fruit. You can often find the best prices for these items in local markets. To stretch your food budget, buy locally grown fruit and vegetables when they are in season. Prices are likely to be even lower.
Vegetarians in particular may have difficulty locating restaurants when they wish to dine out. Two websites that will help with that problem include: U.S. restaurants:
www.vegetarianusa.com
1) Ask the locals for restaurant recommendations. Those restaurants listed in guidebooks may have become overpriced after tourists have discovered them. 2) Check your restaurant bill item by item. If a gratuity has been included, don’t leave a tip. If the price is given verbally ask for it in writing. 3) Avoid restaurants that don’t display their menus and prices outside. Don’t order items that are priced at “market”. 4) Do not eat breakfast at your hotel. Try a local bakery instead. 5) Don’t buy the snacks or drinks in the bar fridge of your hotel room. 6) Don’t eat in airports. The food/drinks are overpriced. 7) Bring individual serving bags of tea and instant coffee from home.
Even the most nutritious foods will not necessarily provide you with all of the vitamins and minerals that you require each day. If you don’t already take vitamins before you travel, your vacation is a good time for you to start.
Estimate how much money you will spend on your cheap meals during your vacation. Start by estimating how much you spent at home daily. Include the snacks and alcohol that you consume in your travels as well. Remember some countries have higher food costs than you do at home and some have lower food costs. Adjust your estimate accordingly. This is only an educated guess. We will deal with any price uncertainty in the budget section.
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