How To Find Cheap Eats

Eating while traveling is as much an experience as seeing the sights.  The food of each destination truly reveals something about a culture and its people.  As much as you may want to experience everything a culture has to offer, if you are on a budget you will have to experience wisely.  There is no need to splurge everyday on food, in order to get a true experience.  Here are some tip that will help you save on food while traveling.

Street Food
Street food is by far the best way to find cheap and delicious food while traveling.  It is cheap and often.  Some travelers  overlook street food for fear of getting sick.  Of course there is always the possibility, however depending on your travel style and how adventurous you are, many people love to indulge in some street food.

Use the Kitchen
Most hostels have kitchens so use them.  Sure, a lot of the fun of traveling is tasting the food at each destination, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  You should make use of the kitchen, especially if you are backpacking or on a long vacation.

Go to a Market
Markets provide fresh and delicious food, often at affordable prices.  You can fill up on local fruits and vegetables and later have a meal at one of the shops.

Avoid Soft Drinks and Water
Buy soft drinks and water at a supermarket rather than at a restaurant.  You can always stick them in the hostel kitchen or the hotel minibar.  It may not seem like a lot of money, but buying a soda in some restaurants can cost up to $4.  If you have a $4 drink twice a day for a whole week, that’s $56 that you could have spent for less than $10.

Hold The Water and Bread
Some places in Europe charge for table water and bread.  If you do not want them, politely tell the waiter before the meal that you do not want them.

Lunch Menu or Menu of the Day
Lunch specials are often a very affordable way to eat out.  In Europe many restaurants have what they call the menu of the day which allows the diner to select from a prefixed menu for a set price.  Often times the menu consists of a starter, the entree, and coffee and dessert.  A few drawbacks of the infamous menu of the day, is that in many restaurants they often use less fresh ingredients in order to balance the price point.  Your best bet is to look around and see what the other diners are eating.  If you like what you see well then go ahead and order.  It lessens the chances of a surprise.

Restaurant Week
There is a time when foodies from across the US rejoice because all of their favorite dining places are discounted greatly.  That time is called restaurant week and it makes many food lovers happy.  Many cities throughout the US offer restaurant week as an affordable way for diners to enjoy their eats at a lower price.  It is the time when you can indulge in a more expensive restaurant at a lower price.  During restaurant week, restaurants offer a unique menu with many options that you can choose from.  Often times it includes a starter, an entree, as well as a dessert.  Open Table has a list of participating cities in the US and Canada.