9 Easy Tips for Saving Money on Food While Traveling

I’m not a micro-planner. I like to allow for spontaneity on vacation and the flexibility to try new things as we learn about them. But some level of planning will avoid later disappointment. Research what food the area is known for. What are the “can’t miss” meals of your destination? We all know that lobster is a must in Maine and crabs in Baltimore, but have you heard about Nashville’s hot chicken, Colorado’s slopper, or Wisconsin’s fried cheese curds? Learning about these before your trip can help you not only discover the best place to find these delicacies, but also allow you to preview prices and adjust your budget for the occasional splurge.

Growing up, most of our family vacations were road trips, our trusty cooler packed with bologna sandwiches, drinks, and plums from our backyard tree. We’d stop for lunch at a rest area along the highway, and take our time, before folding ourselves back into the car. As parents of four, my husband and I continued the tradition, with a larger cooler, and a greater variety of snacks and foodstuffs we knew would satisfy everyone’s palate.

As tastes grew more sophisticated (or when road tripping as a couple), we got a bit fancier. One favorite meal is a makeshift charcuterie. Eating snack-sized food with your fingers and little to no clean up makes this a hit with kids and adults alike. Select an assortment of meats and cheeses from a specialty store or farm stand. (The grocery store will do in a pinch.) Add some local in-season fruit (preferably something you can’t find at home) and maybe some nuts (think pecans in Georgia, almonds in New Mexico, macadamias in Hawaii), and you elevate your meal to a gustatory experience. Make it portable by packing it in Bento boxes.

Larger families require larger accommodations, and suite-style or home rentals also mean that eating in doesn’t involve eating on a hotel bed. While preparing meals may not be your idea of a vacation, many family-friendly suite-style hotels come with a stocked kitchenette, making simple meals such as soup or sandwiches, or even frozen pizza, quick, easy, and inexpensive options (and, if you have young children, there’s the bonus of not worrying about their behavior at a restaurant). And if you enjoy cooking, many home rentals have the space and resources for the family to prepare gourmet meals together.

If you’re like our family, your backyard grill gets a lot of use. There’s just something about cooking and eating outdoors that slows things down and makes meals more relaxing. And burgers on the grill always taste better than the fast-food variety. The good news is that many state and local parks offer picnic tables and grills, free for use. All you need is a package of hot dogs or burgers, a bag of chips, and a small bag of charcoal (or wood, if permitted). You can set the kids loose on the playground or have them toss a Frisbee or football while you prepare dinner. Most parks list amenities on their website. While picnic areas are often on a first-come basis, except in extremely popular areas or on holidays, it’s usually easy to find a spot. Just remember to clean the grill after use, following park rules for disposing of coals.

While the ready-to-eat section of many grocery stores is a great place to pick up pre-cooked meals and baked treats to bring back to your hotel room, they are also a great place to discover new foods unique to the area. Different regions of the U.S. have different specialties, and you can easily find these while wandering the aisles at local grocers. From snacks, such as taro chips and macadamia nuts in Hawaii, to specialty meats like Pennsylvania Dutch Lebanon bologna and cheeses (think Vermont versus Wisconsin cheddar), the grocery store offers a more affordable way to sample local delicacies. This is even more fun when traveling abroad, where you may have to rely on pictures, rather than foreign words you don’t understand, to determine what’s in the packaging.

Many hotels offer free breakfast for guests, and the waffle machine is a fun novelty that shouldn’t be underestimated. Hotel loyalty also pays off: some chains (such as Hilton) offer rewards members drinks and snacks at check-in as well as discounts at their locations that don’t offer free breakfast. Some hotels also offer a happy hour with beverages and appetizers on weeknights. While these apps might not be enough to count as a meal, you may be able to follow this with a light (and less expensive) dinner. Make sure you factor this cost savings into the price when choosing your hotels; depending on how many you have in a room, these hotels may be a better bet.

Most chain restaurants offer curbside pickup and allow online ordering. Even smaller family restaurants generally accommodate take-out meals. Yes, you’ll have to make another stop for beverages, but it’s worth it when a single restaurant soft drink or glass of wine often costs nearly as much as a bottle, even at convenience store prices. Again, taking food to go means not wrangling squirmy, possibly hangry kids. Another bonus, what you save on your beverage bill may mean one less day of eating sandwiches from the cooler.

Once you’ve chosen a restaurant, look for coupons or special deals. We discovered this quite by accident when searching for a menu online. Be sure to check social media as well; some businesses offer special discounts or freebies to customers who follow them. Stop at the Local Visitor Center. It may surprise you that not all restaurants have an online presence. You can miss out on some great restaurants (not to mention deals) by not taking time to glance through local papers and coupon books. Consider downloading the app Too Good to Go, which provides a 25 to 50% discount on food that would otherwise go to waste.

We sometimes get so caught up in what we are seeing and doing that we don’t pay attention to our bodies’ cues until it impacts our mood. I keep a bag of snacks nearby to hand out as needed to cranky kids and adults alike, which may be why people like traveling with me.

Healthful snacks also help take the edge off, so when you do stop to eat, you don’t overorder or make poor decisions due to being ‘hangry.’ Opt for low-mess and high-protein snacks, such as granola bars, dried fruits, or small packages of nuts, rather than sweets, and make sure to have water handy (we travel with a reusable water bottle).

Whether we’re planning and packing for budget travel or a special occasion splurge, there are some items that I always travel with. Yes, having them means I will save money, but they also make things easier. For road trips, I make sure we have a roll of paper towels for cleanups, a cooler bag for leftovers and impulse purchases, and plastic utensils (we always seem to get more than we need with takeout). I also make sure to bring a pocket knife for cutting fruit or cheese, a corkscrew, and a bottle opener (it’s disappointing to find a great new beer or wine and be unable to open it). Just make sure you put sharp items in checked luggage if flying, and leave them in your car or accommodations when visiting sites, as security protocols mean you might otherwise lose them.

Some of our best travel memories are centered on meals. But the core of the memory is not necessarily what we ate, but where we ate, and the people we were with, or those we had just met. And, to be honest, few of our most memorable meals have been the pricey ones. While one of the best things about travel is discovering new foods, we can do this in a way that satisfies both our taste buds and our wallets, that also allows us the flexibility to jump at the opportunity for a worthwhile splurge.