Jun 2010
14
Go Where the Food is Cheap
Google “When is Restaurant Week” and you’ll find many major cities are offering foodie festivals that let you eat on the cheap all week. New York holds one in July, Boston in August. If you aren’t sure where you want to travel, this will point you in the right direction swiftly. If you’ve got a destination in mind, just add the name of the city to the search string and see if an event is going on nearby. Festivals are another great search term for finding money-saving travel destinations with good cheap food.
Pack a Snack…or Twenty
Pack up the car with as many snacks and drinks as you can carry. This will prevent those last minute hunger attacks that can be so costly at toll road service centers and similar locations. If you find yourself forced upon such a venue, go for the fast food kids meal and you’ll get by without losing your shirt.
Alternatives to Buying Ice
Instead of buying ice for those coolers your packing full of snack and drinks, freeze the drinks overnight and put them in the cooler just before you leave. They’ll keep everything chilly for just a few extra bucks worth of your freezer’s energy. On day two, you can refill the cooler with complimentary ice from the hotel.
If Someone Offers You Free Food…For Goodness Sake, Take it!
Get up on time to take advantage of the continental or buffet breakfast at the hotel you book. No one will mind if you grab an extra orange or bagel for the road and you won’t be shelling out for breakfast.
Be a Deal Detective
Scour the hotel for brochures and coupons that may be offered for area restaurants. Free newspapers and other publications are just about everywhere you look and chances are one of them has a coupon that will feed the family for very little money.
Avoid “Touristy” Areas
You can spot them a mile away. They are dotted with bystanders, cameras strung around their necks or strapped to their wrists. These places attract gaggles of bystanders that essentially look just like you and your family, standing near the priciest food in town. Avoid these areas. Run, don’t walk, at least ½ mile in any direction and you’ll find reasonably priced food.
Noon, Not Nighttime
Lunch is cheaper than dinner, no matter where you go. Order the gourmet lunch and go for the deli dinner. You’ll save money every time.
Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Vacation is about experiencing new things. Go to a neighborhood with names you can’t pronounce and order some food you’ve never tasted. You’ll save money, and at the very worst, have a very interesting travel story to tell later.
Pretend You Have a Dog
Okay, maybe you do have a dog, but chances are he’s not on vacation with you. Doggie-bag your leftovers anyway and keep them cold in the cooler. Good food tastes great the second time around anyway. You can reheat at a convenient store microwave or eat it cold…whatever floats your boat.
When in Rome…
This one follows the “touristy” tip a bit. Now that you have identified where NOT to eat, look around for obvious locals. Moms with strollers, workers and other obvious townies will be in line together at the best place for good food cheap. Line up behind them.
Water Works
If you are there for food, spend your money on the food. Don’t pay for a pricey bottle of wine at the restaurant. Have good old fashioned, functional water instead and go get the same wine for 75% cheaper at the nearest liquor store. Then sit outside on the hotel balcony sipping a pleasant glass and chatting about the day’s adventure.
Picnic in the Park
Hit up the local grocery chain for a loaf of bread, cold cuts and some fruit. Find the nearest green area and plop yourselves down for an outdoor lunch. Cheap, easy and oh so relaxing.
Ask!
Even if you don’t like asking directions, there’s no reason you can’t ask where a family can get a good meal cheap. While you’re at the checkout buying those picnic items is a great time to hit up the cashier for some 411.
These tips will keep the family fed for only a little more than the groceries you’d be buying at home anyway. Following them will not only save you money, it makes for a more interesting and satisfying vacation.
©2009