How to eat and drink on a budget when travelling

When you are backpacking, the more money you spend on food and drink, the less you have to spend on experiences.

If you don’t do some research and planning before your trip, you may find yourself paying through your teeth for meals as many places know how to charge and take advantage of tourists.

Here are a few great tips to enable you to keep your food and drink expenses as low as possible.

Grocery shops

There are grocery stores and supermarkets everywhere you go. Shopping for your food where the locals go will help you to save a huge amount and if you are unfamiliar with the area you are going to, just ask around.

Look for hotels and hostels with a fridge in the room and keep anything you purchase in there. If you are travelling on the road then pick up a cooler to keep in the boot of the car and keep food fresh in there.

Self-contained accommodation with kitchen facilities are not that much more than those without, and sometimes even cheaper. So look for rooms with this and cook your own meals with the produce you buy. A loaf of bread, a packet of ham and a bag of apples will cover you for at least 3-4 meals and won’t cost a lot at all.

Take simple utensils with you and pick up plastic plates and forks to ensure you have everything you need to enjoy your meals. Look for pay-by-weight items so that you can buy small quantities that won’t go off, this is also a great way to sample a variety of local foods on your travels.

kitchen at a backpackers hostel

Savvy restaurant eating

Sometimes, restaurant meals are unavoidable when you are on the road and trying new places out can be part of the experience. Just be sure to be savvy with your restaurant choices.

Avoid asking your hotel for recommendations; they usually have a long list of pricey tourist spots. Instead, research some local food blogs for the area you’re staying in and look at where and what they recommend.

Food prices at dinner time are often more expensive than lunch and breakfast prices, so aim to fill yourself up on one of these two cheaper meal times and you will find the cost of food much less. If you are travelling with children, seek out the restaurants that advertise ‘kids eat free’. If you are a couple, you could split an entrée to keep the cost down.

Look around online for coupons or money off vouchers and use these in the restaurants. You can also find many pay-in-advance discounted offers for restaurants.

Clever drinking

The best way to keep on a budget when travelling is to avoid over drinking on alcoholic beverages. We all get the taste for more once a couple of beers have passed our lips and you can find yourself hugely overspending after one night on the booze.

If you do want a good drink, hit the supermarket and buy alcohol from there and drink it in the room before you go out. It will save you a huge amount.

Some bars offer free food during happy hours and serve food like tapas whenever you order a drink. Make the most of these offers and fill up on the free food.

If you are a coffee drinker, take some premium coffee with you on your travels. Many coffee shops will charge over and above for a cup of coffee and it will sting your budget.

If the tap water is safe to drink, consider buying a reusable bottle with a built-in feature to save on water costs. If it is not safe to drink, purchase your bottled water in bulk from a supermarket rather than a hotel or restaurant as it will be much less expensive.

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