How to Eat Cheap When You Travel the World (Updated 2023)

Last Updated: 3/17/23 | March seventeenth, 2023

I like to eat.

In truth, consuming is one in all my favourite actions, and likewise one in all my favourite points of touring.

Food is such an integral a part of so many cultures that to skip out on meals once you journey is to overlook out on part of that tradition.

I’m all the time upset once I meet vacationers who cook dinner all their meals in a hostel kitchen.

Why come to Italy and never have pasta?

No sushi in Japan?

Avoiding steak in Argentina?

Skipping paella in Spain?

While you don’t have to eat each single dish once you go to a brand new nation, it’s necessary to be as open as attainable to their meals tradition.

Of course, many vacationers have a sound concern relating to meals. For one, consuming out on a regular basis is pricey. Imagine if you happen to ate out on daily basis — your meals price range can be astronomical!

Additionally, many individuals have dietary considerations that stop them from totally embracing new meals. And many vacationers are vegan or vegetarian, as effectively, which could impression their choices.

As a backpacker, individuals typically assume that I, like different backpackers, cook dinner all my meals.

However, I don’t truly cook dinner fairly often once I’m on the highway. While I really like cooking at house, I hate poorly geared up hostel kitchens.

To be sure I can eat out with out breaking the financial institution, I’ve needed to learn to stability consuming 99% of my meals out whereas nonetheless discovering a means to save cash.

Yes, it takes a little bit of intelligent considering, however it undoubtedly is feasible. Here’s how one can eat out on a price range whilst you journey the world:

1. Eat at Buffets

While they don’t all the time serve the very best meals, buffets supply nice worth on your cash, particularly since they’re all-you-can-eat. More typically than not, you possibly can refill on one meal for all the day. They are economical selection and provide the most meals on your buck (whereas permitting you to pattern a number of totally different meals).

2. Visit Outdoor Street Vendors

Small stands that promote scorching canine, sausages, sandwiches, and related meals nice locations to get an inexpensive and fast meal. While in Sweden, I lived off some of these distributors. While they’re nothing fancy, they’re tasty and low cost!

In Amsterdam, FEBO and their croquettes saved my abdomen full. In Costa Rica, the empanada vendor crammed me up for a greenback and I purchased native meals from distributors at markets for mere pennies in Madagascar.

These fast and cheap meals gained’t win any Michelin stars (although there are Michelin star meals stalls in Singapore!) however, they’ll hold you full with out emptying your pockets.

3. Eat Street Food

In most locations around the globe (and particularly in Asia), the streets are lined with little meals stalls and areas the place meals is cooked overtly on the road.

You seize a plate, sit down in slightly plastic chair, and revel in a scrumptious meal. Street meals is a number of the greatest meals on the planet. Meals at avenue stalls (totally different from avenue distributors, who’ve a bit extra everlasting set-up) price lower than a greenback more often than not and are an effective way to essentially expertise the native delicacies.

Many locations — like Thailand and Vietnam, for instance, wouldn’t be the identical if the road meals disappeared.

4. (Sometimes) Eat Fast Food

Fast meals isn’t the very best for you, however it’s another choice if you would like an inexpensive meal in cheap elements of the world. For as little as $5 USD (extra in costly nations like Norway, house of the $15 Whopper), you will get a filling (and massively caloric) meal.

Moreover, the native greenback menu will prevent much more. Sure, it’s not the best meals, and I’m going to skip the philosophical debate about touring around the globe solely to eat McDonald’s to say that it’s low cost and simply one other means that can assist you rein in your spending. (However, observe: in Asia, quick meals is commonly dearer than native meals.)

5. Go Local

When you’ve been touring for some time, it’s solely regular to crave a style of house now and again. That implies that certain, typically I get sick of Greek meals once I’ve been touring there for a bit. Other instances, I can’t eat any extra Thai meals and simply desire a burger.

And that’s OK.

We stay in a globalized world — eat what you need. However, non-local meals is sort of all the time dearer than native delicacies. For instance, in Vietnam, a bowl of pho is lower than a greenback, however a burger is about thrice as a lot (or extra!).

Go native and you’ll save your self a ton of cash in the long term!

6. Find the Lunch Specials

Many eating places, particularly in Europe, supply lunch specials, the place gadgets on the dinner menu are supplied at an enormous low cost. You can get a tremendous afternoon meal for a fraction of the associated fee you’d pay for a similar meal within the night.

I often are likely to eat my “nice” meal throughout lunch, as a result of lunch specials and plates of the day are about 30-40% off what I’d pay at dinner. The choices will often be extra restricted, however the financial savings greater than justify it.

7. Skip the Soda

Grabbing a refreshing can of Coke or Pepsi would possibly appear to be a reasonable technique to quench your thirst, however it’s a selection that provides up (very similar to shopping for a espresso on daily basis). Sure, I’ll splurge every now and then on a Coke, however I rarely purchase soda as a result of it’s so costly (and it’s so dangerous for you!).

When you’re visiting a tropical location, an ice-cold soda is unquestionably interesting. But spending a few bucks on daily basis can actually add up over the course of a long-term journey!

8. Refillable Water Bottle

Water won’t be as costly as soda, however shopping for a bottle (or three) on daily basis can add up. As you stroll round and sightsee, you should keep hydrated. But shopping for a bottle of water isn’t solely environmentally wasteful — it additionally makes silly price range journey sense.

Assuming every bottle is about $.75 USD and you purchase three a day, over the course of a month you’ll spend $67.50!

That’s some huge cash spent on water! (Plus, in some elements of the world, bottled water prices much more than that!)

Carry a refillable bottle of water (with a filter) with you as an alternative and simply use the faucet water. I recommend a Lifestraw bottle. It ensures your water is all the time clear and protected.

9. Don’t Snack

A gelato right here, a gelato there. A soda. A sweet bar. An ice cream. A small pastry. It all provides up.

Since the worth is so small (“It’s only a euro!”), we don’t consider snacking as having a big effect on our price range. But shopping for snacks a couple of instances a day will slowly add up and throw your price range out of whack. Even if you happen to simply purchase two little snacks for 1.50 EUR per day, that’s going to be at the very least 90 EUR (over $100 USD!) by the top of the month.

It’s not one thing many vacationers consider, however snacking actually does add up over the long run. Avoid snacks and persist with huge, filling meals as an alternative. If you do have to snack, be sure you account for it in your price range.

If you’re somebody who loves snacking all through the day, take into account shopping for snacks on the grocery store like fruits, crackers, power bars, and many others., to take with you to munch on over the course of the day so that you’re ready as an alternative of splurging on an overpriced vacationer lure snack.

10. Cook Often

I don’t cook dinner loads on the highway as I don’t like hostel kitchens. They by no means have every little thing I would like, and I hate touring with a transportable kitchen so I can have all of the elements I would like.

Yet when I’m in a single place for some time (or if I’m Couchsurfing), I cook dinner a couple of meals.

Cooking is among the greatest methods to maintain your journey prices down, and supermarkets are additionally nice locations to go to see what the native individuals eat. The solely place the place cooking your personal meals isn’t probably the most economical possibility is Asia, the place avenue meals is often cheaper.

As I discussed, I’ll typically exit for a nicer meal at lunch once I can discover a whole lot. That will often imply for dinner I’ll be cooking my very own meals. That means, I’ll nonetheless get to strive the native delicacies however I’ll additionally get to maintain my price range intact. Double win!

11. Picnic

Another good self-cook technique is to picnic. This is one thing I do loads for lunch if I’m someplace the place the climate is good. I often head to an area meals market, choose up a bunch of meals, and go picnic within the park. Not solely am I saving cash (sandwiches aren’t costly), however it affords me likelihood to look at the locals scurry about their each day lives.

If you’re staying at a hostel, this can be a nice ice-breaker for assembly new individuals. Just invite everybody alongside to affix you and also you’ll be making new mates very quickly!

12. Use Tourism Cards

Most individuals consider vacationer playing cards just like the iAmsterdam card or the VisitOslo cross as only a means to save cash on transportation and points of interest. But these playing cards additionally supply reductions at many eating places. Typically, reductions are round 15-25%, however typically lunch specials may be as much as 50% off.

Visit the native tourism workplace once you arrive and ask what meals reductions are included. Chances are you’ll be capable to save much more cash if you happen to simply take the time to study concerning the tourism cross. it’s a worthwhile funding!

13. Find Free Breakfast

If you could find hostels or inns that embrace breakfast, you’ve already eradicated the price of one meal. Plus, if in case you have an enormous breakfast that fills you up for a lot of the day then you definitely don’t have to eat as many meals out. Moreover, many hostels around the globe additionally supply free dinners, free espresso and tea, and different food-related perks. Search them out to save cash and decrease your meals prices.

14. Eat With Students

Where there are universities, there are college students, and since college students are often broke, meaning there are doubtless low cost locations to eat close by. Check Google Maps for native post-secondary establishments and see what you could find within the close by space. Many bars within the space will doubtless have low cost drinks and completely satisfied hours too, so it can save you much more.

15. Use Supermarket Deals

In many nations, supermarkets supply lunchtime specials for employees within the surrounding areas. These often entail contemporary sandwiches or some soup or salads. Additionally, many supermarkets additionally low cost meals that expires quickly, together with bread, baked items, meat, and produce. Buy groceries within the night and you may doubtless end up some discounted (however nonetheless completely protected and edible) meals.

I really like a pleasant eating places. I don’t thoughts paying cash for meal with a pleasant glass of wine. But doing that EVERY meal is just too costly.

But, by utilizing the information above, I can afford to maintain my prices down whereas nonetheless having the ability to afford a top quality meal on occasion.

And that’s what is basically necessary — discovering the suitable stability.

Because if you happen to can handle to stability consuming nice meals with saving cash, each your pockets and your abdomen will thanks.