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

Final Up to date: 3/17/23 | March seventeenth, 2023

I really like to eat.

Actually, consuming is certainly one of my favourite actions, and likewise certainly one of my favourite features of touring.

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

I’m all the time disillusioned 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?

When you don’t want to eat each single dish once you go to a brand new nation, it’s vital to be as open as potential to their meals tradition.

In fact, many vacationers have a legitimate concern when it comes to meals. For one, consuming out all the time is pricey. Think about for those who ate out day by day — your meals funds can be astronomical!

Moreover, many individuals have dietary considerations that stop them from absolutely embracing new meals. And many travelers are vegan or vegetarian, as properly, which could affect their choices.

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

Nonetheless, I don’t truly cook dinner fairly often once I’m on the street. Whereas I really like cooking at house, I hate poorly outfitted hostel kitchens.

To verify I can eat out with out breaking the financial institution, I’ve had to find out how to stability consuming 99% of my meals out whereas nonetheless discovering a means to get monetary savings.

Sure, it takes a little bit of intelligent considering, however it undoubtedly is feasible. Right here’s how to eat out on a funds whilst you journey the world:

1. Eat at Buffets

Whereas they don’t all the time serve the finest meals, buffets supply nice worth in your cash, particularly since they’re all-you-can-eat. Most of the time, you’ll be able to refill on one meal for the complete day. They’re a superb economical alternative and provide you with the most meals in your buck (whereas permitting you to pattern numerous completely different meals).

2. Go to Out of doors Road Distributors

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

In Amsterdam, FEBO and their croquettes stored 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 received’t win any Michelin stars (though there are Michelin star food stalls in Singapore!) however, they are going to preserve you full with out emptying your pockets.

3. Eat Road Meals

In most locations round the world (and especially in Asia), the streets are lined with little meals stalls and areas the place meals is cooked brazenly on the road.

You seize a plate, sit down in a little bit plastic chair, and luxuriate in a scrumptious meal. Road meals is a few of the finest meals in the world. Meals at road stalls (completely different from road distributors, who’ve a bit extra everlasting set-up) price lower than a greenback most of the time and are an effective way to actually expertise the native delicacies.

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

4. (Typically) Eat Quick Meals

Quick meals isn’t the finest for you, however it’s another choice in order for you an affordable 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 may get a filling (and massively caloric) meal.

Furthermore, the native greenback menu will prevent much more. Certain, it’s not the biggest meals, and I’m going to skip the philosophical debate about touring round the world solely to eat McDonald’s to say that it’s low cost and simply one other means to provide help to rein in your spending. (Nonetheless, word: in Asia, quick meals is commonly dearer than native meals.)

5. Go Native

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

And that’s OK.

We reside in a globalized world — eat what you need. Nonetheless, non-local meals is nearly 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 3 times as a lot (or extra!).

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

6. Discover 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 an incredible afternoon meal for a fraction of the price you’d pay for the identical meal in the night.

I normally have a tendency to eat my “good” meal throughout lunch, as a result of lunch specials and plates of the day are about 30-40% off what I would pay at dinner. The choices will normally 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 means to quench your thirst, however it’s a alternative that provides up (very similar to shopping for a espresso day by day). Certain, I could splurge infrequently 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. However spending a few bucks day by day 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) day by day can add up. As you stroll round and sightsee, you want to keep hydrated. However shopping for a bottle of water will not be solely environmentally wasteful — it additionally makes silly funds 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 a substitute and simply use the faucet water. I counsel a Lifestraw bottle. It ensures your water is all the time clear and secure.

9. Don’t Snack

A gelato right here, a gelato there. A soda. A sweet bar. An ice cream. A small pastry. All of it provides up.

Since the worth is so small (“It’s solely a euro!”), we don’t consider snacking as having a huge impact on our funds. However shopping for snacks a couple of instances a day will slowly add up and throw your funds out of whack. Even for those who simply purchase two little snacks for 1.50 EUR per day, that’s going to be at the least 90 EUR (over $100 USD!) by the finish of the month.

It’s not one thing many vacationers consider, however snacking actually does add up over the long run. Keep away from snacks and stick to huge, filling meals as a substitute. For those who do want to snack, be sure to account for it in your funds.

For those who’re somebody who loves snacking all through the day, think about shopping for snacks at the grocery store like fruits, crackers, vitality bars, and so on., to take with you to munch on over the course of the day so that you’re ready as a substitute of splurging on an overpriced vacationer entice snack.

10. Prepare dinner Typically

I don’t cook dinner loads on the street as I don’t like hostel kitchens. They by no means have all the things I want, and I hate touring with a conveyable kitchen so I can have all the elements I need.

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

Cooking is certainly one of the finest methods to preserve your journey prices down, and supermarkets are additionally nice locations to go to see what the native individuals eat. The one place the place cooking your personal meals isn’t the most economical choice is Asia, the place road meals is normally cheaper.

As I discussed, I’ll usually exit for a nicer meal at lunch once I can discover a whole lot. That may normally imply for dinner I’ll be cooking my very own meals. That means, I’ll nonetheless get to attempt the native delicacies however I’ll additionally get to preserve my funds intact. Double win!

11. Picnic

One other good self-cook technique is to picnic. That is one thing I do loads for lunch if I’m someplace the place the climate is sweet. I normally head to an area meals market, choose up a bunch of meals, and go picnic in the park. Not solely am I saving cash (sandwiches aren’t costly), however it affords me a superb probability to watch the locals scurry about their day by day lives.

For those who’re staying at a hostel, this can be a nice ice-breaker for assembly new individuals. Simply invite everybody alongside to be a part of you and also you’ll be making new pals very quickly!

12. Use Tourism Playing cards

Most individuals consider vacationer playing cards like the iAmsterdam card or the VisitOslo cross as only a means to get monetary savings on transportation and sights. However these playing cards additionally supply reductions at many eating places. Usually, reductions are round 15-25%, however typically lunch specials may be up to 50% off.

Go to the native tourism workplace once you arrive and ask what meals reductions are included. Likelihood is you’ll find a way to save much more cash for those who simply take the time to study the tourism cross. it’s a worthwhile funding!

13. Discover Free Breakfast

If you will discover hostels or accommodations that embrace breakfast, you’ve already eradicated the price of 1 meal. Plus, if in case you have an enormous breakfast that fills you up for many of the day then you definitely don’t want to eat as many meals out. Furthermore, many hostels round the world additionally supply free dinners, free espresso and tea, and different food-related perks. Search them out to get monetary savings and decrease your meals prices.

14. Eat With College students

The place there are universities, there are college students, and since college students are normally broke, which means there are probably low cost locations to eat close by. Examine Google Maps for native post-secondary establishments and see what you will discover in the close by space. Many bars in the space will probably have low cost drinks and pleased hours too, so it can save you much more.

15. Use Grocery store Offers

In lots of nations, supermarkets supply lunchtime specials for employees in the surrounding areas. These normally entail recent sandwiches or some soup or salads. Moreover, many supermarkets additionally low cost meals that expires quickly, together with bread, baked items, meat, and produce. Purchase groceries in the night and you may probably end up some discounted (however nonetheless completely secure and edible) meals.

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

However, by utilizing the ideas above, I can afford to preserve my prices down whereas nonetheless having the ability to afford a high quality meal on occasion.

And that’s what is absolutely vital — discovering the proper stability.

As a result of for those who can handle to stability consuming nice meals with saving cash, each your pockets and your abdomen will thanks.