Do you ever find your holiday budget is completely blown on food and eating out? Or shocked at how much you’ve managed to spend in just a few days, with very little to show for it? Here is the ultimate guide to how to save money on food whilst travelling abroad.
So you’ve spent ages saving to go travelling Food can be the most expensive and difficult thing to manoeuvre whilst away. Because you have to eat, right? And whilst it’s tempting to eat out every night whilst on holiday, it’s a surefire way to completely blow your travel budget. Who can afford to do that three times a day, every day? I know I certainly can’t.
One of my favourite things about travelling is experiencing new food, and I don’t want my lack of budget to stop me from doing this. With these tips, you can find the perfect balance between indulging in new cuisines and sticking to your budget.
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13 Ways to Save Money On Food While Travelling
Here are 13 tips on how to save your budget and enjoy the food you eat. There’s no need to survive on scraps to save money whilst travelling, I promise you.
1. Take Your Own Airport Food
So you’ve spent hours searching for the cheapest flight, only to get to the airport and not be able to eat because everything is so expensive. We travellers spend hours here, and of course, we have to eat. But you know that the food here is going to be expensive. Even avoiding the restaurants and heading for the WHSmith meal deal will set you back £5 these days.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to start burning through my spending money before I’ve even gotten to my destination.
Unlike liquids, you can take solid food items through security in your carry on. Snacks like biscuits, sweets crisps and nuts make perfect items to take in your bag. You can even take a sandwich from a much cheaper meal deal. You may be asked to separate the items from the rest of your belongings and keep them in a sealed bag, ready to go through the x-ray.
2. Shop in Local Supermarkets for Local Snacks
If you’re a snacker like me, you know how tempting it is to spend a couple of euros here and there throughout the day. They might seem like small expenses at the time, but after spending 3€ a few times a day over a few days, you’ve already spent a small fortune.
By heading to a local supermarket and buying snacks in bulk, you can save a lot of money on food while travelling. I’d focus on getting dry snacks that will last a long time and store well in your backpack. This way, you are you’re prepped for your day before you go out.
City exploring can mean a lot of walking, and there for a hungry traveller. But if you’ve got prebought snacks ready and waiting in your backpack, it can make those cafe cakes a lot easier to pass up. Although I can’t always say no to a good piece of cake, it is my downfall in life.
3. Pick One Meal to have as your “Going Out” Meal
When you’re away from your routine and living without a kitchen, it can be easy to fall into eating out for every meal. Breakfast and lunch might be small but added to a restaurant dinner and you’ve spent 50€ or more on food in just one day.
Of course, the cheapest way to save money on food while travelling is to never eat out. But what’s the point of that? As I said, experiencing new food is one of the best things about travel. So I suggest limiting your trip to just one meal out per day. This way, you can have a balance between saving money and enjoying new and delicious food.
4. Make Lunch Your Main “Going Out” Meal
Taking the previous step a little bit further, you’ll often find lunchtime the cheapest time to dine out. Many restaurants will do a lunchtime menu. The portions might be slightly smaller, or they will have a set many with 2 or 3 courses for a discount amount.
It can often be a more enjoyable time to eat out. The restaurants tend to be less busy, and it is a great way to break up a day of touring whichever city you find yourself exploring.
If you decide to go out for lunch, you can fill up with a larger meal in the middle of the day. Then, for dinner, a smaller homemade snack might be enough to fill you up. Sadly I’m not one of these people, and I eat a lot of food, but it might work for some.
5. Eat Out During Happy Hour
If you do want to make an evening out of your meal, try to find somewhere with a happy hour. This might mean you end up eating at 6 pm, but to save money, it’s worth it. You could tie this in with point number 12, and make it your drinking night. I find the 2-for-1 cocktails that often accompany happy hour are great to take advantage of.
6. Eat Local Food and Street Food
This might seem obvious to most, but it is possibly the most important tip in saving money on food whilst travelling. This is especially true if you’re travelling anywhere where pizza and burgers don’t make up the main cuisine.
Western food will have a huge markup, as a lot of restaurants will know that people are more comfortable ordering this food, and will do so no matter the price. So push yourself out of your comfort zone and discover the local cuisine. Ask locals where they like to go out for meals. Often this is how to get the most authentic, and cheapest, night out. Restaurants targeted at tourists will be more expensive.
And, of course, street food is always a good shout. A great way to taste smaller portions of local food without spending a small fortune or filling up too fast!
7. Avoid Staying in Hotels
I feel this might be the most underrated tip on this list. I always associate staying in hotels with a more luxurious holiday, and the food situation is one of the reasons why. When you stay in hotels, your options for food are pretty limited. Whilst some may offer an additional breakfast (see tip 11 as to whether that actually saves you money), you kind of almost always have to eat out if you want a substantial meal.
With no kitchen, microwave, and just a small fridge if you’re lucky, you’re probably going to end up spending a lot on meals out. It’s worth taking your time and looking at all your options. It might be better to book an AirBnB. Whilst the initial cost might be more expensive, the freedom to cook your own meals and breakfast could work out cheaper in the long run. If you prefer staying in a hostel, make sure it has kitchen facilities.
8. Dine in and Cook
Just as this saves you food money at home, it will save you money whilst travelling. When you’re at the supermarket picking up those daytime snacks, take the time to grab some pasta, ready-made sauce, and some veg, and you have yourself a meal.
Even better, find a local fresh market stall, pick up some incredible veg, maybe some fish, and really enjoy making something out of incredible ingredients.
If you can remember to take a small takeaway tub, you might even be able to batch cook a few evenings. This way, you won’t be wasting time cooking every evening and can enjoy your time a bit more.
9. Dine in Cafes over Restaurants, and Never Hit the Tourist Spots
Restaurants tend to come with a fancy price tag to go with their fancy decor. Cafes and diners are the places to search for if you want to eat out but keep the costs low. They also have a much more relaxed feel and often end up being a more enjoyable experience.
The expectation might be finding a good local restaurant that serves local food away from the main tourist areas. Taking a moment to explore streets even just one or two away from the main areas can help you save a ton.
10. Create a Food Budget and Stick to it
This can be great to keep you on track as you go through your travels. Do some research on where you’re going, and find out what other travellers estimate the average cost for food per day. Once you have that, alter it to suit your personal needs (maybe you have a more lenient budget etc.).
Keep a rough estimate as you go through the week. Maybe allocate a portion to eating out and some to supermarket shops. Or you could divide it into breakfast, lunch and dinner. Whatever way you think will work best for you.
I like to keep to the top money-saving tips throughout the week, and then use whatever I’ve saved at the end of the week on a nice treat meal out.
Having said that, try not to get too caught up in this through. You don’t want to be keeping every recent and counting every penny that goes in and out of your pocket. That’s no fun for anyone.
11. Way up the Benefits and Negatives of Package Deals
When searching for holidays, it’s often to get caught up in package deals, especially when breakfasts offer to add on breakfast. This is almost always more expensive than getting your own breakfast. This is on case-by-case bases, so take your time to see if you will really be saving money. Work out how much the breakfast adds to your booking, and how much you would spend on a normal breakfast and see if it’s really worth it.
There are also all-inclusive deals where all food and drinks are included. If you’re after a boozy holiday, this might be something to consider. And if you’re not too interested in trying different restaurants, you’ll almost certainly save money on food.
However, take time to think about what kind of holiday you want, and whether this really will save you money. If you want to try different foods and spend time away from your hotel, all-inclusive might means you end up paying twice for your meals.
12. Avoid Drinking Alchohol Every Night
Alcohol is the killer of any budget. Not only is it expensive, but it tends to go that the more you drink, the more you buy. If you’re like me, I also get very happy buying other people drinks after I’ve had a few which is terrible for my bank account.
Choose a night of the week you want to go out and save your drinking money for then. Or like the food budget, make yourself a drinking budget. For example, take just £30 cash with you on a night out and once that’s finished, so is your drinking.
You can also try going out sober. It’s a scary thought for those who haven’t done it before, and it might not be for some. But the hangover-free mornings might push you in favour.
13. Take a Reusable Water Bottle
Bottled water can be expensive, and the price fluctuates a lot from shop to shop. You could go from spending 30 cents to 2 euros just a couple of doors down. The best bottle to get is one that filters the water for you. This way you don’t have to rely on hotels or hostels to provide it if the tap water is undrinkable.
This bottle by LifeStraw filters 99.9% of bacteria and microplastics and reduces chlorine. It will be worth the investment, I promise you. It’s a lot more convenient when you’re out and aren’t near a shop that sells water. You can get your own bottle here.
And there we have 13 ways to save money on food whilst travelling the world. Whether it’s a weekend city break or a three-month backpacking trip, these tips are sure to save you some cash. Now you can spend more on activities, see more places, and enjoy your trip without constantly thinking of your budget.
