Trifter

Eating away from touristy areas is the easiest way to save money. If you eat out while you’re on the road, stay away from the tourist hot spots. Around touristy areas you can expect to pay markups from 30% – 90% because of inflated cost of property and dining ease for tourist. These touristy areas also offer the less traditional foods of the country and a more “Americanized” version of traditional food. Get off the beaten path! Walk down a side street for a while. Start looking for a place to eat 30 minutes before you want to sit down to allow you time to find something good and not settle.

Buying food at grocery stores is your best option to save money. Make sure and shop at groceries and not corner stores, as they usually have prices 10% – 30% higher than a grocery will. Sometimes you can sacrifice eating out 2 – 3 meals a day and just have one nicer meal for dinner. Groceries allow everyone you’re traveling with to get something they want to eat and to save money in the process. Most hostels have a place to cook your food or at least boil some water and prepare a sandwich. Remember when buying groceries to only buy what you need for that immediate meal or if you know you will not be eating out soon. The last thing you want to do is waste food and money.

While you’re at the grocery buy snacks to hold you over till your next meal. Buying fruits and produce are great for the next morning, seeing as you may only need something to hold you over to your big meal. Bananas are a personal favorite because they are high in potassium and have a good amount of sugar which keeps me charged and active all day. If you’re feeling hungry in the day, grab a piece of fruit or bag of chips instead of buying a whole meal and save that appetite for dinner. What if you did this for a month while traveling and were spending 5$-10$ dollars per meal? Thats $120 – $240 saved!

Eating only two meals a day is another great way to save on food cost. Try not eating as soon as you get up but waiting a few hours. If the first things on your mind in the morning is feeding your growling stomach, drink some caffeine. Caffeine is an appetite suppressant and will help tide you over. If you’re not a big coffee drinker, try drinking some native tea’s, soda’s or drinks.

Drinking water helps with hunger. Many times when you feel hungry your body is actually just thirsty. In times like these, a piece of fruit and some water can tide you over. Make sure and stay hydrated all day to keep the stomach at bay.