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 considered one of my favourite actions, and likewise considered one of my favourite facets of touring.

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

I’m all the time disillusioned once I meet vacationers who prepare 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 must eat each single dish if you go to a brand new nation, it’s vital to be as open as potential to their meals tradition.

Of course, many vacationers have a legitimate concern relating to meals. For one, consuming out on a regular basis is dear. Imagine when you ate out each day — your meals funds can be astronomical!

Additionally, many individuals have dietary issues that forestall them from absolutely embracing new meals. And many vacationers are vegan or vegetarian, as nicely, which could affect their choices.

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

However, I don’t truly prepare dinner fairly often once I’m on the highway. While I 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 pondering, but it surely undoubtedly is feasible. Here’s eat out on a funds when you journey the world:

1. Eat at Buffets

While they don’t all the time serve the very best meals, buffets supply nice worth in your cash, particularly since they’re all-you-can-eat. More typically than not, you may refill on one meal for your entire day. They are a very good economical selection and provide the most meals in your buck (whereas permitting you to pattern a number of completely 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 stuffed 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 all over the world (and particularly 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 bit plastic chair, and luxuriate in a scrumptious meal. Street meals is among the greatest meals on the earth. Meals at avenue stalls (completely different from avenue distributors, who’ve a bit extra everlasting set-up) price lower than a greenback more often than not and are a good 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. (Sometimes) Eat Fast Food

Fast meals isn’t the very best for you, however it’s another choice if you’d like an inexpensive meal in cheap components of the world. For as little as $5 USD (extra in costly international locations like Norway, house of the $15 Whopper), you may get a filling (and vastly 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 all over the world 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, be aware: in Asia, quick meals is commonly costlier 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 signifies that certain, typically I get sick of Greek meals once I’ve been touring there for a bit. Other occasions, I can’t eat any extra Thai meals and simply desire a burger.

And that’s OK.

We dwell in a globalized world — eat what you need. However, non-local meals is nearly all the time costlier 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 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 price you’d pay for a similar meal within the night.

I normally 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 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 cheap approach to quench your thirst, but it surely’s a selection that provides up (very similar to shopping for a espresso each day). Sure, I’ll splurge from time to time on a Coke, however I hardly 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 each 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) each day can add up. As you stroll round and sightsee, it is advisable to keep hydrated. But shopping for a bottle of water just isn’t 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 components 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 secure.

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 value is so small (“It’s only a euro!”), we don’t consider snacking as having a big effect on our funds. But shopping for snacks a couple of occasions a day will slowly add up and throw your funds out of whack. Even when you 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 tip of the month.

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

If you’re somebody who loves snacking all through the day, take into account shopping for snacks on 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 an alternative of splurging on an overpriced vacationer entice snack.

10. Cook Often

I don’t prepare dinner so much on the highway as I don’t like hostel kitchens. They by no means have all the pieces I want, and I hate touring with a transportable kitchen so I can have all of the substances I would like.

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

Cooking is likely one of the greatest methods to maintain your journey prices down, and supermarkets are additionally nice locations to go to see what the native folks eat. The solely place the place cooking your individual meals isn’t essentially the most economical choice is Asia, the place avenue meals is normally cheaper.

As I discussed, I’ll typically exit for a nicer meal at lunch once I can discover a whole lot. That will 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 maintain my funds intact. Double win!

11. Picnic

Another good self-cook methodology is to picnic. This is one thing I do so much 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 within the park. Not solely am I saving cash (sandwiches aren’t costly), but it surely affords me a very good likelihood to observe the locals scurry about their every day lives.

If you’re staying at a hostel, it is a nice ice-breaker for assembly new folks. Just invite everybody alongside to hitch you and also you’ll be making new associates very quickly!

12. Use Tourism Cards

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

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

13. Find Free Breakfast

If yow will discover hostels or motels that embrace breakfast, you’ve already eradicated the price of one meal. Plus, when you’ve got an enormous breakfast that fills you up for many of the day then you definately don’t must eat as many meals out. Moreover, many hostels all over the world 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 normally broke, meaning there are probably low-cost locations to eat close by. Check Google Maps for native post-secondary establishments and see what yow will discover within the close by space. Many bars within the space will probably have low-cost drinks and pleased hours too, so it can save you much more.

15. Use Supermarket Deals

In many international locations, supermarkets supply lunchtime specials for employees within the surrounding areas. These normally entail recent 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’ll probably end up some discounted (however nonetheless completely secure and edible) meals.

I like a pleasant eating places. I don’t thoughts paying cash for a very good 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 with the ability to afford a high quality meal on occasion.

And that’s what is de facto vital — discovering the fitting stability.

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