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How to Eat on a Budget While Traveling Abroad
Traveling abroad is one of the most amazing things you can do in life. You get to witness how other people live their lives, what they eat, how they speak. There's really nothing like it. One of my favorite things about traveling is trying local foods, new foods, & getting out of my usual routine. The thing to consider is that you're already paying a huge chunk of change for your plane ticket. The question therein is: how do you eat cheap & on a budget while traveling abroad? Don't worry I've got your back with plenty of tips to lead you on the right track. Here's to eating well & eating cheap!
Related reading: How To Use Google Flights to Find Cheap Flights
Mercat de la Boqueria - Barcelona, Spain |
Do your research
If you have some sort of Internet access look online to see what food is out there. You can check out Yelp, browse reviews, & search for affordable options in your area. There's no way that you could possibly know all the restaurants & cafes yourself, so to do a little bit of research & narrow it down. Be sure to consider the pricing, portion size, & distance from your current location.Understand tipping
Tipping practices vary per country. Some don't require or expect tips at all. Some include tips into your check. Make sure you learn & understand how it works. Over time, you'll save a pretty penny if you know the tipping culture.
Related reading: How to Survive a Family Vacation as an Adult
Go to a grocery store
Heading to local grocery stores is one of my favorite things about traveling. I will never forget Albert Heijn, a Dutch supermarket. You have no idea how many times I went into that store to buy delicious juice, cheese croissants, & lentil avocado salad. Their prices were cheap & made for the perfect picnic. Grocery stores & markets are the way to go because you get to grab something to-go or make, cook, & assemble your own meals. You can also buy coffee or tea bags to save you from picking up one every morning.Pack your lunch
You're out & about all day exploring the city & its many wonders. Save some cash by bringing lunch with you. It's just like the old days in elementary school; packing your lunch will keep your cost down. The fun challenge is finding a lovely place to eat your lunch. Picnics are everything when traveling abroad! I'll never forget the quaint garden lunch at a picnic table in Copenhagen or the lovely lakeside picnic in Amsterdam. Those packed picnic lunches were some of my favorite memories from traveling abroad.Eat before you're super hungry
I admit I made this mistake many times. Learn from my mistakes. In order to save money while you're traveling the world, eat before you're super hungry. If you're about to faint from hunger you'll likely visit the first place you see regardless of its price. That doesn't really help if you're on a budget. Be sure to get some food before you're starving.Have a snack on hand
This kind of goes hand in hand with the above tip. Always always always have a snack with you. Keep it in your purse, your backpack, your fanny pack or pocket if you have to. If you have a snack with you you won't immediately be tempted to lunge at the first sight of food. A banana, cup of cereal, or mixed nuts ought to do the trick.Ask a local
Engage with the locals & inquire about their favorite restaurant, cafe, or underrated eatery. Ask about budget-friendly options in the neighborhood. Locals know a hell of a lot more about the city than you do. Take their advice & run with it. You have no idea how many times asking a local about something totally enhanced my overall experience.Eat at the hotel
If you're at a hotel, motel, hostel, Airbnb that includes a meal, take advantage of it. In Paris, my mom, sister, & I ate breakfast every day at the hostel. That saved us about €10 per person per day. You can buy souvenirs, macarons, museum tickets, or what have you with that money. The more cash you save by eating on a budget when you travel abroad leaves more room for other options.Use a kitchen
Does your hotel or Airbnb have a kitchen? Take advantage of it. Cook your meals at home. We all know this is one of the best ways to eat on a budget in general. As a broke college student, I took pride in being able to scrummage up food with whatever I had in the house. You can obviously supplement that by going to the grocery store.Refill your water bottle
In some countries, you have to pay for water at the restaurant or they may not give you any at all. I remember sitting down for lunch in Denmark & specifically asking for tap water only to find out that they charged for it. Lesson learned. Buy a water bottle & refill it. You'll save a lot of money on water alone.Drink outside
Europe is pretty chill about drinking outside or in public. Stop by the store & pick up a bottle of wine, some beer, even juices rather than buying them at a restaurant at a markup. I spent €6 on a beer at a restaurant. Then I got wise & bought an even larger beer at the market for about €2. Do a little research on the laws about drinking in public in your country.Go to the Market
I always like to visit the farmer's market wherever I may roam. Whether I unintentionally happen upon one in Milan, Italy or perhaps a very purposeful promenade through Mercat de la Boqueria in Barcelona, Spain. Markets & farmer's markets tend to have almost a wholesale price for produce, veggies, & other goodies. Plus, they're as fresh as can be.
Were these tips on how to eat a budget while traveling abroad of any use? Any tips I left out? :]
Q&A with ETC! ETC!
ETC! ETC! Who is the man behind the music? Well, from what I can gather via our interview, ETC! ETC!, is a father first then a musician. Although his life revolves around music & touring, it's crystal clear that he adores his two children, Olive, 4, & Isaac, 1. On Father's Day Sunday, he posted the classic fridge photo of he & the kids. Cue the ooh's & aw's.
ETC! ETC! also known by his real name, Jose Guerrero, has a large following throughout his social media presence as well as in real life. His music is energetic, fast-paced, & bass-heavy. I mean, that's what you would expect from a trap & bass, moombahton artist. What is moombahton? It's a beautiful mixture of house music & reggaeton.
Who is he? What's he like? Who is he rooting for in the World Cup? Most importantly, does ETC! ETC! prefer tea or coffee? You'll see.
ETC! ETC! also known by his real name, Jose Guerrero, has a large following throughout his social media presence as well as in real life. His music is energetic, fast-paced, & bass-heavy. I mean, that's what you would expect from a trap & bass, moombahton artist. What is moombahton? It's a beautiful mixture of house music & reggaeton.
Who is he? What's he like? Who is he rooting for in the World Cup? Most importantly, does ETC! ETC! prefer tea or coffee? You'll see.
Name: Jose Guerrero
Age: 30
Hometown: Los Angeles
Location: Los Angeles
Where do you find inspiration for music? In everything. Other people's songs, vibes, my city. Just depends on the day and how I'm feeling that day I guess.
Do you have any pre-performance rituals? I like to go to the club early to feel it out, see how the night is going, and prepare myself mentally.
What's it like to be on tour? Going on tour is amazing, but it is stressful. It's fun because you get to be in different cities, meet tons of amazing people, see everyone's cultures, and try things you normally wouldn't in your city. Stressful because you miss your fam, it's hard to work on music on the road, and if you are alone it gets lonely.
How do you define success? Man, success is what you make of it. What you want to accomplish in your mind, heart, and soul. I feel like the only way to feel true success is to be happy with what you have accomplished, in your goals, etc.
What are you most excited about for HARD Summer? Playing on home turf. I was fortunate to be added to HARD Summer last year last minute and it was beyond amazing. Best festival I played. So this year now that I know what to expect I'm going all out.
How many languages can you speak? Two. English and Spanish.
What's one of your favorite family traditions? Hmm really don't have any. I should start some I guess.
If you were immortal for a day, what would you do? Make fun of everyone who was mortal, and do tons of stunts.
Are you a coffee or a tea person? 100 percent coffee. Tea is for old people. Coffee is my addiction. Makes me feel good.
What do you do when you're not making music? Spending time with my two kids.
Tell me something I don't know about you. I have a collection of soccer jerseys that I've never worn but one day I will.
Perhaps he'll get some use out of his soccer jerseys as he watches the World Cup. Who's he rooting for? "Obviously I'm rooting for USA. It's our team. Come on." Well I had to ask. When I informed him that I preferred tea myself, he quipped with, "Stop being old and drink coffee."
Find ETC! ETC! on:
*photographer unknown. please tell me if you do.
The morning hustle and bustle
The morning hustle and bustle has officially begun. The drones line up one after another to get their daily fueling. Like gas powers a car, caffeine powers the people. They look fatigued. Her eyes are puffy. His eyes are half open. These people appear dead, out of sorts, dazed and confused. Perhaps sleep is not something these addicts have experienced. She orders dirty chai tea latte with two extra shots of espresso and four pumps of hazelnut syrup. He orders an iced vanilla coffee. I witness these behaviors because I am the scientist, watching my experiment to see how it unfolds. Will my hypothesis come true or will I have to account for variables? I don't appreciate the price of that $4 specialty drink that I could make infinitely better. After all, I too used to be a barista. I order a regular coffee but add chocolate. The poor gal's mocha. The barista didn't call "Carmen" as I expected. She instead yelled, "coffee with mocha." I add some half and half, a dash of vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa and nutmeg. Yeah, why not? I like to take risks. I can make my own specialty drink thankyouverymuch. I had originally purchased this coffee as a crutch, to support my lack of sleep from a late night with my lover. But by the time the concoction caresses my lips, I've already awakened. Just as the morning glory opens up for the dewy dawn, my mind has revived. At this point, my consumerism allows me a critically acclaimed spot in the cafe so I can have a spot to type ferociously. So here I am. At least it's Tuesday.
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