How to Eat Cheap When You Travel the World (Updated 2025)

I like to eat.

In actual fact, consuming is one among my favourite actions, and likewise one among my favourite features of touring.

Meals is such an integral a part of so many cultures that to skip out on meals whenever you journey is to overlook out on part of the journey expertise.

I’m all the time dissatisfied once I meet vacationers who cook dinner all their meals in a hostel kitchen or spend a lot of their time simply getting meals at grocery shops.

I imply, don’t get me improper, grocery shops and markets educate you a large number about a spot. And also you don’t must eat out for each meal.

However why come to Italy to cook dinner pasta in your hostel? Or skip a sushi dinner in Japan or paella in Spain?

In fact, consuming out on a regular basis is dear. Think about when you ate out each day whereas at dwelling — your meals funds can be astronomical! And, when you’re touring long run (or simply on a good funds), it’s a must to take into consideration making your cash final.

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

To verify 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 method to economize. Right here’s how you can eat out on a funds when you journey the world:

1. Comply with the 5 Block Rule

I stay by what I name The 5 Block Rule. I don’t eat inside 5 blocks of a serious vacationer attraction or space. I merely stroll in any route and seek for a spot to eat once I hit 5 blocks. There’s an invisible line at this space: vacationers don’t go previous it. Hastily you discover that the crowds are gone, and that’s whenever you need to begin wanting.

Positive, you would possibly discover a good meal in a vacationer space, however you’ll discover a higher, cheaper meal exterior it. Go the place the menus aren’t in a number of languages. Go to these little tiny gap within the wall locations that you’re uncertain about. The meal may not knock your socks off every time however will probably be a memorable and extra native expertise.

2. Use Native Data

If you’re uncertain of the place to eat (and don’t like the thought of randomly wandering into eating places), attempt apps the place locals publish opinions. I take advantage of them typically to seek out suggestions for meals within the cities and cities I go to. You can too ask the vacationer workplace or the workers at your hostel/lodge or taxi drivers, who are likely to eat at cheaper meals stalls. They may have good suggestions. In any case, native staff aren’t going to eat within the vacationer space!

My two favourite apps are Yelp and The Forokay. For vegan and vegetarian suggestions, take a look at Happy Cow.

3. Ask The Proper Query

You should definitely ask locals the query, “The place do you eat?” not “The place ought to I eat?” In the event you ask individuals the second query, most individuals will suppose to ship you to the favored eating places vacationers go to as a result of that shall be what involves thoughts. They’ll suppose, “Hmmm the place do guests go eat? What’s common on the town?”

Nevertheless, by asking the place they eat, you’re going to get suggestions for extra native eating places as a result of they are going to inform you all the opening within the wall spots they eat at on a day-to-day foundation. Small phrase change, a lot better outcomes.

4. Eat Road Meals

In most locations around the globe (and particularly in Asia), the streets are lined with little meals stalls and areas the place meals is cooked overtly on the road. You seize a plate, sit down in a bit plastic chair, and revel in a scrumptious meal. Road meals is a number of the greatest meals on the planet. Meals at road stalls and distributors value only a few {dollars} (if that) more often than not and are a good way to essentially expertise the native delicacies.

Whereas in Sweden, I lived off a lot of these distributors. In Amsterdam, FEBO and their croquettes saved 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.

Many locations, like Thailand and Vietnam, for instance, wouldn’t be the identical if the road meals disappeared. (And sure, it’s secure. The locals wouldn’t eat it in any other case.)

5. Eat Quick Meals (Generally)

Quick meals isn’t the most effective meals, however it’s an alternative choice if you’d like an affordable meal in cheap components of the world. For as little as $5 USD (extra in costly nations like Norway, dwelling of the $13 Whopper), you will get a filling (and massively caloric) meal.

Positive, it’s not the best meals, and I’m going to skip the philosophical debate about touring around the globe solely to eat McDonald’s to say that it’s low cost and simply one other method that will help you rein in your spending.

6. Keep on with Native Elements

While you’ve been touring for some time, it’s solely regular to crave a style of dwelling every so often. That signifies 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 desire a burger. And that’s OK.

Nevertheless, non-local meals is sort of 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 thrice as a lot (or extra!). Attempt to keep on with the native delicacies as a lot as attainable and likewise attempt to keep away from any meals that’s imported as that may enhance the value of your meal too!

7. Discover the Lunch Specials

Many eating places, particularly in Europe, provide lunch specials, the place gadgets on the dinner menu are provided at an enormous low cost. You may get an incredible afternoon meal for a fraction of the associated fee you’d pay for a similar meal within the night.

I often are likely 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’d pay at dinner. The choices will often be extra restricted, however the financial savings greater than justify it.

Sadly, there isn’t a one web site the place yow will discover all of the eating places on the planet that provide lunch specials. They differ from metropolis to metropolis and area to area. What you are able to do apart from wander aimlessly across the metropolis in hopes of discovering a spot (although I’ve accomplished that) is to ask the vacationer workplace or the workers at your hostel/lodge in the event that they know the place to seek out lunch specials. They’re often very conscious of what locations have specials.

8. Deliver a Refillable Water Bottle

As you stroll round and sightsee, it is advisable to keep hydrated. However shopping for a bottle of water each day will not be solely environmentally wasteful, it additionally makes silly funds journey sense. Carry a refillable bottle of water (with a filter) with you as a substitute and simply use the faucet water. I recommend a Lifestraw bottle. It ensures your water is all the time clear and secure — even when the faucet water isn’t.

9. Prepare dinner 50% of Your Meals

I don’t cook dinner rather a lot on the highway as I don’t like hostel kitchens. They by no means have all the things I would like, and I hate touring with a conveyable kitchen so I can have all of the elements I would like. But when I’m in a single place for some time (or if I’m Couchsurfing), I cook dinner a number of meals.

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

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

10. Have a Picnic

One other good choice is to picnic. That is one thing I do rather a lot for lunch if I’m someplace the place the climate is sweet. I often head to a neighborhood meals market, decide up a bunch of meals, and go picnic within the park. Not solely am I saving cash (sandwiches aren’t costly), nevertheless it affords me a great probability to observe the locals scurry about their day by day lives.

In the event you’re staying at a hostel, it is a nice ice-breaker for assembly new individuals. Simply invite everybody alongside to hitch you and also you’ll be making new buddies very quickly!

11. Use Tourism Playing cards

Most individuals consider vacationer playing cards just like the iAmsterdam card or the Oslo Cross as only a method to economize on transportation and sights. However these playing cards additionally provide reductions at many eating places. Sometimes, reductions are round 15–25%, however typically lunch specials will be as much as 50% off.

Go to the native tourism workplace whenever you arrive and ask what meals reductions are included. Likelihood is you’ll have the ability to save much more cash when you simply take the time to study concerning the tourism move. It’s a worthwhile funding!

12. Get Free Breakfast

If yow will discover hostels or resorts that embrace breakfast, you’ve already eradicated the price of one meal. Plus, when you have an enormous breakfast that fills you up for a lot of the day then you definately don’t must eat as many meals out. Furthermore, many hostels around the globe additionally provide free dinners, free espresso and tea, and different food-related perks. Search them out to economize and decrease your meals prices.

13. Eat The place the College students Do

The place there are universities, there are college students, and since college students are often broke, meaning there are seemingly low cost locations to eat close by. Verify Google Maps for native post-secondary establishments and see what yow will discover within the close by space. Many bars within the space will seemingly have low cost drinks and comfortable hours too, so it can save you much more.

Moreover, use Google to seek for locations. Kind in “Pupil pleasant eating places in [X]” to get plenty of options on the place to eat. You can too ask your lodge/hostel for info too.

14. Use Grocery store Offers

In lots of nations, supermarkets provide lunchtime specials for staff within the surrounding areas. These often entail contemporary sandwiches or some soup or salads. Moreover, many supermarkets additionally low cost meals that expires quickly, together with bread, baked items, meat, and produce. For instance, pre-made meals in Japan are sometimes 50% off proper earlier than the grocery retailer closes as a result of they will’t maintain it in a single day. Tight meals legal guidelines in Scandinavia additionally imply that meals that has “expired” is discounted too. (And, since meals, particularly imported meats, are so costly in these nations, most locals purchase the “expired” meals).

Purchase groceries within the night and you’ll seemingly end up some discounted (however nonetheless completely secure and edible) meals.

***I like a pleasant restaurant. I don’t thoughts paying cash for a great meal with a pleasant glass of wine. However doing that EVERY meal is just too costly.

However, through the use of the ideas above, I can afford to maintain my prices down whereas nonetheless with the ability to afford a top quality meal on occasion.

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

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