Travel Tip #51 - Saving Time & Money on Meals

     Food is an essential part of any vacation plan; yet sometimes we don't give it enough consideration when planning a trip. That could end up costing us a lot of time and money. Since most families eat about three meals a day, that equals about 21 meals on a week-long trip. Let's say that instead of planning your meals ahead of time, you decide to just eat out wherever you find a place. If an average restaurant meal is $12/person (and unless you eat fast food every meal, that is a conservative estimate), then you are looking at $144/day for a family of four. That works out to over $1000 spent on food for a week-long trip. For most families, that is a sizable chunk of their vacation budget.
     Now consider the time it takes to eat out. If you eat fast food, it might only take half an hour each meal. However, if you choose a nicer restaurant, you are looking at one hour minimum per meal; and that isn't counting the time you spend trying to decide where to eat, and wait time for popular restaurants - especially in "touristy" areas on a weekend. Those meals could take over two hours each - which is another sizable chunk of your vacation spent on food.
     Of course, there are several ways in which you can save time and money on meals with a little advance planning. As most people know, many hotels offer a complimentary breakfast included in your price. These can range anywhere from donuts and juice to buffets with fruit, eggs, bacon, sausages, waffles, toast, cereal, oatmeal and pastries. Even if you don't normally eat breakfast, it is always a good idea to take advantage of this service since it is free and will keep you from needlessly spending money on mid-morning snacks. However, since not all hotels offer free breakfasts (especially abroad), and the styles vary so dramatically from hotel to hotel, I recommend that you find out ahead of time what to expect so that you aren't unpleasantly surprised. That not only includes asking the hotel what is included, but reading the reviews. If you can't find what you're looking for, another option is to choose a hotel with a kitchenette (or at least a fridge). That way you can plan ahead of time to purchase breakfast foods that your family will enjoy and prepare a quick meal before heading out on your adventures.
     Another reason for getting a room with a fridge is to save money on lunch. When we go on trips, we usually only eat out once a day. We typically plan on having a large, sit down meal in the late afternoon, before the evening rush. Therefore, we carry around a cooler with sandwiches and snacks to tide us over from breakfast to dinner. It cuts down on time and money, and allows us to occasionally try unique restaurants that we might otherwise consider to be too pricey. In fact, we often include a few restaurants in our itinerary that we feel will make our vacation experience more memorable.