Traveling tips, on $4 or $40 a day

There are not many people who don’t have a budget when they travel, whether they want to save on travel itself, activities or accommodations. Most often it is the food budget that gets cut, since people tend to assume that they can simply eat cheap fast food rather than dining in “real” restaurants. And this, in large part, is very true. After all, you get a lot of food for a little money at fast food restaurants and you are not required to tip the servers. In addition, you get in and out very quickly, which gives you more time to pursue other activities. But fast food isn’t the only way that you can save money on vacation, and it certainly isn’t the best tasting.

If you are traveling by car, the best way to save some money is by bringing some of your own food. Save space for a small cooler somewhere in the car. You can stock it with water or soft drinks, which you might otherwise purchase at a convenience store or rest stop. You can cover the cost of a few lunches by packing a loaf of bread and jars of peanut butter and jelly, all of which will keep for several days, at least. Making your own lunch will give you extra flexibility with your dinner budget, too.

If you are going to be staying in one location for more than a few days, it is worth seeking out accommodations that will allow you to cook some of your meals. A simple spaghetti dinner eaten in instead of at a restaurant will provide a great meal at a fraction of the cost. Even a room only equipped with a refrigerator will allow you to store ingredients for a nice salad, or fruit for snacking.

Often, however, a vacation means that you will be visiting a new place and may be moving around a lot, perhaps exploring a new city on foot or staying in a series of hotels that cannot boast so much as a microwave. There will be little alternative to having most of your meals out, and the best way to eat is to find the budget-friendly middle ground between fast food and fancy food.

The trick is to find the types of restaurants that you would eat at in your own neighborhood, not the ritziest restaurants. Small diners and sandwich shops will often have great options for breakfast and lunch. Family friendly restaurants will usually have better dinner prices than other places, though many restaurants post their menus in the window if you want to take a look at the price range before you sit down. If you have a chance to plan ahead before your trip, check restaurant guide books and websites, like Chowhound for price ranges and tips on finding specific restaurants with good prices or deals. Shows like Rachael Ray’s $40 a Day have exactly the right ideas for these situations, as the point of the show is to prove to people that fast food isn’t the only dining out option on vacation. It is possible to find good, inexpensive food at local places, rather than national chains – whatever your budget may be.

You don’t break the bank at home when you eat out, so there is no reason why you cannot eat well while traveling on a budget either.