Rachel Ray has made the concept of eating inexpensive while on vacation into a franchise. Her $40 a Day shows are great about finding hidden restaurants or local favorites and eating the best for less. You can have the same experience when you are traveling.

1. See what kind of deals your hotel offers. Some have happy hour in the lobby with free appetizers or finger foods. Some have a made to order breakfast or at least a continental breakfast for free. Some may offer coupons to near by eateries.
2. Check out the yellow pages. Look for restaurants that run specials or that have coupons in the yellow pages. Do check with the front desk before you begin cutting up their phone book.
3. Share with a friend. Some places offer a two for the price of one deal. Split the costs with a friend. If you are alone (and the hotel room has a mini-frig) then get the second meal for later.
4. Enjoy all the complimentary gatherings. The last conference I attended had a free cocktail gathering – with FOOD! I was able to enjoy the company of the other attendees and eat dinner all at the same time – and it was free.
5. Don’t large size your dinner. Look for smaller portions or just order from the sides. You don’t have to make a four course meal out of it just because it’s on the menu.
6. A doggie bag is your best friend. Eat a portion of your dinner now and save the rest for dinner or tomorrow’s lunch. Two meals (or more) for the price of one.
7. Ask the hotel staff about where you can eat for less. Sometimes there are local restaurants that offer the best deals in town.
8. Go for the familiar. There are several franchises that offer great deals – many of which you already know about from your own home town. When in doubt, go with what you know.
9. Pack as much of your own food as you can. If you are traveling by car, pack a cooler with drinks and snacks and sandwiches. If you are traveling by air, pack some bottled water and snacks (to save on costs at the hotel). If there is a mini-frig, go to the store and stock it with things instead of buying from the vending machines or the mini-bar.

Taking a trip can be an expensive venture. Eating while you are traveling can be the most expensive portion of that trip. Instead of turning away from the idea of going on that adventure because of the costs, find ways to cut the costs by being creative and frugal.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 1:34 am and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.