Why Is Eating Such a Big Deal When Traveling?

Some travelers don’t give a damn about what they eat. It is real! Those are people I’ve met. And every time I run across another one, I’m completely astounded.(food + travel stuff)

How can you have a want to travel and not a desire to sample its cuisine?

In Bangkok and Paris, respectively, these travelers gladly eat at Pizza Hut and McDonald’s. They don’t care where the calories originate from as long as they are being consumed.

To me, traveling is just half the experience if you don’t look for cuisine made by enthusiastic locals.

Almost everything we do as humans is centered around food.

We plan our days around the urge to eat. We usually get together with family and friends for meals. Also, special delicacies are served to bereaved families at funerals, birthday feasts, wedding feasts, and other significant events in our lives.

When we travel, we should pay close attention to the food because it can tell us a lot about the local culture.

Think about it:

What are the flavors, textures, and ingredients?
In what way is the food displayed?
Each dish’s origins—where and how—are known.
How is it consumed? Fingers, chopsticks, or forks?
What traditions surround the preparation and consumption of food?

Consider the contrast between a chilli cook-off in the southern United States and an artfully prepared plate of gourmet sushi in Japan. Folks, that is culture!

Of all, a fantastic gastronomic trip involves much more than just a mental challenge.

Nothing is more sensory-pleasing than trying a special concoction of flavors and textures that has been lovingly and expertly prepared. Every meal is different. That particular combo won’t ever happen again!

How did we develop our skills as foodie travelers?

We’ve been on the road full-time for 14 years and have eaten practically everywhere.

• Uber-hip eateries in Europe packed with savvy foodies
• Street vendors with one burner in exotic Indian cities
• small, family-run businesses in remote villages
• We used our camp stove to prepare food in quiet forests.
• Love food? INGESTING THE HOTTEST PEPPER ON EARTH

We once ate at a staff canteen in Chibi, China, thinking it was a restaurant because we were staying in stilt houses with just a charcoal fire for cooking.(food + travel stuff)

We must admit that not every dinner has been excellent. Some of them were outright terrifying, while others were so amazing that I can still recall the food’s flavor and aroma years later.

But we have learned something from every meal. We’ve learned little by little from each meal how to get the greatest meals when traveling and what not to do.

Continue reading to benefit from what we’ve learnt so far.(food + travel stuff)

Advice Before Leaving Home

Finding amazing meals while traveling begins long before we even step outside the door, especially for those of us who are exceptionally food crazy.

I admit that I can be a little lackadaisical when it comes to my pre-travel research. On the other hand, there are occasions when I meticulously plan out my meals. I learn where to find all the regional specialties by doing research on the local food.

The location of the restaurants I wish to eat at is the first criterion I use when selecting a place to stay.

Even if you don’t go that far, preparing ahead of time will help you find the best food when traveling.

Create a bucket list with images.

Kris, a member of our crew, is the consummate foodie traveler. She chooses her travel places depending on the cuisine she would encounter there. Months in advance, she begins her foodie escapades with study.

Kris stalks restaurants and foodies on Instagram for weeks at a time, salivating over their images and devouring the remarks. If something is unclear, she will even make an effort to inquire. She then stores the sexiest images in a folder on her phone.

By the time Kris departs, she has a staggering list of foods to consume while there, along with a strategy for how to fit them all in.(food + travel stuff)

Count on zealous professionals

 

Blogs are my go-to source for culinary (and other travel) advice when we are traveling to a new location.

Creating and maintaining a blog requires serious commitment and enthusiasm; blogging is not a simple business. However, unlike journalists for glitzy publications or researchers for major guidebooks, the majority of bloggers travel like regular tourists: independently, on a budget, and in pursuit of the best value.

All of this creates a strong element of trust. I have faith that other food-related travel bloggers share my love for information sharing and desire to assist others have the greatest possible travel experiences.

The greatest place to look for blog postings regarding the local cuisine is Pinterest.

Whereas Pinterest will display pieces from writers with first-hand experience, Google favors business sites created by people who have never even gone to the area.

You can locate locals’ and foodie tourists’ blog articles by simply searching for “Best food in [your destination]”.

Never rely on review websites

Although I normally think review websites and apps are pointless, they can be useful in less popular places. But be mindful that reviews on TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Happy Cow are notoriously unreliable if you must use them.

The reviews are not fraudulent; in fact, that is not frequently the case. Only some folks when it comes to writing reviews are a little insane.

You must be able to read between the lines in order to fully benefit from them.

If a reviewer says something like, “This is the best pizza I’ve ever had,” you can be relatively confident they were either intoxicated or haven’t had a lot of pizza.

Additionally, disregard the one-star ratings. Stephen and I frequently make a joke about how absurd they are.

Basically, it goes like this. “When I discovered my napkin was folded incorrectly, I was astonished. One point!” “When driving to the restaurant, I encountered a traffic delay. One point!” Anyway, we find it amusing:)

I skim the average reviews and only read the lengthy ones that are descriptive. You can usually put your trust in those people the greatest.(food + travel stuff)

Pro tip: You may browse within the reviews on TripAdvisor to see if anyone has mentioned those terms if you’re looking for specific foods, like vegan alternatives or gluten free.

Book a food tour for your first night

 

A food tour is the best way to spend your first evening in a new location if you enjoy both cuisine and culture.

Food tours involve more than just stuffing your face with the best available hidden gourmet delights (though there is a lot of that).

They provide an opportunity to discover the local food scene, connect with like-minded restaurateurs and vendors, and orient yourself in a foreign location.

Also, your guide will provide you with a wealth of advice on where to discover even more delicious meals for the remainder of your trip.

I’ve taken amazing cuisine trips all around the world and have never been let down. Incredibly time- and money-efficient!(food + travel stuff)

Advice for When You Get There

Ask around

Here is a tip that only frequent travelers are aware of. Locals frequently know very little about where they live!

Having an out-of-town house guest introduce you to the best things in your community is undoubtedly something you’ve experienced. I am positive we have!

Hence, there is a significant proviso when we advise asking the locals. Don’t just rely on any local to tell you where to dine. They will frequently advise you to visit the town’s busiest tourist eatery. Yuck.

Choose carefully who you ask.

When it comes to recommendations for restaurants, tour guides are among the most helpful people. You can get terrific advice from Airbnb hosts about their favorite restaurants. They won’t mind promoting a rival restaurant if you’re currently dining at theirs. Waiters and bartenders are also excellent providers of gratuities.

Second, be clear in your requests.

 

Try requesting information about a particular regional specialty, such as “Who serves the best pizza rustica in town?” rather than “Where should we go for lunch?” You’ll receive the most intriguing and sincere responses if you do that.(food + travel stuff)

Dine with the locals

 

Even though we’ve frequently been invited to locals’ homes for dinner, we turn them down because it’s not always a good idea to go to a total stranger’s house!

There is, fortunately, a fantastic, secure method to eat with locals.

Eatwith is the Airbnb of food, bringing together locals who enjoy cooking and visitors who enjoy eating!

The range of hosts includes everything from highly accomplished professional chefs to amateur food aficionados. Several hosts invite you inside their homes for discussion and delectable cuisine, and the locations are equally alluring.

Have a back-up plan

This advice complements the previous one. If you’re a traveler who takes their cuisine seriously, you don’t want to take any chances.

Make sure you have a Plan B if you are going to a particular restaurant. I lost count of how many times we’ve been on our way to a tasty treat only to:

• being unable to locate the location
• The establishment is closed.
• We find the establishment so unwelcoming or congested that we wish to dine elsewhere.

So, I always attempt to prepare a close-by backup plan in case my original plan doesn’t work out.

Get off the beaten track

It’s simple to eat at the first restaurant you see that appears promising, whether it’s on a main street or in front of a well-known tourist destination.

Tourists frequently fill up these restaurants. These are frequently the most well-liked restaurants on TripAdvisor due to their location, even though the food is at best average.

It should go without saying that avoiding popular tourist spots will improve your chances of finding superior food.

But if you completely avoid tourist hotspots, you’ll have even better, more intriguing eating experiences. Visit an area where only locals reside. Go to a tiny settlement you’ve never heard of.

While there are many fantastic restaurants in Torino, Italy, where we spent three months last year, we had the nicest meals in a family-run restaurant in a nearby tiny village.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is one way to find the food experiences of your dreams.(food + travel stuff)

Seek out locals

Locals frequent restaurants that are crowded with them because the cuisine is so wonderful that they keep coming back and bringing friends.

However, what if you eat a little bit early or a little bit later and nobody is there? Seek out further popularity indicators.

Are the employees cleaning and preparing for the upcoming rush, or are they just lazily sitting there staring at their phones? Are the staff members cleaning up after a busy mealtime, or are the tables cleared and immaculate?

It took us a while to realize that the greatest cuisine in town could be found at the eateries with the most trash on the floor while we were riding across rural China. Customers frequently dispose of napkins and other trash on the floor in tiny Chinese restaurants rather than placing it in trash cans.

At the end of the day, everything is cleaned up, but when the restaurant was open, it was obvious that many people had eaten there.

Even if you dine after typical mealtimes, you can find good food if you learn to recognize the telltale signals of a busy restaurant.

Tips To Use at the Restaurant

Ordering on Instagram

 

It’s still possible to have a poor lunch even if you’ve discovered the perfect restaurant. If you’re anything like me, choosing what to get is so difficult because menu descriptions are rarely thorough enough to give you a true understanding of what you’re eating.

I present to you my favorite Instagram post to date.

Find their Instagram account if you’re in a well-known restaurant. If you’re lucky, their cuisine will be beautifully photographed, so you can see exactly what to expect. The waiter can then be asked which photo you want by just pointing at it.

Make a food tour

Choose them all if you have too many restaurant selections at your destination and are unsure of where to eat. There is nothing I love more than going on a food crawl with Stephen when we are in a city like London.

In the first several meals, we divided a main course while sharing an appetizer. We finally move on to another location for dessert. When we’ve had a chance to sample several locations, we frequently go back to the best one the following day for a substantial supper.

Tips for Eco-Friendly Eating

Eat local

Food is a window into culture, and local agriculture and production are frequently the foundation of regional culinary traditions.

When you’re traveling, choose eateries that serve regional specialties because they’re more likely to use regional foods.

Even though it might be tempting to order the Australian Wagyu beef, it makes no sense to eat food from other countries when there is so much good food right in front of you. Avoid the bland “Western” meal and try one of the many different local foods that are offered.

Eat in

It can be tempting to order food delivery to your hotel if you’ve been out sightseeing all day. The issue is that each dish is packaged separately in boxes and bags, all of which are thrown away. Even if you’re fatigued, go to a restaurant and dine there rather than using takeout containers to add to the waste stream.

It will also improve your travel experience because you won’t be binge-watching Netflix in the evenings.

Don’t over-order

One of the main causes of pollution and climate change is food production. We can’t stop eating, but we can cut back on how much food is produced and subsequently wasted on our behalf.

We observe folks leaving half-eaten plates of food left when they leave almost every time we go out to dine.

I understand. It might be challenging to choose how much food to order while dining at a restaurant for the first time.

Start by placing the smallest order you anticipate needing, and if that isn’t enough when the food arrives, simply place a second order. This is a terrific method to slow down your supper so you can enjoy every bite while also saving the environment and your budget.

One last thing about foodie travel

Although having new culinary experiences is crucial when traveling, there is a limit! When the meal I’m served is subpar, pricey, or just not what I felt like eating that day, I’ve had some incredibly grumpy times when traveling.

I’m not pleased with it!

No matter how well you prepare, not every eating adventure will be a success. On some days, eating some calories will have to take precedence over choosing the perfect meal. It’s just the nature of travel.

But if you prepare ahead of time, ask around, and exercise a little courage, you’ll almost certainly create a few unforgettable food memories that you’ll cherish forever.