Traveling on a budget often means that the easiest thing to save money on is food. But not eating properly means you don’t have enough energy to enjoy that long hike, carry your bags to the bus station or deal with the ticket agent who thinks your ID isn’t valid.
You need to keep up your strength, energy and mental ability in order to keep on top of all the things that can happen whilst traveling. The problem is that you will likely be on a very tight budget, have to carry your food with you or be using less than standard kitchen facilities.
Share Food
One thing you can do is to share food with other travelers. People will often appreciate the offer of ingredients and conversation in exchange for a share of the meal. It means that you can get a better range of foods in your diet as well as saving money and making friends.
Read the labels
Travelers will often choose food that is cheap and easy to make, which will likely be instant noodles or tuna and pasta. The nutritional value of instant noodles is comparable to a bowl of string. Tuna and pasta is slightly better, but you need fruit and vegetables too. Try swapping the tuna for a tin of mixed beans or vegetables. I like to get a tin of stew or chili and mix it in with spaghetti. It makes a cheap, hearty meal that will fill you up after a long day on your feet.
Free food is better than no food
Some hostels have a ‘free food’ section where people leave leftover ingredients they don’t want to carry. I lived off free food and pasta for about a week once! It can offer some random meals like fried spam and vinegar or pasta and HP sauce. Don’t assume that because it’s free, it’s gone bad or is dirty. A little give and take to the free food makes traveling a lot more exciting.
Say, "No!" to fast food
For some good food while you are out and about, don’t go for fast food because it is expensive and very bad for you. You will get an energy boost after eating it, but will crash again soon after. Get some cheap, healthy and long burning energy by visiting a supermarket. Bread is great for its long burning energy, but get something thick like bagels or pita bread so it won’t get squashed in your backpack. Hummus, carrots, celery and pots of sandwich filler are cheap and healthy and can be thrown in your bag without being heavy and taking up space. You also don’t have to prepare anything, just rip and dip!
Fruit is not just for girls
Take fruit around with you as well as chocolate for energy snacks. Apples are surprisingly light and a lot cheaper than chocolate. Running day to day on just sugar and empty calories makes you tired and run down, so snacking on fruit will give you those vitamins you need.
Don’t be afraid to ask hostel staff or other travelers where the good places to eat are. If you are in a popular, expensive tourist area you will need help to find the cheaper places. Remember to keep an eye out for restaurant deals as you are out and about. Make a note of happy hour or lunchtime special times, 2-for-1 deals or student discounts. When it comes to dinner time you will be glad you wrote down the deals instead of trawling the streets and finding out you are too late to get the bargains.
So remember these tips for healthier and happier traveling
- Snack on fruit and carbohydrates
- Always carry plenty of water
- Keep a note of local restaurant deals
- Check the free food for extra ingredients
- No more noodles!
- Share share share!
