Vacations are supposed to be fun and relaxing, but if you’re not careful it’s easy to stress out over the high price of meals when your family is traveling.
My husband and I learned this lesson first hand on our trip to Hawaii. The night we arrived on the island, we were starving after a long day of travel. We happened upon a picnic-style buffet at our resort shortly after checking in to our room. We ordered two ice waters and happily helped ourselves to the buffet.
We were in shock when the bill came – $100 for just the two of us, no drinks!
I want to make sure something like this does happen to you, so here are some great tips for eating well on the cheap when you’re out of town.
Whether you are traveling by car or plane, pack your own snacks so you’re not paying an arm and a leg for them at airports and gas stations. Snacks like granola bars, trail mix, pretzels, apples, and dried fruit are inexpensive when you buy them ahead of time at the grocery store and are easily portable.
If you are traveling by car, make sure you’ve saved some space among the suitcases for a cooler!
Instead of blowing $25 on a fast food lunch for your family, pack some sandwiches or wraps, cut-up veggies, chips, and fruit.
Once you arrive at your destination, take your cooler up to your hotel room. Stop at a local grocery or drugstore and buy your bottled water or soda there instead of at the hotel vending machines, where you’ll pay three to four times the amount.
When you are booking your vacation, consider staying at a resort or hotel that includes breakfast with your room. Depending on the size of your family, this can save you a ton of money!
If you travel frequently, make sure you’re signed up for your favorite hotel chain’s rewards program. This can translate into free nights and upgrades, discounts on meals, and even free drinks at the hotel’s restaurant for being a rewards program member.
Since our $100 Hawaii buffet fiasco, my hubby and have made some changes to our vacation dining habits.
Make lunch your biggest meal out
The one that saves us the most money is to making lunch our biggest meal of the day.
Dining out is especially pricey in resort locations, but we still want to sample the local fare.
We frequently eat a late lunch at swanky restaurants around 2 PM. The entrees are 1/2 to 1/3 of the price at lunchtime, and the service is great because the restaurants aren’t as crowded as dinner time.
If we’re hungry in the evening, we’d find a bar or restaurant that has happy hour specials, having some drinks and appetizers at a discount.
We always try to get a hotel room with a mini-fridge and microwave, if a full-blown kitchen isn’t available. That way we can stock it with some milk, cereal, yogurt, and fruit to snack on.
I hope these tips help you to eat well without breaking the bank on your next vacation!
Use the money you save on food and drinks to do something memorable and fun, like an extra day at the amusement park, or a surfing lesson.
Christine Luken is the Financial Lifeguard and a veteran Meal Planner. She helps individuals, families, and entrepreneurs design a financial road map to help them arrive at their Preferred Financial Destination. You can find Christine’s blogs, podcasts, and videos on her Financial Lifeguard website and her Meal Planning Monday blog.