Food is an important factor when choosing a travel destination – a majority of travelers would agree. According to a study of 50,000 users around the world, 61% are willing to choose a travel destination if it’s known for great Street food. More than a third (34%) of global travelers (for millennials this number rises to 40%) plan to take a gastronomic tour. And today I’m going to tell you more about the top reasons why food will always be top of the travel agenda.
Clearly, travelers’ appetites are only growing. Nearly half (49%) of those surveyed (60% among millennials) want to be bolder in their food choices on vacation. One way to achieve this is to try local cuisine. Two-thirds (64%) of users plan to eat more traditional foods while traveling.
Breakfasts While Traveling
When traveling, we prefer to choose hotels where breakfast is already included in the price. And the most ideal breakfast for us is the one organized in a buffet system. There is always porridge, which my husband prefers, pancakes, muffins, cheesecakes, which I prefer, fruit, granola, milk, which our daughter loves. So, the first reason why we love the buffet is the choice.
The second reason is no less important – it is impossible to go hungry after such a breakfast. Even if there isn’t an impressive variety, there is always volume. The main task is to eat in the morning so that for a few hours you won’t even think about eating.
Two Meals A Day
When we travel, we most often eat two meals. Perhaps this scheme of eating left me from my work in a travel agency, when I accompanied excursion groups. This is a classic of the genre – all tour groups on multi-day trips eat twice. The first meal is breakfast, the second is a late lunch.
How to Eat Street Food While Traveling?
Street food or fast food is not only an inexpensive and quick way to eat but also an introduction to the national cuisine and customs of the country. But to avoid digestive problems, after tasting unfamiliar dishes, it is worth observing the following rules.
1. If you bought last-minute tours, then before the trip to go through websites or blogs about travel and learn information about the street food of the country where you are going on vacation. Learn where to buy it, look at pictures, how it looks like, from what products it is prepared.
2. If you fear for the body, afraid of its inadequate response to unfamiliar food, try similar fast food in the city or at least the ingredients from which it is prepared street food.
If you have food allergies, before eating unfamiliar food, find out what it is made of. You can write on a piece of paper beforehand the names of the foods that you are not allowed to eat, and next to the Russian names make a translation into the language of the country where you are going on a trip. This sheet, if necessary, can be shown to the chef.
4. Reorganize your eating habits, eat at a time when the locals are eating. Meal patterns vary from country to country, for example, Americans eat lunch at 12 o’clock, while in Asia lunch is an hour earlier, at 11 o’clock, Spaniards sit down to eat lunch at 2 o’clock. This regime change will keep you from buying foods that aren’t fresh.
5. The long lines also indicate that the food here is really good. Look closely at who is standing in line, if the locals, and even children or the elderly, then you can definitely trust this vendor.
6. Buy food in the open kitchens. Here you can watch the cook, see the whole process of cooking, and will be confident in the safety of food.
7. Under no circumstances buy in trays, where they cook on a dirty surface, and even in dishes of dubious cleanliness. Look closely at the sellers, whether they comply with hygiene measures, whether they take food with their bare hands to give it to the buyer. Whether cutlery is clean.
8. The smaller the assortment of goods, the more assurance that the food is fresh.
9. Always have disinfectant wipes on hand and wipe cutlery with them before you eat. Although they are clean, the water in many countries does not meet the standards for purity, and dishes are washed in this water.
10. If the taste of the dish seemed strange to you, do not eat, you do not know how this your meal may end. For example, you know that the dish is served hot, but you were served it cold, which means that the expiration date of this product has already expired.
11. Make sure the food is not raw, undercooked, or has an unpleasant odor.
12. Try not to drink local water sold in trays or drinks on ice. It is not known how pure this water is and whether it is free of dangerous bacteria.
13. Wash your fruit only with water that does not cause concern.
Why Eat at A Cafe Rather Than Order A Costco Sandwich Trays And Tea in A Hotel Room?
First of all, everyone likes to eat well and deliciously. What is there to hide? And if you at home can have a breakfast of sandwiches and cottage cheese in the morning, then eat also in a trip does not agree. Travel and living are opposite things. Travel for all is a holiday, an escape from everyday life.
Secondly, if you want to get to know a city, you have to get to know it from all sides. Without gastronomic exploration, you will never get to know the city and its people. Walk around, have fun, see the sights! You can’t get to know the city without it, you can’t feel the spirit. Those who go to cafes in different cities will understand me.
That’s It!
Food is so integrated into many of the world’s cultures that it is impossible to ignore this aspect. And if you go to restaurants with exclusively familiar food when you travel, you lose a huge chunk of the pleasure of travel. I always feel sorry for travelers who constantly cook such familiar food in hostel kitchens, avoiding experimentation. Come to Italy and not try pasta? No sushi in Japan? No steak in Argentina? Pass by the paella in Spain? You’re out of your mind!
Many travelers have the idea firmly planted in their heads that it’s expensive to buy cooked food all the time. Eat like that for a week and you’ll go broke. Even though I mostly travel as a backpacker, I don’t cook in the kitchen all the time like I’m expected to. And I hope now you understand why most people travel for food after all.
