Whether it was taking a prequel trip to Ireland in which I met some of my now life-long best friends, living in a townhouse with 7 ladies in London with an adorable kitchen allowing me to cook, or traveling to parts of the world I had never seen before, there were a lot of moments I needed someone to pinch me to say the least.
While I certainly ate and drank my way through Europe and the UK, being able to cook also saved me pounds/euros. For the most part, when traveling, my friends and I would book places to stay via Airbnb. Not only was it cheaper but everywhere we stayed had a kitchen. Of course when traveling to destinations like Madrid, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Paris, Nice and so forth, you want to eat your way through each city. However, when studying abroad every weekend seems like another worldly adventure, making it impossible to always follow the mantra of eating it all. So how did I compromise? I cooked.
Here are some of my own tips of how to eat well and wise while abroad:
- Stay in places with a kitchen = Airbnb.
- Right when you arrive to your destination, take a quick spin through a grocery store and grab a couple of food items such as a yogurt, fruit, bread, cheese and cheap wine.
- Unlike in America, in other parts of the world there are tons of specialty food stores that sell food that you would pay 2X the cost for in a restaurant. For example, while walking through the tight streets of Nice, France I saw a small shop selling fresh pasta. Doing my best to communicate to the lady running the store, I bought these delicate raviolis and a small container of their pesto, brought them back to our Airbnb and made myself a restaurant quality dinner ... well almost.
- Don’t plan to eat out for every meal. When you plan to go and explore the nightlife, use the kitchen to make dinner. Some of my favorite nights abroad were spent cooking a simple but satisfying meal for my friends, knocking down a couple of bottles of wine, and then going out. Doing this saved us a lot of money and made traveling a lot more doable.
- Allow for a bit of uncertainty. So much of a being abroad is just living in the moment and going with the flow.
- When you do go out to eat, don’t settle for convenience. Touristy spots are often more expensive and in the long run you’ll regret not walking that extra couple of blocks looking for an unforgettable meal.
- Take pictures of your food in moderation. A quick snap is acceptable in my book but if you don’t get the money shot after the first minute fuhgeddaboutit! I love nothing more to look back at all I ate, but I never ate with the intention of instagram likes.
- Enjoy every moment of your travels.