How To Save Money On Food When You’re On Vacation

Saving on food is just one way to stretch your budget.

For more ways to do so, check out our How To Travel On A Budget post, filled with tons of money-saving tips for your next vacation.

How To Save Money On Food When You’re On Vacation

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Easy Ways To Save Money On Food While Traveling

Before you even think about what you’re going to eat, it’s good to think about ways to stretch your budget.

A little preplanning, like downloading mobile apps and setting a budget, can really help.

Set A Daily Food Budget

Having a budget on vacation doesn’t sound that fun. But, it can be really helpful because it is really easy to overspend, especially on food, without realizing it.

So, set a daily budget before you leave. Then, when you’re away and deciding what to eat, keep it within that pre-determined number.

If you want a more expensive meal, maybe order water instead of alcohol to go with it. Then, have a nightcap back at your hotel room.

Or, if you eat a cheaper meal, you can stop at that doughnut shop on the way back home.

Frugal tip: If you are setting a daily budget, allow yourself to carry any leftover money into the next day so you can save one day to splurge the next. But, don’t borrow from the future for today’s meals.

Use Rewards Programs And Mobile Apps For Discounts

Almost every fast food restaurant has a mobile app now. And so many of them offer discounts in those apps.

Now, a lot of travelers will tell you not to visit chains when you’re on vacation because you can have that food at home. And that’s true. You can.

But, if you’re looking for something quick to eat when you’re driving to your destination or if you want to grab a coffee on the way back to the hotel, fast food often wins.

So download the apps and see what great deals you can find.

Don’t stop with a restaurant’s app, though. Upside, popular for its cash back on gas, also has restaurant deals. Open the app when you’re on your trip and you’ll see local restaurants in the area. Click “claim offer” and you’ll get a percentage back in your Upside account.

Frugal tip: Some chains offer a discount if you join their loyalty program. I signed up for Parlor Doughnuts’ when we were in Nashville and got $5 as a welcome. We used that to get a doughnut and coffee for just $2.

Pay With Cash

Some restaurants will charge you a fee for the convenience of paying with a credit card, but won’t charge you that fee if you pay with cash.

The price on the menu is the price, but you’ll see a fee added onto your bill if you pay with a credit, debit, or gift card (like a VISA gift card, not a restaurant’s gift card). So, to save the fee, pay with cash.

Now, I don’t think it’s a good idea to carry large amounts of cash on you when you’re on vacation, but paying with cash to save is an option if you really need to stretch your budget.

Frugal tip: Before your pay, ask your server if there’s an upcharge for using a credit card. If there’s not, pay with your card to get credit card points. If there is, pay with cash.

Simple Tips To Eat Cheap on Vacation

When you’re on your trip, you want to focus on where you’re getting your food (snacks from home, premade grocery store meals, etc.) to stretch your budget.

Bring Your Own Meals for Travel Days

Traveling is never a surprise, so you’re able to prepare for it. And one of the ways I do that is by making meals for our travel day.

I always pack sandwiches if we’re going on a road trip, so we can eat them in the car when we’re hungry rather than having to find somewhere to stop.

I do the same thing when we fly, too, so we can have lunch or dinner at the gate while we’re waiting to board rather than ordering something expensive at an airport restaurant.

Pack Your Own Snacks

On our last trip to Japan, Pete and I decided we would just eat and drink everything we wanted and not worry about the cost.

But, I still packed snacks for when we were out sightseeing and weren’t able to stop and grab something to eat.

When we go on weekend road trips, I love packing large bags of chips or popcorn that we can snack on when we’re sitting in the hotel room.

And when we fly, I always pack a couple snacks (granola bars, nuts, fruit, etc.) for the plane so we don’t have to overpay at the airport convenience stores or from the in-flight menu.

Bring Your Own Drinks

A great savings tip is to pack your own drinks. That way, you don’t have to buy drinks at the hotel’s bar or vending machine, where they’re probably more expensive.

This can be any type of drinks, too.

When we go to Las Vegas, we always stop at a drugstore on the strip and pick up bottled cold coffee. Then, in the morning, we drink that — which is a lot cheaper than heading to the Starbucks in the casino.

Of course, you can stop at bars, breweries, or coffee shops on your trip. And you should. But, stick to your own drinks when you’re unwinding in the hotel room.

Pack A Cooler With Food

When I was growing up, our annual family vacations were camping every summer. We went with a large group and all the families would pack coolers with meats to grill, drinks, stuff for breakfasts, etc.

It was so much easier than spending part of vacation putting together a shopping list, finding a grocery store, and going shopping. Plus, you could buy what you needed on sale at your supermarket instead of paying full price when you got on vacation.

If you’re staying in a hotel, not a campground, you can still pack a cooler. You can bring sandwiches and fruit from home so you don’t have to buy lunch.

Most hotels will have an in-room refrigerator, so you can unpack your cooler when you check in. If not, you can keep everything in your cooler and use the hotel’s ice maker to fill it up with ice to keep your food cold.

Make Simple Meals In Your Hotel Room

Some hotels (especially extended stay hotels) have a full kitchen with pots and pans, a stove top, and a dishwasher. If you book one, you can bring your own ingredients and cook at the hotel. That way, you’re only spending money on ingredients, not full meals.

Even better, if you followed our tip to pack a cooler with food, you don’t even have to grocery shop on your trip.

You can do this if you book an Airbnb too. Some Airbnb rentals have ingredients for you to use, like spices, which means you don’t have to buy or bring them.

Don’t limit it to just making big meals in your room. My mom and I stayed at an Airbnb once, bought peaches from a local farm, and made Peach Hand Pies for dessert one night instead of having dessert out in town.

Frugal tip: A room with a kitchenette is just one of the amenities we look for when we’re comparing hotels. Our hotel amenities save you money when traveling post is filled with everything we look for to stretch our travel budget.

Have Breakfast At The Hotel

I’m a big fan of booking a hotel with a complimentary breakfast. That way, you can have a meal without an extra cost when you’re on your trip.

When you’re booking, look under the hotel’s amenities for the mention of breakfast. Some will offer a hot breakfast, some a continental breakfast, and some won’t offer one at all.

When we booked our hotel in San Antonio, I paid an extra $4.50 a day for us to have breakfast at the hotel. That got us a full, sit down breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant — complete with the best coffee we’ve had in a hotel.

If you eat enough or eat late enough, you might be able to skip lunch, which means that’s another meal you don’t have to pay for.

Frugal tip: Don’t forget about your coffee. Having it at breakfast, or just grabbing a free cup in the hotel’s lobby, saves you from spending a ton at a coffeeshop. Plus, we have a great way to make a mocha in a hotel.

Use The Hotel’s Barbecue Grills

During our wedding, we blocked off rooms at a hotel with a barbecue grill in its outdoor area. Use of the grill was available on a first come, first serve basis. But luckily, we were the first (and only) group there on the Thursday before our wedding.

So, as our guests were arriving at the hotel, they would join us outside for hamburgers, hot dogs, and drinks. My dad manned the grill, and it was a great way to say hi and hang out. Plus, it saved people from having to go out to dinner after traveling all day, which saved them all money.

We stayed at a hotel in Japan with a grill, which was great because we were traveling with over 30 people and it was easier to have everyone find a seat in the hotel’s barbecue area than in a restaurant. And it was cheaper for us all to eat that way too.

Shop At Local Grocery Stores For Cheap Meals

There were a few times when we stayed at hotels that shared a parking lot with grocery stores, and those really saved us.

Some nights, we were hungry but too tired to go out for a full meal. So, I took a quick walk over to the grocery store for fried chicken and a packaged salad. I brought that back to our hotel and we had a cheap meal in our pajamas.

The grocery store is definitely cheaper than a restaurant, so if you can replace one daily meal with something from the grocery store, you’ll easily stretch your budget with little effort.

How To Save Money At Restaurants On Vacation

You don’t have to avoid restaurants when you’re on vacation. In fact, we suggest the opposite. Check out as many as you can. Go to all the tourist trap restaurants. But, go in with a little bit of a strategy.

Eat Lunch Out Instead Of Dinner

Dinner is usually more expensive than lunch because the portions are bigger, so restaurants charge more. So, if you have your heart set on a restaurant, go for lunch instead of dinner. That way, you’ll be able to experience it for less money.

Lunch is usually a shorter meal, too. So, that means less lingering, which means less money spent on extra drinks while you’re sitting and talking.

Restaurants are usually slower in the afternoon too, so many offer happy hour deals with cheaper appetizers to lure in customers. So, you might be able to get a few apps for the same price that you’d pay for a full meal.

Share Meals

When Pete and I were in Nashville, I really wanted to try hot chicken. So, we did. And each time, we split a chicken sandwich and a side.

Honestly, that was more than enough food to fill us for lunch.

So, if you don’t want a huge lunch, or you notice the restaurant serves large portions, split a meal.

That way, you’re only paying for one meal for two people and can use that savings to buy a fun treat later.

Purchase Discount Restaurant Certificates

When you’re visiting a new town, you can get restaurant recommendations from the front desk or a local friend.

Then, head over to restaurant.com and see if there are any discount certificates for that restaurant. The site is such an easy way to save a significant amount on your bill.

Locally, we have a site called the Save30Store that sells 30% off vouchers for many local businesses, including restaurants, that you can use towards your bill. It’s one of the best ways to save on your meal.

Many other metro cities have similar local sites, so a quick Google search before your trip can help you save.

Limit Restaurant Meals To One Per Day

When you’re on vacation, you feel like every meal needs to be out at a restaurant. But that can really get expensive. So, limit yourself to one each day. Sit down, figure out where you want to go, then decide when you want to go there.

You don’t have to skip meals in this scenario, but you do have to do a little planning.

Eat breakfast at the hotel, then have lunch out, and maybe eat leftovers at the hotel for dinner. Or, grab a quick to go lunch at the grocery store and have dinner out.