Eating Well Abroad Without Eating Expensively
Food is where travel budgets collapse fastest. A week of restaurant meals in a major European or US city can run $500–$800 per person without extravagance. The alternative is not eating badly — it is eating differently.
Eat where locals eat lunch. In most countries, the midday meal is the main meal, eaten at places catering to workers on a time and budget constraint. These restaurants serve better food than tourist-oriented dinner establishments at one-third to one-half the price. A restaurant with a handwritten specials board and no menu in multiple languages is almost always cheaper and better.
Markets over restaurants, daily. Every city of consequence has a central market. Bread, cheese, fruit, charcuterie, local pastries — a market meal assembled from vendors feeds two people for $10–$20. This is not an inferior experience; it is the best food experience in most cities.
Accommodation with a kitchen changes the economics. A kitchen means breakfast costs $2–$4 instead of $12–$20 in a hotel restaurant. It means a dinner cooked from market ingredients instead of a restaurant meal. Over a week, a kitchen saves $150–$300 for two people while delivering better food.
ATM withdrawal fees accumulate. Use a bank account with no international ATM fees (Charles Schwab’s checking account is the standard recommendation). Converting at airport kiosks or currency exchange bureaus is consistently the worst rate available.
Avoid restaurants immediately adjacent to major attractions. The premium charged for proximity to the Colosseum, Eiffel Tower, or Times Square is real and reflects nothing about food quality. Walk two blocks and prices drop significantly.
Water is not free everywhere, but it is cheap. A reusable water bottle and access to tap water (or a water filter for regions where tap is not potable) eliminates bottled water spending. In Western Europe and most of North America, tap water is safe.
The best travel food experiences are often the cheapest ones. Tourism pricing is not a quality signal.