10 Ways To Save Money On Food Around The World
Traveling across the world and trying out different cuisines is the most exciting part of traveling. You get to treat your taste buds with different delicacies and experience their culture’s flavor. The food of any place or country is the representation of its culture. However, eating out every day might become harsh on your budget, so there are a few tips and tricks to save a few bucks and spend it on other things like shopping or any adventure activities you want to check out.
Quick Bites From Street Food
Whether in India or abroad, the street food from the street markets is the best part of any country or city. When you are low on budget, or you have been to a lot of fine dining restaurants, and now you just want to have a taste of the local food, you can always rely on street markets. They are mostly ready to eat, don’t take much time to prepare, and are always cheap. Grabbing hotdogs, burgers, fries, momos, and other local dishes is not only delicious but also pocket friendly.
Bus Stops, Railway Stations and Airports are a Big No!
If you have worked or know someone who works or has worked at airports, bus stops or railway stations, you must be aware of how much money they make. The best way to earn money is to open these shops and see how your wallet won’t be able to hold all the money. The point is that the shops at stations, bus stops and airports charge extremely high prices because it is more convenient for travelers to buy from these places than go out of their way to buy stuff. It is advisable to avoid buying from here so that you can save a lot of money by not spending a fortune on just a small packet of chips.
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Hit The Street Market
If you are planning to cook and looking for an affordable place to buy stuff for cooking, then street markets are your safest bet. They are cheap and affordable, so you can buy plenty of things required for cooking your meal, and it would still be way cheaper than the restaurant bill you would have paid if you had ordered the same meal. It would be a smart choice to buy stuff from the street market.
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Don’t Hesitate To Ask
Well, if you are absolutely broke or you are stressed about how you are going to manage the rest of your days, then you can wait till the time the restaurant closes, and you can ask the owner or the manager if there is food. Usually, leftovers are thrown away by the end of the day, so there is a possibility that you can get free food here. This should be your last resort when you have no other option but to wait till the end of the day.
Get Yourself A Friend
The best thing you can do while in a foreign land is to get friendly with people. I would suggest you make a friend and there is a high possibility that you can save money. Usually, people are pretty friendly, warm and welcoming. When you make a friend, there is a high possibility that he or she will invite you for a meal at their place, which may be just a friendly gesture for them but for you, it would be free food, which you are looking for.
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Find A Shelter
If you are an Indian, you are aware of bhandaras. Bhandaras are when someone decides to give out free food at a particular place as an initiative to feed the poor, but a lot of people take advantage of it and eat as much free food as their stomach allows. Similarly, in other countries, there are shelters that give away free food to hungry people. You can visit these shelters and eat there as well.
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Go Local
The most important thing you should know is that the local food of any place will always be less expensive than the other cuisines. Even if you are sitting in a restaurant and you order one local dish and a non-local dish, you will come to know that the cost of the local dish is less than the non-local one. For instance, if you have taken a Spiti Valley Tour Package and you order thukpa and biryani, you would notice that thukpa is cheaper than biryani because it is the local dish of Spiti Valley. It doesn’t make sense to eat something you can get anywhere and not try the local cuisine of the particular place. So if you are planning to eat at the lowest price possible, try the local food of that particular place. The best part is you get to taste the authentic flavour of the country because why would you move to a foreign land only to order food that you can find anywhere else?
Say No To Snacking
We usually don’t count snacking as an expense because there is barely any cost. This is where you are wrong. A soda here and there, candies, toffees, and gelatos can pile up your small pennies into one considerable amount, and you wouldn’t know. Try snacking a little less and focus more on the food that fills your stomach.
See Where The Kids Are Eating
If you think about your situation, then who do you think can relate? If you are thinking about kids or school/college students, you couldn’t be more correct. Usually, these students have very little money, which they usually spend wisely because they have to manage their entire month with their pocket money. You can spot schools or colleges nearby and see for yourself where exactly the kids are eating. You are one hundred per cent going to get affordable food and quite a tasty one because kids usually know the best pocket-friendly places.
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Refill Your Water Bottle
This might feel like a tiny matter to take care of but trust me, you can save a lot of money by just re-filling your bottle. Suppose you have to buy a bottle of water every time you feel thirsty, and most of the time, you forget the bottle somewhere, and then you repurchase it, only to lose it again. To avoid spending on the water bottle every time you feel thirsty, you can just re-fill it and save money that you would be spending unnecessarily on water bottles.
Conclusion
To sum up, there are plenty of ways to eat around the world without spending too much on the food. You can try these simple tricks to save a few bucks and use them for something else. Street food, local food and eating out in shelters will definitely be worth it. All you need is a bit of clever thinking and courage to know what you want and no hesitation in asking for it.
