Food can constitute a large part of your summer travel budget. Here are some tips to help save money on that expense.
Get a free breakfast. If prices are similar, choose a hotel that offers a good breakfast, and eat up. If the meal is substantial, call it brunch and skip lunch. Eating a big (free) breakfast at the hotel will give you all day to have fun without taking time out to eat lunch — saving you time and money. Eat filling foods like oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit.
When breakfast isn’t free. If you weren’t able to score a free hotel breakfast, don’t worry. Lots of breakfast foods can be kept in your hotel room before you leave for the day. Muffins or prepackaged breakfast bars are great choices. Even cereal works if you can head down to the hotel coffee shop and get a glass of milk. If you are lucky enough to have a fridge in your room then you can expand to yogurt or fruit. Also, breakfast at a restaurant is usually the cheapest meal of the day. Follow the same advice as above and make those eggs do double duty. Eat a nice big breakfast and skip lunch.
Save at restaurants. On days you leave the hotel early or go light on breakfast, consider making lunch your major meal. Lunch prices are often a lot cheaper than dinner prices at the same restaurant, and you get the same ambiance. Get the most out of your meal by avoiding alcoholic beverages. Get water instead. Not only is it healthier — it’s usually free. Ask your server if you can have the water bottle filled before you leave. Most places are happy to do so. When traveling with a family, those sodas can really add up quick.
Carry snacks and water. Hikers and runners use hydration packs that are also perfect for travel. Hydration packs are backpacks that you can fill with water, then they have a straw-like tube from which you can drink . Perfect for activities where you will be walking around all day. If you have water on your back, you can avoid spending $2 or $3 per person for a bottle of water. Also, hydration packs usually have small pockets you can use snacks. Perfect for making that big breakfast last until dinner!
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