Fall Break is coming up, and there are lots of little (and big) trips on the horizon. Our trip is of the "little" variety, but I'm sure it will include a "big" amount of fun. I found this little ditty in drafts, because sometimes (all the time) I like to think about/write about travel when I'm home. I thought I'd dust it off and put it up to get me excited about our upcoming road trip.
First of all, don't make food more complicated on vacation that you would at home. Scott was talking about making pancakes for breakfast at the beach. Why would we make a big mess making pancakes and have to haul syrup and everything, when we don't even do that at home? We can have cereal. Better yet, grab a newspaper and relax at a neighborhood Starbucks. You're on vacation! Remember the movie What About Bob? "Take a vacation from your problems." Take a vacation from complication! I had a memorable meal in Portugal one time with some Spanish friends. We were lost and running late, even by Spanish standards. We stopped the car and spread out dinner on the hood of the car: Canned tuna and a baguette. It was one of the most enjoyable meals of my life. If you're on vacation, chances are there's a scenic spot you can enjoy that will make any food taste better, no matter what it is.
Digestion can pose some problems on vacation, mostly because we overindulge and change our eating habits from what we normally eat. I try to have some fresh fruits and veggies we can eat along with whatever fast food monstrosity we grab. Carrots, apples, bananas, anything.
And speaking of fast food and overeating, the dollar menu is your friend. You need less food than you think. Scott and I had an infamous debate one time about splitting a burger at In-N-Out. He wanted to. I didn't. We still laugh about me demanding a whole burger. We also laugh about me getting a kid's meal for Scott when we were at the San Diego Zoo. He did NOT want a meal in a koala bear sand bucket! But, like I told him it would be, it was plenty of food.
Street food. It's the best! When we go to Imperial Beach, we live on fish tacos and pizza, all within barefoot walking distance to the sand. If there were a food truck nearby, we would be all over that, too. In Paris, we mostly stuck to crepes and gyros on the street. It's fast, you don't leave a big tip, and it's cheap.
Along the same lines: Ethnic foods. In Copenhagen, where everything is super pricey, we found that little "Pizza Schwarma" hole in the wall where we ate craveable cartons of the most savory meat you've ever inhaled. Likewise, our Vietnamese sandwich addiction started in Paris, where bahn mi are dirt cheap. You have to be willing to take a risk, but it's more adventurous to do it that way than to risk ordering badly at Chili's, right?
Restaurants can be hard for little kids, at least in our case, since we have so many. For us, it's a lot more fun and cost effective to plan a special restaurant outing for one parent and the older kids. Scott loves taking the big kids to a cool restaurant for a relaxing evening. The little kids are just as happy with a dollar cheeseburger and a picnic blanket, saving us up to $50.00 a meal and a lot of fatigued whining.
Drink a lot of water. You don't think you have to, but you do, unless you want to end up like Scott in Italy, when my dad saved his life with a packet of Metamucil!
In my experience, recommendations from friends are hit-or-miss. We don't go out of our way to find a place someone loved, because their taste might be different from ours. Part of the fun of being on vacation is exploration. I like to eat local. Street food, food trucks, neighborhood cafes. Why go to a chain restaurant when you can try something new? Guy Fieri is the exception to my avoidance of recommendations. Everyplace he visits on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is worthwhile in some way, and indicative of local flavor. We like to follow his lead.
What are your best food/traveling tips?
First of all, don't make food more complicated on vacation that you would at home. Scott was talking about making pancakes for breakfast at the beach. Why would we make a big mess making pancakes and have to haul syrup and everything, when we don't even do that at home? We can have cereal. Better yet, grab a newspaper and relax at a neighborhood Starbucks. You're on vacation! Remember the movie What About Bob? "Take a vacation from your problems." Take a vacation from complication! I had a memorable meal in Portugal one time with some Spanish friends. We were lost and running late, even by Spanish standards. We stopped the car and spread out dinner on the hood of the car: Canned tuna and a baguette. It was one of the most enjoyable meals of my life. If you're on vacation, chances are there's a scenic spot you can enjoy that will make any food taste better, no matter what it is.
Digestion can pose some problems on vacation, mostly because we overindulge and change our eating habits from what we normally eat. I try to have some fresh fruits and veggies we can eat along with whatever fast food monstrosity we grab. Carrots, apples, bananas, anything.
And speaking of fast food and overeating, the dollar menu is your friend. You need less food than you think. Scott and I had an infamous debate one time about splitting a burger at In-N-Out. He wanted to. I didn't. We still laugh about me demanding a whole burger. We also laugh about me getting a kid's meal for Scott when we were at the San Diego Zoo. He did NOT want a meal in a koala bear sand bucket! But, like I told him it would be, it was plenty of food.
Street food. It's the best! When we go to Imperial Beach, we live on fish tacos and pizza, all within barefoot walking distance to the sand. If there were a food truck nearby, we would be all over that, too. In Paris, we mostly stuck to crepes and gyros on the street. It's fast, you don't leave a big tip, and it's cheap.
Along the same lines: Ethnic foods. In Copenhagen, where everything is super pricey, we found that little "Pizza Schwarma" hole in the wall where we ate craveable cartons of the most savory meat you've ever inhaled. Likewise, our Vietnamese sandwich addiction started in Paris, where bahn mi are dirt cheap. You have to be willing to take a risk, but it's more adventurous to do it that way than to risk ordering badly at Chili's, right?
Restaurants can be hard for little kids, at least in our case, since we have so many. For us, it's a lot more fun and cost effective to plan a special restaurant outing for one parent and the older kids. Scott loves taking the big kids to a cool restaurant for a relaxing evening. The little kids are just as happy with a dollar cheeseburger and a picnic blanket, saving us up to $50.00 a meal and a lot of fatigued whining.
Drink a lot of water. You don't think you have to, but you do, unless you want to end up like Scott in Italy, when my dad saved his life with a packet of Metamucil!
In my experience, recommendations from friends are hit-or-miss. We don't go out of our way to find a place someone loved, because their taste might be different from ours. Part of the fun of being on vacation is exploration. I like to eat local. Street food, food trucks, neighborhood cafes. Why go to a chain restaurant when you can try something new? Guy Fieri is the exception to my avoidance of recommendations. Everyplace he visits on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is worthwhile in some way, and indicative of local flavor. We like to follow his lead.
What are your best food/traveling tips?
2 comments:
In and out and "sharing" is an all time favorite. :)
Wow, those are great tips! I totally agree with eating local- no food chain restaurants for me while on vacation! Experience the culture! My tips would be go to the grocery store and grab some rolls, cheese, meat and apples. You can come up with your own meal on a dime, anytime. I also always carry a protein bar with me in case we don't get time to eat and I'm starving. You can eat it and feel good after. Helps with the "traveling bowels" as we call them.
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