Dining Tips For Foodies On Vacation

11.19.19

Travel and food are so deeply intertwined because it provides such a detailed pathway into a place. After all, wherever we go we do have to eat and eating well while traveling is every travelers dream, right? Thus food inevitably becomes one of our prime fascinations – and doorway into a place and its culture. When we are on the road, food nourishes us not only physically, but intellectually, emotionally and spiritually too.

There are so many advantages for traveling to a new place. Not only do you get a chance to get to know a new city, the people, the culture and community, but you also get a chance to sample and experience local cuisine, right? But sometimes you get to a new place and are not quite sure where to go and what to try, epically if you are going somewhere different for the first time.Whether you are a foodie or not, here are some of the best dining tips from fellow food-obsessed travelers to make sure your belly is full, your taste buds are happy and your heart is satiated as you embark on your travels.

# Do your research

When it comes to eating well and eating right, the best thing you can do is to get educated. After all knowledge is power. So before you travel, familiarize yourself with the most common local dishes, ingredients, produce and spices so you will know what to order. Nearly every country and region has its own specialty when it comes to each of these things. Even within a single country, you’ll find regional specialties. For example, in India each region has its own specialty. Not all Indian love curry unlike what seems to be the trend in the west. Instead the east is known with amazing sweets and desert delicacies and Eastern Indian cuisine like Bengali cuisine are somewhat different from others. The south is know for more rice oriented dishes and the north more meat and breads like naans and rotis. Australia on the other hand is an incredible mosaic of flavors. All the different immigrant communities have had a strong impact in the food scenes and it is entirely possible to have a different cuisines for each meal of the day especially in cities like Melbourne and Sydney. With that knowledge, you can tailor your meals to ensure you get the best of the best.

The other key part of your pre-trip research should be to make a list of resturants you should try. Open Table is a great reseource to find restrrants of all levels – from fine dining to small local hole in the wall places. Map out things depending on where you are oing to be and what you are going to be doing. That way with each attraction you visit, you know where to go for a bite to eat.

# Go where the locals go

Sometimes it is going to leave the guide book behind and follow the locals. Ask around – the hotel receptionaist, the bell boy, the uber driver and evertone in between. Don’t be afraid to ask people, the locals, where they love to eat. Not only is it a great way to meet new people, but they might lead you a hidden gem. When you are out and about looking for a place to eat, check out smaller resturants with handwritten chalkboards. They are often indicators of a local joint that is comstantly changing up their dishes based on what’s fresh and in season.

# Local meals in local homes

Getting tips from locals is great, but sharing a meal with them is even better. These days there are lots of apps like EatWith, Traveling Spoon, Airbnb Experiences, and even local supper club meetup groups that connect travelers with local chefs who host cooking classes and prepare multi-course meals in their homes. This is a really cool way to meet locals, learn more about local food culture and even get hands on experience with local cuisines.

# Explore Food Markets

Find the area’s farmers market or local artisan market. Not only will you get a chance to taste some amazing foods, but you’ll also be putting yourself right in the middle where that city’s foodies hang out. Talk to the vendors and other patrons to discover their recommendations for restaurants and hidden gems. You’ll likely get tips about places that are off the beaten path for tourists and hence more of a local joint. You can find a list of local food markets online or even via the city’s tourism page or tourism office. Every city, no matter how small, typically has a farmers market.

Along the same lines, check out street food markets or food trucks. While in Melbourne, our founder Karthika Gupta got a recommendation from a local at a grocery store who talked about a street where all the food trucks come starting at 7.00pm. This street turned out to be an abandoned parking lot with over 10 food trucks, party music and locals who just wanted to have a great time – food and music – the perfect combination for a fun night out.

# Take a food tour

Sometimes it pays to have experts make the decisions for you. You may want to check out guided group tours that cater to foodies, with itineraries featuring meals at great restaurants, local markets, cooking classes and behind-the-scenes visits to orchards and wineries. Airbnb Experiences are a great place to find unique food tours and pub crawls. They are often hosted by locals who have a good lay of the land and can also cater to special needs like vegan, gluten free and vegetarian meals.

Specialty tours like a dumplings tour in Kuala Lumpur, a tapas tour in Barcelona, or a street food tour in Delhi are really a lot of fun and unique. Having an expert guide means you often get a history lesson about the ins and outs of a culture’s cuisine, meet local vendors and explore areas slightly off the tourist path. In addition, being with a group of people who have self-selected into an activity means engaging with likeminded strangers who can become friends.

# Go grocery shopping

One of the most fun things to do in any new city, especially when you travel internationally, is going grocery shopping. And not just at the farmers markets or street vendors, but also the big super markets and mom-and-pop shoes where the local residents go. If you’re staying in a place with a kitchen, pick up some provisions to cook one night for dinner. Grocery stores and farmer’s markets are also a great place to scout out souvenirs like chocolates, coffee, and jams to bring back for your food-loving friends at home.Above all else, remember that a trip to a new place is a chance to experience that culture through food. Sometimes that can mean pushing what you’re comfortable eating. But more often than not, you are rewarded with new tastes and flavors that you’ll soon be seeking out once you get home.