Cook in? Eat out?  5 questions I ask myself when traveling.

I say it time and again:  I love everything about food.  Cooking.  Eating.  Trying new cuisines.  Eating old classic comfort foods.  Everything about food brings me joy.  

So when I travel, I constantly have a dilemma:  should I cook at home or should I eat out?  Both have their advantages, so these are the 5 questions I ask myself to help decide.

1. Do I have the space and time to cook?

When I’m traveling, I book a variety to living accommodations.  Depending on my mood, I’ll alternate between hostels, hotels, and Airbnbs.  My first and most fundamental question is do I have the space and time to cook?  

There have been trips where I travel very quickly with only 2 or 3 days in a city.  If that’s the case, I often don’t worry about staying in a place where I can cook.  Traveling that quickly means I won’t be able to buy groceries and settle in enough to cook.  And to be fair, if I’m only spending a few days in a city, I want to be able to experience the local cuisine.  

If I’m traveling more slowly, I will tend to book apartments with a fully furnished kitchen.  I never expect all of the bells and whistles, but I make sure that I have all of the essentials to be able to cook a simple meal:  a fridge, a stove, some pots and pans, and cooking utensils.  I never expect Airbnbs to be as fully outfitted as my home kitchen, but if I’m staying in a city for more than a few days, I know that I will want at least a functional kitchen.

Cooking in new countries is such a fun challenge.  Limited equipment means you have to become creative with how you cook.  New local ingredients mean you have the opportunity to become creative with what you cook.

2. What is my budget?

I’m a classic example of both a bougie girlie and a budget girlie living in the same body.  I love a good splurge, but I also love a good deal, and most often I subscribe to being bougie on a budget.  This is most clearly seen in how I interact with food.  Most of the time, I’ll eat at home because I can cook and as my mother would be glad to hear me say “I have food at home.”. 

But I travel for the food.  I want to try everything.  So I often have to compromise with myself.  I will balance a meal out with a meal in.  If I have breakfast at home, I’ll eat an early dinner out.  Or If I am spending a full day out one day, I’ll follow it up with a full day eating at home.  

To be able to travel long term, I have to be strict with my budget.  No, I don’t spend $50 a day on food.  Depending on the trip, I barely even spend $10 a day on food.  Now, there are places where that’s easier said than done and there are places where that is next to impossible.  I have to allow my expectations to shift with the trip.  

If I do decide to stay somewhere for more than a week, I always do a grocery trip where I buy the basics:  a starch, a protein, oil, salt & pepper, an acid, and a handful of vegetables.  These meals aren’t life changing, but they allow me to stretch my budget.  And even better, a lot of the places I have traveled have some incredible local produce markets.  I’ll buy my dried goods from a store and buy my produce fresh on the day I intend to use it.  This way I’m still becoming familiar with local ingredients while also being budget conscious.  

3. What types of restaurants are available?

Thanks to food shows like Street Food on Netflix, street food has recently gained a lot credibility.  I love some street food, but admittedly it can be difficult to discern if street food is plant-based, especially if you are strictly vegan.  There are some foods that are common sense, but often, you’ll have to confirm with the vendor.  It can be difficult to rely on there being plant-based options for street food.  Therefore, it is significantly easier to plan on eating at plant-based restaurants that you’ve researched. 

 The most common plant-based restaurants I’ve come across are causal sit-down establishments.  The prices at these restaurants tend to be slightly more expensive than local cuisine establishments, but it can be nice to eat with peace of mind knowing that whatever you are eating falls within your dietary preferences.  

My little chef heart is a sucker for a fine dining experience.  I love the whole pomp and circumstance that comes with it.  And the opportunity to dress up.  Stop.  I love it.  Depending on where I’m traveling, fine dining plant-based restaurants may not exist.  But if they do, I will absolutely splurge at least once.  It can be such an incredible opportunity to experience what innovations are being made in different countries.  Now, a fine dining restaurant with a tasting menu can possibly cost up to $200 USD (maybe even more depending on if you choose to add the wine pairing).  If you’re working within a budget, that may not be possible.  But it’s often worth the splurge.

4. How long am I spending in that location?

How long I’m in a city can seriously influence if I’m cooking in or eating out.  Beyond considering my living situation, I also want to give myself the opportunity to fully experience the local cuisine.  

As I have been traveling longer, I have settled into the pattern of staying in a city for somewhere between one week and one month.  I just have no interest in fast travel anymore.  Yes, it can be an amazing way to see more locations, but I have found that I want to travel deep rather than wide, if that makes sense.  I really want to give myself the opportunity to understand the local people, cuisine, and customs.  If I’m traveling too quickly, it’s too easy to only see a city’s highlights and not really establish a connection.  

The longer I’m in a city, the more I spread out eating at restaurants because I don’t feel any pressure to do everything in a few days.  If I am traveling quickly, I love to give myself a mini food tour day where I’ll try small dishes at several restaurants.  If I’m there longer, I’ll eat at one restaurant per day and make it a full meal.

5. What does my day look like?

I always say that I’m an extroverted introvert.  I do love going out and meeting people, but I need time by myself to rest and recharge.  Because I travel slowly, I will often stack my days so I am very active one day and take a recharge day the next.  That translates to eating out one day and eating in the next.  

If I know I’m going to be out for a full day, I always do some research about where to eat that is close to the activity I’m doing.  Plant-based travelers don’t have the luxury of just assuming that we can find plant-based food wherever we are.  A little bit of planning is usually necessary.  But this means that you have the chance to find some great options and to get excited.  If I know I’ll be in an area that doesn’t have accessible options, I’ll be sure to eat a big meal at home before I leave for the day and I’ll bring snacks with me.  

Traveling as a vegetarian or vegan can either mean cooking with local ingredients or enjoying the local cuisine.  Both can help to expand your understanding of the countries you are visiting.  If you have the chance, allow yourself to do both.  Enjoy all of the culinary pleasures available to you!