My top tip for budgeting for a vacation and sticking to it, is to research eateries prior to your trip. Typically, travelers research flight and accommodations ad nauseum prior to travel, but fail to read up on potential places to fill their bellies. This is a big mistake since dining will be probably be their third biggest expense after transportation and hotel.

Yes, you may get lucky, but for the most part your dining experiences will be less satisfying and more expensive. I’ve made this mistake before and kicked myself every time I’ve been hungry in a hotel lobby and clueless which direction to head for high quality, affordable grub.

Having no idea where to eat beforehand tends to lead to eating in overpriced, tourist traps, or in eateries based on biased recommendations from hotel concierge.

Once you are at your destination, researching restaurants can be a big hassle, especially if you don’t have a laptop or free WIFI in your hotel. Besides, you should be enjoying your new surroundings, not staring at your tablet. That is homework that should be done beforehand.

Remember to spend a little time researching eateries before your next trip to maximize your next vacation budget. A great place to start is Lonely Planet. Bien viaje!

Tags: Eateries, Restaurants

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 at 2:45 pm and is filed under FOTH. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.