eating cheap on the road

you will notice that your biggest expenses while traveling will be alcohol and eating.  if you don’t hitchhike, then transit between locations will also be very expensive.  but food is always the silent killer of a budget.  one trip to a restaurant and there goes the day’s budget or a night’s sleep.  i will outline my methods for saving money on the road.

eating on the road for cheap is often at odds with eating healthy.  however you can often get vegetables and fruits for very cheap, especially in eastern europe, at local farm markets.  even major cities have these, for instance here in warsaw there is a market in my district where i pick up some of the freshest food i have ever eaten for cheaper than you would think.  however, i won’t concentrate too much on warsaw, when the print guide is completed it will have a section on eating cheaply in warszawa.

as a general rule, when in poland think pierogi.  it’s cheap, it’s filling, and it’s damn good.  i prefer ruskie myself, filled with cottage cheese and mashed potatoes.

street vendors are another good source of cheap and filling, albeit unhealthy, food.  kebab, for all it’s faults, has satisfied my appetite more than once for a mere three or four euro.

local grocery stores.  this one seems obvious, but take it one step further.  leave the city center, everything is more expensive in the city center.  take your map and locate a shopping center away from downtown and grab a bus.  you get to see a less visited part of town and grab some cheap fare at the same time.  for best budget:  sneak onto the bus without a ticket.  just don’t get caught.

and my favorite, check the refrigerator at your hostel.  many travelers leave their unused ingredients behind when they leave.  survey the wares and concoct a recipe in your head based on what materials you have available.  free meal.

that’s all for now, anyone with any suggests, stick them in the comments.

-derek