The most natural thing to do about food when you’re out traveling is to go out to eat. But, if you want to save some money, then there is no problem cooking food and preparing meals on your own. You just have to be prepared to go through the motions.
In that domain, you have to think about buying cookware, shopping for local fare, and understanding cooking limitations of where you’re at. You may want to bring food that needs time to thaw, for example, or end up boiling frozen chicken from the cooler. Still, if you’re out camping, then cooking out takes on an entirely different feel as well. Go through each of those cateories and think about what things you can do to be better prepared.
Buying Cookware
You’re probably not going to be up to cooking if you’re staying at a hotel. However, if you rented a condo somewhere, perhaps there’s your chance to work on your culinary expertise. They may have supplied cookware for you, or maybe you need to buy pots and pans for a temporary cooking ability. If you purchase good cookware, you can probably either take it back with you in luggage or ship it as necessary. You can also buy cheap, throwaway stuff if it’s just for a few meals and you don’t care.
Shopping for Local Fare
One of the exciting things about traveling is that you get to sample the local food. And this doesn’t just mean going to restaurants at your eventual location. Maybe you want to go shopping at the local grocery store and see what they have. And from there, you can buy ingredients to do your regional cooking. You can either ask people about recipes that they commonly use, or you could look it up on the Internet find out what the most common ingredients are, and how people cook them in the area. It’s all about having an immersive experience.
Understanding Cooking Limitations
Sometimes there are cooking limitations when you’re out traveling. Perhaps you are using an unfamiliar kitchen. Maybe you don’t have the same kind of stove you’re used to. Maybe the electrical outlets are different, so you have to use different adapters or appliances. Particularly if you’re traveling from a first world country to a second or third world country, there may be drastic differences in kitchen availability.
Cooking While Camping
One example of a time where cooking limitations mixes with some creativity on your part will be if you’re trying to cook while camping. There are all sorts of fun activities that you can do for this process, and it, in fact, can be one of the most enjoyable things you do while out roughing it. Telling campfire stories while cooking camping fare can be one of the most memorable parts of your experience out in the wilderness.
