Travel Experiences: Food & Drink
Have you ever been eating on holiday and thought, “this is the best meal of my life!”
It’s happened to us, probably too many times to mention! We don’t know if its the fresh ingredients, the local expertise or just because we are somewhere new, but discovering a place through its food is one of our favourite parts of travelling.
Understanding the food and dining culture of a place is to go some way towards understanding its people. An Argentinian asado, a Spanish tapas feast or an English Sunday Roast - it tells you a lot about the people when you understand how they enjoy food together.
Here we’ve collected some of the most memorable meals we’ve enjoyed, along with recommendations of dining and drinking spots we’ve fallen in love with on our travels. It’s not all fine dining! From Michelin starred restaurants to stalls on the side of the road, our taste is as varied as our destinations.
Food & Drink Travel Experiences: Blog Posts
How to find Food & Drink experiences while travelling…
How do I find restaurants while travelling?
Maybe it’s just us, but we find it hard to decide where to eat when we’re travelling! There’s often so much choice it’s overwhelming! We like to do some research ahead of time to have a few recommendations up our sleeve, but are not too strict with these - if we see somewhere that looks good we can be flexible! When it comes to research ahead of time, guide books and TripAdvisor are always good places to read reviews, and doing an instagram search on a location can throw up some foodie gems! However, these are likely to be busier and potentially more expensive. If there is a specific stand-out food experience we want to do - like Michelin-star dining with a view on our honeymoon - we will book a table in advance.
When arriving at a destination we will always walk around to get our bearings, and this includes looking at restaurants we pass in the day with a view to come back later. Often, restaurants on main squares or near popular attractions in large cities are more expensive and can be catered to tourists. Try walking a few streets away for more options. We will always speak to other people, like staff at our hotel, cafes, shops and other travellers, to get ideas of where to eat - nothing beats local knowledge.
What kind of food experiences can I do?
Adding a culinary experience to your holiday is a great way to get to know a place and culture, and leaves you with great memories. Smell and taste are essential memory triggers, so you can relive those blissful holiday feelings by cooking a meal or visiting a restaurant! To start planning foodie adventures, research what the destination you’re visiting is famous for. Some may be obvious - wine in Bordeaux - but something you may be surprised. Did you know Northern Croatia produces some of the best truffles in the world?
Next, find a way to experience it. Maybe you’ll find a top restaurant to enjoy the culinary treats, or maybe you’ll get more hands on - we’ve done wine tasting tours in Europe and Australia, vodka tasting in Poland and pasta-making in Italy, to name a few! From tours of local markets to cooking classes and tasting evenings, there’s something for every taste available!
Are you wondering how to find good, hands-on food experiences? Having a local expert is essential to understanding what you’re doing! Try searching Trip Advisor, Viator, Get Your Guide and Air BnB Experiences in your destination, or have a look at our blog for reviews of experiences we have tried first hand!
After the exertion of climbing an erupting volcano, we headed towards Lake Atitlan seeking rest and relaxation.