how much for food?

[megan]

hey all,
have been browsing this forum for a while for an answer to this, but so far have only come across information on a day's total budget.

How much do you guys reccommend spending on food? What is an average food budget per day? What sort of food do you guys eat a lot of when you travel? (not counting eating in resteraunts) Is food the cheapest part of the trip? Does it vary from country to country (well duh of course it does, but in what ways?)

Sorry if that's a lot of questions, but just a general answer would be cool. I am trying to work out how much I need to save for my europe trip (stupid australian dollar being worth next to nothing!)

thanks in advance :-)

megan

[WillTravel]

I tended to buy yogurt, baked goods, cheese, fruit, and nuts.

I think we spent about twice as much in Paris as in Berlin. London was even more.

[Eagle]

To some extent this will depend on how you plan on eating during your trip. In some places (B&B's, some Hostels), Breakfast will be provided so you will only be buying lunch and supper. The full Buffet "English style" breakfast at the York YHA Hostel was awesome (I insisted on no Black Pudding however)!!! Using deli-style lunches will save some money, and might allow for more of a "splurge" at dinner.

To provide an example of my last trip to the U.K. (based on the Canadian dollar, which has a similar exchange rate to the Australian dollar), my food costs were Cdn. $44.70 / day or 12.62% of the total trip cost (I have all my expenses listed on an Excel spreadsheet, as I use these as a "learning tool" to plan future trips). I used a combination of Hostel / B&B breakfasts, deli-style meals & snacks and some restaurant dinners (nothing extravagant though).

Hope this helps a bit with your planning. Happy travels!!!

[jennifer]

Hi!

Well, I must say it depends on what and how you eat!

I normally ate a piece of bread with nutella and juice in the morning when it was not included at the hostel. The cost of bread was about 50 cents with the nutella I bought only once for a 2 month trip.

Then for lunch i'd buy coldcuts and bread or a piece of pizza on the go. When I was close to the hostel, I'd go back and cook myself something that i'd bought at the grocery store. Some bakeries sell sandwiches that are already made and they have many different kinds, I'd often buy one as it was dirt cheap and about the same prices as buying the stuff and it was way fresher!

Then for supper i'd often go to the restaurant and try a local specialty or cook up some pasta. Pasta and rice are two things i love so I had no problem cooking some nearly every day. I made it up differently with fresh veggies and meat.

I'd say I spent about 10 Euros a day on food, not counting when I splurged for a good supper!

Now, I must say this is a small budget and i'm conscious I got off lucky with this. I'd say to budget around 18-20 because you may eat more, less, but it's better to have too much than too little. If you have any over, it will compensate for a good supper!

xoxo
Jen

[MuvverRussia]

I normally budget around €15-20 a day for food. Then again I'm not one for cooking when I'm travelling. Also, if you're looking at Eastern Europe (excluding Prague) then I'd advise against cooking for yourself, as you can eat out incredibly cheaply.

[Tracie]

I had a lot of paninis, donairs and baguettes while travelling. Sometimes it worked out cheaper that buying supplies for a picnic lunch when you are travelling solo. It's nice to be able to splurge on a inexpensive restaurant too (although in Switzerland I couldn't afford it).

[WillTravel]

If I had a really good breakfast, I found that plus an early supper plus a snack or two was really all I needed.