If you love eating and traveling, then who could really pass up a chance to sample as many dishes as you can while vacationing? But doing so becomes quite difficult especially when you are on a budget.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways with which you can save money on food as you travel, and if you play cards right, you can also get to the point where you don’t have to pay for food at all.
Here are some of the tactics you can use to get free food as you travel:
1) Take an Online Survey
All you need to do is contribute only a few minutes of your time to answer a bunch of survey questions and walk away with free food or gift card rewards. Yes, it is that easy. Here are some of the best online survey sites that reward you with free food or points that can be exchanged for cash or food:
- Snipon
- Swagbucks
- GlobalTestMarket
- MySurvey
- Branded Surveys
2) Look Out for Coupons
Coupons are a great way to pay less for food and other grocery items. And if you keep stacking up, you can even eat for free. Coupons can be found from a number of different sources including local newspapers and magazines, or better yet, online. You will find plenty that offer discounts for meals or buy-one-get-one-free deals.
Daily deals and coupons for grocery stores, restaurants and bars can be found online. Valpak, LivingSocial, Groupon and Yelp Deals are some of the many great sites you’ll come across.
3) Attend Some Events
There are a variety of events that offer free food for those who attend. Art gallery openings, for example, offer hors d’oeuvres and open houses serve appetizers. Check out websites including Time Out to find free events in whatever city you are in.
4) Carefully Pick Your Locations
When traveling, it’s best to keep away from hotel room services, which are seriously expensive if you’re on a budget. What you want to do instead, is to visit bars, restaurants, as well as stores around colleges, which are loaded with deals as students are generally broke. You also get amazing deals on food if you’re near or staying at a casino. And if you ever decide to do your own shopping for food preparation, we suggest going to local and ethnic grocery stores as they are cheaper than chain restaurants.
5) Install an App That Finds Leftovers
With an app like Leftover Swap, you will be matched up with people who have leftover food they wish to give away in order to reduce food waste. Of course, it’s not for everyone, but if you don’t mind munching on some leftovers, then take this app for a spin. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
6) Join a Restaurant Rewards Program
Besides looking for restaurant discounts and coupons online, you can also join a rewards program. The more you dine, the more you will be able to add points and eventually score a cheap dinner. T.G.I. Friday’s is one such restaurant that offers a free rewards program that allows its customers to earn 1 point for every dollar spent so it can be exchanged for free food later. Another restaurant called Lettuce Entertain You allows customers to add up points for free meals, wine, and trips upon joining their frequent diners club.
You can also sign up for a Upromise account to take advantage of its rewards program. If you are saving up for college for yourself or your children, or have student loans, you can register your credit, debit, and dining cards for free. When you make some purchases, either at a grocery store or a restaurant, a percentage will be applied to your savings or loans account.
This is a collaborative post.