Food is where travel budgets collapse fastest. A week of restaurant meals in a major European or US city can run $500–$800 per person without extravagance. The alternative is not eating badly — it is eating differently.

Eat where locals eat lunch. In most countries, the midday meal is the main meal, eaten at places catering to workers on a time and budget constraint. These restaurants serve better food than tourist-oriented dinner establishments at one-third to one-half the price. A restaurant with a handwritten specials board and no menu in multiple languages is almost always cheaper and better.