Taking a vacation is one of the best times of your year. You plan, and save, and take time off of work just so that when the time comes everything goes well. But sometimes when the vacation comes up you realize you don’t have quite the money you thought you would to take your vacation. Do you really want to go to a less attractive destination? Do you really want to wait until you have a little more money in your pocket? No. Your vacation is supposed to be about you but you also have to be smart and do the very best you can to save a dollar here or there. So how do you save a few dollars on your vacation? Food.

The first thing you should think about is booking with a different hotel. Chances are you have booked at a traditional hotel which means that everything is eating out or room service so what about changing things up and booking at a hotel with efficiencies? This means you’ll have a working kitchen or at least a microwave and stove meaning you can make yourself meals which should cut down greatly on the amount you spend on food. There is more than enough reason to just head to the local grocery store and stock up on some of the essentials. At the very least you can get breakfast and lunch food.

If getting a hotel room with a kitchen seems to be a little bit of trouble then just try and book a hotel room that has a free breakfast. This is a big marketing ploy in this day and age. People are offering everything from a free hot breakfast to a regular continental breakfast free of charge to the guests. Going out to eat a full breakfast everyday can add up over the course of a week so it might be a good idea to just order your breakfast in the hotel and not worry about forking over the money. Consider MoneySavingGuide.com to look for other ways to save on food on vacation.