This post is brought to you by Vacatia. The content and opinions expressed below are that of The Traveling Praters. 
When most people think of vacation, eating out is something they automatically plan for. For many, the dining experience and foods found at different locales often enhance the vacation experience. Yet others have valid reasons why they prefer dining in and preparing their own meals. I share some of those reasons below.
5 Reasons to Cook your own Food on Vacation
Photo Credit: Dana Zucker of www.MomsGoodEats.com
- Reduce the Budget.
According to this website, the average American traveler spends about $39.72 per adult per day for meals on vacation. For my family of five (three 19 and 20-something year olds), that adds up to nearly $200 per day. And that figure doesn’t take into account tips or drinks. Guess how much I can feed that same family for at home?
As my kids got older, my husband and I realized that if we went over budget while traveling, it was in the food department. Growing kids need more snacks, more drinks and eat more than toddlers and early school age children! Cooking our own food on vacation allowed me to create budget friendly meals that kept us on track so we could spend our money making memories elsewhere.
- Better Food Options.
I love to eat out once in a while, but if you travel frequently (or for work), after a while, everything seems to get old. And it turns out that often, the really great tasting stuff, isn’t that good for you. When you’re twenty or thirty, you may not worry about that much, but when you turn forty, you’re very conscience of the choices you make. Cooking your own food on vacation allows you to avoid fast food, adhere to special diets and often prepare healthy meals with fresh ingredients.
As I mentioned above, to some, dining out on vacation is a top priority, something to look forward to. If you have very young children, a child with special needs or a tight budget, eating out can be stressful. Now that my kids are older, we opt to choose one really nice restaurant to dine at and the rest of the time, we mainly prepare food in our vacation property or resort residence.
If you’re one of the millions of people that experience food allergies, you probably know how inconvenient (or life-threatening) it can be to eat out on vacation. Dealing with allergies and food sensitivities can be stressful depending on how severe your allergy is. Sometimes it’s easier to make all your own food so you don’t experience any unpleasant surprises later.
- Family Connection.
Some may say that you can connect as a family at a restaurant just as easy as you can at a vacation property. And I mainly agree, but I think it depends on the family. After a full day of exploring and new experiences, my family of mostly introverts enjoy sitting down to a home-cooked meal and pleasant conversation without the distractions of a restaurant meal.
When I travel, I often seek out a property that offers a full kitchen, like a resort residence that combines the space that a home affords with the professional services of a hotel.
The resort marketplace, Vacatia, offer guests resort residences with full kitchens, separate bedrooms, living rooms, a washer and dryer, housekeeping services, security and resort amenities. And the best part? Vacatia offers pricing that is typically less than that of a hotel. You’ll find Vacatia properties in Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Daytona Beach, Branson, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Panama City, Pensacola, Destin, the Big Island, Kauai, Maui and Oahu. You’ll find studio to 5-bedroom resort residences and you have the ability to rent Disney Vacation Club residences with this service, even if you’re not a DVC member.
Photo Credit: Dana Zucker of www.MomsGoodEats.com
Each Vacatia resort is personally inspected to adhere to the high standards of Vacatia. Vacatia also offers the convenience of searching resort residences of dozens of leading hospitality, timeshare and premier independent resorts and easy online booking. In many instances, you can find a resort residence with added space and features for less than the cost of a hotel room. And Vacatia is rolling out new Flex-pay options to allow families to make payments towards their vacation. With 275 resorts in 12 family friendly destinations, you’ll find the perfect place to lay your head on your next vacation.
What is the most important amenity you look for when seeking lodging on vacation?
Tag Along Deb
Wednesday 27th of July 2016
As someone who usually works remotely while travelling, a solid wifi connection is the most important amenity to me, but in the kitchen what I value is basic condiments so that I don't have to go out and purchase bottles of products that I'll only use a small amount of.