The Girl and I are traveling through New England this week, and one of the things I always look for when booking a budget hotel is free WiFi and a free breakfast.
I always bring my laptop with me when we vacation, one, so I can stay connected to you peeps, and two, after a long day of sightseeing, The Girl and I love to chill out in front of the laptop with an Amazon Prime movie or episode.
Free breakfast is also seriously the best way to cut down eating expenses while traveling. It’s usually pretty basic, but it gets the job done. In my continual effort to keep travel costs reasonable, I’ve learned to take advantage of the mountains of food by eating breakfast, and then grabbing a little for later. I ALWAYS fill a to-go cup of tea before I leave. That way, I’ll have my morning tea {or coffee, if that is your preference} with me as I stroll through the sights. Usually, The Girl grabs a bagel or two for a mid-morning snack–she usually just wraps them in a napkin and grabs a plastic fork and a small tub of cream cheese too.
Most breakfasts offer apples and bananas too. My favorite is to grab a plastic knife, banana, packet of peanut butter, and a packet of honey…at night, when I’m feeling like something sweet, I usually slice the banana long ways, spread on the peanut butter, drizzle on a little honey, and boom! I have an instant dessert. I figure the extra snacks save us at least $10 a day–and since I paid for the room/breakfast, I feel totally justified in taking it.
It’s the little things that really start to add unexpected expenses to your vacation budget, so stock up on freebies when you can.
Happy travels,
~ Mavis
Melody Glover says
Great tips! We do the same when traveling and have often made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch using food from the hotel breakfast selection.
Mavis says
The PB&J idea is awesome. And you can’t go wrong with a staple like that!
Leslie says
For years I was traveling for work about 75% of the time. We spent about 3 months in one hotel, and we had our own routines down. My routine was: two cups for tea. One to steep, and one full of ice. I’d go to the ice machine a couple times but end up with a few cups of iced tea, and could even fill a nalgene bottle full before heading out for fieldwork.Then, I disassembled the breakfast frozen sandwiches to harvest sausage patties and eggs. I used the waffle maker for one quarter waffle (this always freaked out the attendant… “what’s wrong with the waffle??” Seriously- every day.) Finally, a few packs of peanut butter for the road, so keep me going during the day. I also packed store bought apple sauce, almonds, and cheese sticks for the work day, but I feel like the iced tea and peanut butter really rounded out my snacks.
Carol says
Grazing at its best! Safe travels, Mavis. 🙂
Danette says
I’m just wondering for those of you who do this, has the hotel staff ever said anything to you when you take the extra food with you when you leave the breakfast area, like the food is for eating here only and not for taking along with you.
Amanda says
We have never had anyone say anything to us. We traveled this past fall with our two boys. They both have food allergies which makes navigating continental breakfast and eating out more difficult. The breakfast attendant noticed that they both like fruit loops and would sometimes eat multiple bowls and each day before we left she would drop of 2-3 boxes per boy and say here’s a snack for later. We also always took a banana or apple for each of them as a mid morning snack. I planned out meals while at the hotel just like at home and we managed to have sandwiches, chips, granola bars and homemade cookies for lunch each day. Also, I worked in a hotel and sometimes worked breakfast Most places have to get rid of the leftovers and they can’t be reused. So there’s the possibility that what is left will be thrown out. Usually if you ask they will tell you.
Mavis says
We always ask permission first. They say yes every time!! Also, I’ve heard time after time from the staff and breakfast attendants that they can’t keep any of the exposed food like breads, muffins, hot items, etc. So they would much rather see it go to someone than wasted! So much of that food is tossed in the trash, so I have no issues with taking an extra apple or a few slices of bread for the road!
Danette says
That’s good to know, thanks for the advice
Lora says
The breakfast isn’t free. You paid for it in the charge for your room.