When traveling, eat street food when you can

One of the major things that is awesome about budget travel is that normally you are going to have an opportunity to try a wide range of culinary delights that are specific to whatever country you are in. It can vary a lot depending on what part of the world you are in but generally speaking, in cheaper countries, street food is the norm for locals. If you are only eating at restaurants or god-forbid, chain fast-food places when traveling, you are missing out on a lot of what the entire experience is all about.

So do yourself a favor and actually seek out street food when you can.

src

There is a very good chance that there will be times when you don't even know what you are ordering and language barriers are going to be a problem. Just be polite, and point at something and take a chance. At most of these places the food is so inexpensive that if you are wrong and don't like what you get, there is a good chance that it will cost next to nothing so you can just go back and try again.

True street food can normally be identified by how many locals are at said place, and this is generally a good sign around the world that the food at that place is probably pretty great.

src

In my global experience the street food was easier to figure out in Central and South America, but it was more of an adventure in South East Asia. Most places will actually have the food on display, so it shouldn't be too much of a mystery as to what it is that you are getting. Like I said though, if you are wrong there is a better-than-average chance that it isn't going to cost you very much.

src

Some people have concerns about cleanliness of these establishments but I can tell you from experience in dozens of countries that the places with indoor kitchens are NOT cleaner than the ones on the street. If anything, I would suggest that the kitchens you can't see are likely less clean than the ones on the street. Think about it for a minute ok? Who is going to have a cleaner cooking environment? The person who is preparing everything right in front of your eyes, or the person who is cooking where no one can see them? It should be a pretty easy answer.

Unfortunately, more expensive countries tend to not have this as an option at all and this is probably due to some sort of government regulation. Also, and this should be obvious, cold countries tend to not have this as an option as well. The good news is that most of the budget travel destinations in the world do have this, and it really is something that shouldn't be missed.

You'll get to experience local cuisine at a low price and this is something that simply cannot be accomplished in a sit-down restaurant. Get out there and explore!