As a budget vacationer, I am always looking for ways to save money when traveling with our kids. Below you can find my favorite 5 Hotel Meal Hacks.
- Book a hotel with an outdoor grilling area- This is one of the quickest ways to cut out a fast food night. We always bring a cooler for road trips and throwing a pound or two of ground beef/turkey in there doesn’t take up much space. You can then add as many or as few toppings and condiments as your cooler will allow. This way we can make burgers to enjoy outside on a nice evening or even by the pool.
- Rotisserie chicken- I like to purchase a chicken from our local grocery store before vacation. I pull the meat from the carcass and use a Ziploc back to pack it all up and it goes right into the cooler. (The bones go into the instant pot with veggie scraps to become chicken stock). This gives us a quick and healthy dinner option that can be tossed on plates and heated with the in room microwave.
- Canned Fruit and Veggies- This one is so simple. I make sure to bring a variety of canned fruits and veggies when we travel. This makes for an easy heat/scoop and serve balanced side to your chicken/ burgers above. Just make sure you are getting pull tab tops unless you can remember a can opener. (I never do)
- Bring an Electric Griddle- Some people might think this is overkill. Although this does require us to pack an extra item, it is worth it for the savings. So many things can be made using a simple griddle. You can of course do breakfast items. One of my favorite griddle meals are flat breads. These are a great option because you can make a few different versions to suit everyone’s taste. I purchase these in a pack of 2-3 just depending on the brand. You can use tomato sauce and make these more of a pizza, pesto sauce with some veggies and mozzarella, or even go a caprese route.
- Remember this is Vacation!- Not every meal has to be internet worthy or even balanced. When traveling with my family it is important to me that we ALL get to enjoy our time away together. This means that I’m not going to spend every evening making a complete meal for my family as if I were still at home doing the daily grind. It is completely OK for your family to enjoy a fun snack as “dinner”. We love popcorn in our house. So one of our absolute favorite meals is fresh popped popcorn with cheese. You can make popping popcorn fun or simple depending on your accommodations. Over the fire if available is always fun for the kiddos. Microwave bags are small enough to pack anywhere and quick to make. We personally use a popcorn bowl that we fill with our own seeds so as to avoid the extra preservatives in microwave popcorn, but it is just as quick to make. (get one here https://amzn.to/3wh51gp )
Some of these options might seem extreme when you are planning your next family getaway. However, if you’ve ever traveled with kids you know how quickly dining out can add up. I promise just replacing one or two dinners out with some of these hotel meal hacks will not only save your sanity, but your vacation budget!