Besides airfare and accommodations, it’s not a big surprise that much of our traveling budget goes to food. So here are some tips for saving on your dining dollars.

There are some tried and true money-saving strategies, many of which involve skipping the restaurants all together.

That includes hitting a local grocery store or the local farmer’s market, and packing a picnic lunch.

Here’s a tip: hit the grocery store AFTER you’ve eaten – you’ll buy less.

If you book a hotel room with a kitchenette or opt for a rental property, you can save big by cooking most of the meals yourself.

But these days, you can even use the sluggish economy to your advantage when eating out.

Now that casual dining restaurants like Chili’s and Red Lobster are struggling along with the rest of the U.S. economy, they’re upping the ante with all-you can eat promotions to lure in customers in some markets.

And of course you know that when you stay at a bed and breakfast you can really fill up big on breakfast.

But did you know that in Europe and Asia there’s an option called half-board?

For the same deal you get dinner as well as breakfast.

Check out our Culinary Travels for more ideas.

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