Exploring local cuisine is an important part of many people’s travel itineraries. They indulge in local menus, visit markets to discover regional ingredients, and sign up for culinary workshops to learn about local cooking styles. In fact, it is quite common to book food tours and restaurants, even booking hotels and flights. For those who want to travel for food but have their plan on pause for unavoidable reasons, a food-focused staycation is a good idea.
Plan a Few Days Ahead
Planning is important when considering a local food tour staycation. One can read reviews to learn about the destination’s top restaurants, food tours, and cooking classes. Another option is to watch travel and food shows. These can give a person a fair idea about a location’s food scene and help them decide what they would like to do. Planning a culinary adventure only after sending that “out of office” mail would be too late.
When planning for a food-focused staycation, one can start by deciding on a cuisine one is curious about trying. One could then make reservations at restaurants that offer this cuisine. Those considering enjoying the staycation without stepping out can list places offering takeaways. Alternatively, if the plan is to cook at home, one can start by creating menus, selecting recipes, finding places to source the ingredients, and research the essential kitchen tools that might be required.
Participate in a Food Tour
When planning vacations, people hardly think about exploring their own cities. This can be a big mistake because the top food staycation destinations are sometimes right where one lives. This is especially true for cities with a cosmopolitan culture where one can find foods from various cuisines. A person may have experienced the food of dozens of cities worldwide but perhaps have never considered planning a local food tour staycation. Participating in a culinary walk tour is a great idea to explore local cuisine and discover something delicious and new. One can also plan their own tour and show other foodie travelers around favorite restaurants, cafes, and street food places.
Visit Local Food and Beverage Artisans
Visiting local beverage and food artisans in neighborhoods within the city is an excellent way to plan an easy food focused staycation. This way, one can observe how various local products are made at their source. City wineries, breweries, cheesemakers, and butchers can be easily added to a local tour if one is a curious food aficionado. That said, some producers may not have official guided tours, so one must contact them beforehand and see if they would be willing to allow visitors inside the premises.
Check Out the Morning Food Scene
Staycations are perfect for enjoying some extra sleep in the morning. But for food enthusiasts, sleeping in can mean missed opportunities. Many cities have a completely different culinary scene in the early hours of dawn. Most of the time, early mornings are a whirlwind of activities for those who source and make food. One can see bakers in action and take the opportunity to taste the first batch of bread or baked goods fresh from the oven. Heading to the local market is also a good idea if one is curious about produce auctions or wants to witness the first catch of the day from the local fishing boats. With market stalls beginning to set up and open for business, early morning is the right time to pick the most fresh ingredients.
Plan a Fancy Lunch
For a gourmet staycation plan, one can consider going for a meal in the highest-rated restaurants around the city. These places are overbooked for dinners, especially during weekends, but weekdays are definitely not off-limits. Usually, lunchtime is slow business at these top restaurants on weekdays, so it makes sense to book a table accordingly. Many upscale restaurants also have deals to attract customers on weekdays. So, a top staycation dining tip is to take advantage of these discounted prices while enjoying a gourmet meal at a fancy place.
Sign up for a Cooking Class
Even if a person has a lot of experience in cooking, there is always something new to learn, whether a different cooking technique or an unexplored cuisine. There are a lot of choices to pick from when it comes to signing up for a cooking class. It is not only a great way to make the best of one’s time during a staycation but also an opportunity to learn something new and useful. From learning to make and roll sushi to mastering knife skills or picking up tips to make the perfect sourdough bread, there are several cooking staycation activities to look forward to. One can enrol in online courses that are self-paced or attend one-day workshops depending on convenience and budget.