The Best Foods to Make for Your Vacation Rental Stay
The are so many good reasons for choosing a vacation rental. You might want a fenced yard for your pet, more privacy and space, or to feel more at home in the area you’re visiting. Another great reason… having a kitchen! This makes it possible to prepare some of the best food to make on vacation right where you’re staying.
For whatever your reasons are, it’s a great, cost effective choice. Especially, if you are utilizing the kitchen. This guide will help you choose meals that fit your vacation schedule, make the most of your rental kitchen, and keep more of your travel budget available for the experiences you came to enjoy.
Why this Earns a Spot in Your Plan
Unlike hotels, vacation rentals provide space to prepare meals, store groceries, and help you avoid relying on restaurants for every meal.
With a few simple, versatile ingredients, you can put together multiple meals, cut down on takeout, and keep more money in your vacation budget.
What this Save You
You don’t have to cook every meal to save money. Even replacing a few restaurant meals with simple food made at your vacation rental can save a family a surprising amount over the course of a stay.
For a family of four, replacing just one breakfast, lunch, and dinner out could save anywhere from $56 to more than $240 in a single day, depending on what you have spent eating out and what you prepare at the rental.
Vacatoin Rental Food Roadmap
Think about the activities you have, and plan around them.
Sample plan:
Monday: VR for breakfast, lunch at the amusement park, and back to the rental for dinner.
Tuesday: VR for breakfast, picnic lunch, out for dinner.
Wednesday: early hike, VR for lunch, out for dinner.
Once you have an idea of how your trip will look, you can plan meals accordingly.
Will Travel Tip
Focus on foods that can serve multiple meals. A container of taco meat can become tacos one night, nachos the next, and a taco salad for lunch the following day.
Foods Worth Making
These meals and ingredients work especially well in vacation rentals because they’re affordable, easy to prepare, and can often be used for multiple meals throughout your stay. Some of these you can prep and freeze before you leave for your trip, which will save you even more time!
Breakfast Favorites
- Breakfast burritos
- Muffins
- Overnight oats
- Pancakes or waffles
- Hard-boiled eggs
Easy Lunches
- Chicken salad
- Turkey for sandwiches
- Pasta salad
- Veggie wraps
- Hummus and vegetables
Simple Dinners
Snacks
- Protein Balls
- Cut fruit
- Cheese and crackers
- Yogurt
- Granola bars
Why Smart Travelers Do This
Smart travelers know that they can save the most money at a vacation rental when the kitchen actually gets used. By choosing a few simple meals and ingredients that work well throughout the week, they reduce restaurant spending without feeling like they’re constantly cooking.
Before You Hit the Road
It’s okay not to know what you are doing every minute of everyday on your trip. Anxiety has no place here! Just plan around what you do know. If you are taking a cooler with you, choose a few things from the list about to prep and freeze before you leave. Then create a grocery list for after you arrive that’s built around a few of the other items.
This is going to give you the flexibility to fit food planning around the vacation instead of the other way around.
FAQs: Best Foods for a Vacation Rental
By preparing just a few dinners, you can create leftovers with things like chili, taco meat, and chicken, that will work for lunches the next day. It will significantly reduce your overall food costs without giving up the chance to enjoy local restaurants.
Start by planning what meals to prep before you shop. Make a grocery list based on those meals, then choose ingredients that can be used more than once throughout your trip. You’ll also want to create a grocery list for what you will need after you arrive inlcuding the pantry staples your family enjoys on a regular basis.
Most vacation rentals provide the basics, but kitchen supplies can vary. Before your trip, review the property’s amenities or contact the host if you’re unsure what’s included. Bringing a few essentials, such as your favorite spices, cooking oil, aluminum foil, and food storage bags can make meal preparation much easier without taking up much space.
Choose meals that are easy to scale and don’t require everyone to eat at the same time. Taco bars, chili, pasta, baked potato bars, pulled pork sandwiches, grilled chicken, breakfast casseroles, and make-your-own sandwiches are all budget-friendly options that feed a crowd with minimal effort. They also allow everyone to customize their meal while keeping preparation simple.