Although eating out while traveling is part of finding the culture, I would also argue that cooking-in can add to the adventure. But only within the last couple decades, since the popularization of vacation rentals over hotel stays, has this sensuous experience been easily accessible. The distinction is simple. Does your temporary home have a kitchen?

Staying in hotels is ideal and preferred when I’m traveling with just my husband. Since we currently have three teenage boys at home, when we travel by ourselves, we tend to splurge. I like to book luxury, boutique hotels and will sacrifice space. These trips are also shorter, so we pack it all in and try to hit as many restaurants as possible. The goal is aways to find the perfect coffee shop to spend the morning, the ideal location for lunch, the craftiest cocktail venue, and the most romantic dinner spot.

But when we travel as a family, I usually try to rent a space that has a nice area for hanging out, and a kitchen. It really doesn’t matter how old your kids are – toddlers to teenagers – we all need a little space and a place to chill. (I learned that by default in 2011 when out of necessity I declared “journal time” every afternoon on our 2 month hiatus.) But regardless of the size, a kitchen is a must when traveling with the kids.

The revelation of finding culture at the meat market happened on accident on our 2011 summer long trip. With kids ages 6, 8, and 10 in tow, I quickly learned that eating out every night would not only break our budget, but it would also put me over the edge. While we prided ourselves on raising kids who would would eat a variety of foods, at their ages, their palates we just plain simple. Finding a kid friendly yet foodie, adult-approved menu and atmosphere was doable, but challenging. So we settled on a rough schedule of eating in about every third night. As it turned out, we found the grocery shopping and cooking to be a cultural experience in itself.

Whether we stay urban or rural, grocery shopping in another culture is different. Occasionally we find a supermarket which means a big bill as our cart quickly fills with chips, cookies, and sugary food with attractive labels. It’s like an experiment for our taste buds. We find similar snacks to what we have at home, but in the local brand.

But since we often stay in urban areas where supermarkets are less frequent, we piece together our meals by visiting the fruit and vegetable stands, the cheese and wine shops, and the meat markets. This is my personal favorite way to shop – local and fresh. It makes me feel less like a tourist and more like a local.

And while I’m doing business with the locals, I love to chat with the shop owners. I find the best advice on food is from the locals point of view. So while buying my fruits and vegetables I might ask about favorite bakeries for morning pastries. At the cheese shop I could inquire about wine pairings and where to go for happy hour. And the butcher is a good person to ask about favorite spots for dinner. Sometimes other locals in the shop will chime in with their favorites as well. Those recommendations are always the best.

Back at the flat, cooking in a different kitchen – even if it’s tiny – adds to the experience. When the kids were little, we often fed them first, then set them up with a movie while we had our own quiet dinner with a bottle of wine. Now that our boys are teens, we enlist their help in either the preparation or the clean up. Interestingly, we get fewer complaints from the teens when we’re in a different kitchen. 😉

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So hotel or flat, kitchen or no kitchen? I love the cultural experience both situations bring. The choice usually comes down to my travel companions, the length of stay, and my budget. But whether I can afford the luxury of boutique hotels or not, I still believe in finding culture at the meat market.

You can find our hotel flat with kitchen in Venice, Italy here, and the bungalow on Clifton 3rd Beach in Cape Town, South Africa here.