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How to Eat While Staying in a Hotel: Easy Travel Meals
Sticking to a food budget, while being a guest at a hotel, can get extremely frustrating. That’s why I created these meal prep ideas for staying in a hotel.
Planning your meals while overnighting away from your home, can get super expensive. If your hotel has a restaurant, it’s usually on the pricier side. If it doesn’t, figuring out food can be quite an inconvenience.
Whether you’re trying to avoid being charged an arm and a leg for some hotel room service or table service… or you’re just looking to have a simple, budget friendly vacation or work trip… let’s check out some easy travel meals to make your stay a bit more relaxing.
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After transportation and lodging, food is the next big ticket item on most trips. Of course, if you’re vacationing and hitting some theme parks, those can get pretty costly as well. However, if we’re looking at a basic staycation, road trip, work trip or vacation on a budget, food is a big ticket item.
Hotel Room Food can Easily Break the Bank!
The thing about food is that it can genuinely make or break your budget. Think about it! Flight tickets, rental vehicle prices or gas prices are known in advanced and fixed. You can budget firmly for this.
The same goes for the cost of your hotel room and any entertainment tickets that you need to purchase on your trip. The costs are relatively solid.
Food on the other hand, is as dynamic as it comes. One person can eat for a week for less than $20. While another blows thousands. It’s crazy how easily food expenses can get out of hand.
Even if your hotel comes with a complimentary breakfast package, you still need to figure out lunch or have some hotel dinner ideas, if you don’t plan on buying out.
I’ve been on several work trips where the cost of food at the hotel just didn’t fall anywhere close to being within the company allotted per diem. The last thing anyone wants is for their company’s business trip to cost them money out of their own pocket.
That’s when I started looking into hacks for hotel room food. This way, I ate like a king and saved a ton on my meal expenses. This has gone on to serve me well on my family trips as well.
If you want to ensure that you enjoy your next trip, without wrecking yourself financially, I strongly suggest having a few meal prep ideas for staying in a hotel! Let’s discuss!
The Benefits of Planning Easy Travel Meals
Knowing how to prepare a few simple hotel meals can save you time, energy and money. Most importantly, it could also keep you from losing your mind while trying to figure out what to eat.
Let’s break down each one so you understand the full value that comes with the easy hotel room meals, that we’d discuss afterwards.
1. Figuring out How to Eat While Staying in a Hotel Saves Money
By now, we can all agree that you do not want to be spending your hard earned money at a pricey restaurant, while visiting a hotel. Whether it’s one at the hotel or one nearby. You want meal prep ideas so that you can avoid this. Period. And that’s just smart financial thinking!
It’s no secret that if you take care of your own hotel meals, you’d save a chunk of money.
2. Planning Hotel Room Meals Saves Time
You’re in a new town or city. Use the time to explore instead of waiting on food at a restaurant or slaving behind a stove, cooking. Don’t waste your opportunity to get out and about. Feel free to experience new things.
Catch up with friends, family, or enjoy some alone time. Put your time to better use!
At the very least, even if you just want to stay in and relax… do that! Afterall, you don’t have to worry about cleaning up after yourself while on your trip. Enjoy it!
Hey… you can even snuggle up in bed and get your online side hustle game on. Make money while you rest!
Basically, having a few meal prep ideas for staying in a hotel saves you hours every day. And your time is valuable!
3. Pre-prepped Meals for Hotel Rooms Saves Energy
Cooking is hard work. Getting dressed to go out for a meal could also be a bit inconvenient if you’re just not in the mood. Save yourself the effort and have some easy hotel meals figured out!
There are lots of options for no-cook meals for hotel rooms out there! Walmart, Aldi, Food Lion, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Publix! They all serve “ready-to-eat” meal options that can save you a fortune while enjoying your hotel stay!
4. Easy Hotel Room Meals Give You Peace of Mind
Being hungry and trying to figure out what to eat is a sure-fire way to make yourself angry. And being “hangry” is the absolute worst!
Having some quick hotel dinner recipes on hand, or at least some hotel room snacks, can save you from going over the edge emotionally.
1 Week of Meal Prep Ideas for Staying in a Hotel ($1 Per Meal)
We’ve compiled 7-days’ worth of meals for hotel rooms, that require little to no effort and work out to be just over $1 per meal.
Easy Travel Meals for Hotel Rooms: What to Expect?
1. Hotel friendly meal ideas to last 1 week: 28 easy hotel meals!
i. 7 hotel room breakfast ideas
ii. 7 lunch ideas
iii. 7 hotel dinner ideas
iv. 7 hotel room snacks
2. The breakdown of all the items required to prepare the 28 meals.
3. A full shopping list, inclusive of the cost of each item.
4. Your total food bill for the week will be $42, for the 28 meals. This works out to be approximately $1.49 per meal. Rounded off to the nearest dollar…that’s $1 each.
5. Bonus tips on how to eat while staying in a hotel.
Points to Note for This Hotel Meal Plan
1. All prices are based on the current prices at my neighborhood Walmart.
2. Be mindful that prices may vary slightly based on your exact location.
3. Sales tax is not included in the prices shown.
4. Meals are repeated to save time, energy and money.
5. Detailed recipes are not included.
6. Meals are simple and easy to prepare.
7. We will assume that you have access to a mini fridge, toaster and a microwave from your hotel room.
8. You should have access to basic cutlery such as a butter knife, a fork, a spoon, cups and disposable plates in your hotel. This is all you need.
9. Most hotels offer complimentary condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo), salt and pepper packets. These would not be included in the shopping list.
10. You do not need to buy these items at Walmart. You can choose whatever nearby grocery works for you. These items are available at most major grocery chains that have a deli.
Shopping List for Easy Travel Meals for Hotel Rooms
Frosted Cereal, 1EA (24 oz box) – $2.82
Sliced Wheat Bread, 1EA (20 oz loaf) – $1.42
Deli Style Ham, 1EA (1lb package) – $3.88
Milk, 1EA (64 oz jug) – $1.76
Cheese Singles, 16 Count (12 oz Package) – $1.98
Whole Rotisserie Chicken, 1EA (36 oz package) – $5.97
Fried Chicken, Ready-to-eat, 8pc – $7.97
Classic Iceberg Salad, 1EA (12 oz bag) – $1.97
Coleslaw, Tri-Color, 1EA (16 oz bag) – $1.97
Potato Salad, Fresh, 1EA (16 oz tub) – $3.27
Pasta Salad, Fresh, 1EA (16 oz tub) – $3.27
Microwave Popcorn, 3 Count (2.55 oz bags) – $1.27
Mini Pretzels, 1EA (16 oz bag) – $2.24
Roasted Peanuts, in Shell, 1EA (20 oz package) – $1.98
TOTAL WEEKLY FOOD BILL: $41.77
Approximate Cost Per Meal: $1.49
Rounded-off Cost Per Meal: $1
Hotel Breakfast Ideas for 7 Days
1st Day: Cereal and milk
2nd Day: Deli style ham sandwich, with lettuce and cheese
3rd Day: Toast and complimentary hotel coffee
4th Day: Cereal and milk
5th Day: Deli style ham sandwich, with lettuce and cheese
6th Day: Toast and complimentary hotel coffee
7th Day: Cereal and milk
Easy Hotel Meals for Lunch
1st Day: Pasta Salad and fried chicken
2nd Day: Potato Salad and rotisserie chicken
3rd Day: Rotisserie chicken sandwich with coleslaw
4th Day: Potato salad and fried chicken
5th Day: Pasta salad and rotisserie chicken
6th Day: Fried chicken sandwich
7th Day: Coleslaw and rotisserie chicken
Hotel Dinner Recipes (No-Cook)
1st Day: Deli style ham sandwich, with lettuce and cheese
2nd Day: Coleslaw and rotisserie chicken
3rd Day: Potato salad and fried chicken
4th Day: Deli style ham sandwich, with lettuce and cheese
5th Day: Coleslaw and fried chicken
6th Day: Pasta salad and rotisserie chicken
7th Day: Deli style rotisserie chicken sandwich, with lettuce and cheese
Snacks for Hotel Room
1st Day: Popcorn
2nd Day: Peanuts
3rd Day: Pretzels
4th Day: Popcorn
5th Day: Peanuts and pretzel mix
6th Day: Peanuts or pretzels or mix or Cesar salad
7th Day: Popcorn
Pro Tips for No-Cook Meals for Hotel Rooms
1. Make use of the complimentary items in the hotel
You do not need to purchase your own coffee, or basic condiments. Hotels usually provide items such as ketchup packets, mustard, mayo, salt, pepper, and even butter or jam, free of charge. The same applies for disposable cutlery, plates and cups.
Of course the list of complimentary items varies from hotel to hotel. Just ask your front desk attendant for some extras when you check in.
2. Meal Prep with Your Budget in Mind
Whatever your budget is, plan around it. There are lots of budget friendly, pre-cooked food options available at stores nearby. Come up with a plan.
3. Scout for Options Close to Your Hotel
Do a quick search to see what supermarket chains are located nearby and come up with a plan based on the options that you get. I just used Walmart as an example, but the prices don’t vary by that much across the various chains.
For example, on our last vacation, the kids fell in love with the chicken fingers and wedges at Publix. Having our hotel mini fridge topped off with this saved us a fortune. And it cost like $20 to feed them both for the entire week. Without fuss!
4. Look out for Deals
Make use of sales, coupons and specials across whatever competing grocery franchises that are in your area. Whatever you need to do to save money, do it!
4. Meal Prep with Food You Like
Come up with a meal plan based on food that you’d actually enjoy eating during your hotel stay. There are too many good options to choose from. Set your budget and go shopping.
I like fried chicken and I happen to enjoy a nice deli style sandwich paired with a cup of coffee. So I usually plan around that. There are lots of pre-cooked options to choose from.
Additional easy hotel meals include: porridge, quick oats, chicken salad, dinner rolls, garlic bread, instant rice, microwavable pizza, hot pockets, burritos, wraps, empanadas, salads, microwavable lasagna, canned soups, tacos, etc.
Buy what you like, within your budget.
5. Plan Your Hotel Room Food Around Your Room’s Amenities
How to eat while staying in a hotel pivots on the room that you have and the amenities that come with it. As much as you’d like to cook, this may not be possible if your room doesn’t come equipped with a full kitchen or kitchenette.
If you don’t have a stove, just forget cooking. At the very least, you should have a mini fridge and access to a microwave. Just stick to chilled food and microwavable options.
The 28 meal prep ideas, that we discussed above, will fit into any hotel stay. Even with the most basic amenities. They are all no cook meals for hotel rooms.
6. Plan Ahead
If you want to totally avoid the hassle of meal preparation while staying in a hotel, prepare all your food prior to your trip. Prepare some meats, sides, eggs for breakfast, and whatever else that you like to eat. Package them out in some zip-lock bags and to-go containers, refrigerate… and get on with your trip.
Just remember to empty your suitcase and stock your fridge when you arrive. Microwave whatever you want, whenever you want. Easy!
7. Make Money while You Relax
Instead of burning yourself out emotionally and physically, enjoy your hotel stay! Pick up some meals to go, like we suggested in our meal plan. Then you could enjoy your off time and make some extra money while you wind down.
You can check out some low effort, high reward, online side hustles to get going.
Easy Travel Meals for Cooking in Hotel Room
If you’re lucky enough to have a hotel room with a kitchen, equipped with a stove, pots and pans… cooking a few basic and budget conscious meals may be possible.
Afterall… we want to save as much money as we could, enjoy our food and have meal prep be as simple as can be. If this is what you want, while chillaxing in a hotel room, check out the 7-Day $15 Ultra Cheap Meal Plan!
You’d get a week of delicious, easy to prepare recipes, that can be done in any hotel room that comes with a stove. All for $15 per week.
Be sure to swipe some complimentary salt and pepper packets from your friendly hotel concierge if you plan on cooking, to save money.
Frequently Asked Questions for Easy Travel Meals for Hotel Rooms
FAQ: How to meal prep when staying in a hotel?
The smartest and simplest way to meal prep when staying in a hotel is to stick with basic meals: sandwiches and proteins paired with a side.
You can purchase proteins and sides as “to-go” meals from nearby stores. Or prepare them and refrigerate them yourself prior to your trip. If you wish, you can stick with sandwiches or mix things up with some easy to prepare wraps or tacos.
FAQ: How do you eat while staying in a hotel?
Sandwiches and wraps are always the easiest options. You can get sliced bread, wraps or taco shells at any nearby grocery store, as well as deli meat, cheese and other toppings.
Pre-prepared grab and go type meals are also a life saver. Most grocery stores have a bakery or deli with lots of budget friendly options to choose from.
FAQ: How to cook when living in a hotel?
Personally, I prefer grab and go options or sandwiches, as opposed to cooking, when I’m staying in a hotel. It works out to be around the same price when you factor in the cost of all the spices, seasonings and condiments that you’d have to buy in order to cook the meal.
Cooking in a hotel is not like at home when you have access to items in your pantry. You have to buy everything to cook a meal from scratch, so you really do not save as much money as you’d like. Plus it takes time and energy.
If you insist on cooking, stick to basic meals suck as grilled or pan fried meats, potatoes, rice and salad.
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Final Thoughts on Hotel Meals Made Simple
The smartest, easiest way to save money, time and energy while enjoying your stay at a hotel, is to make use of ready-to-eat meal options from nearby grocery stores and delis.
Even if you have a stove in your hotel room, you probably won’t save that much money if you choose to cook. That is, when you consider the cost of all the pantry basics such as salt, seasonings, spices and condiments that you’d have to buy just to get your meal started.
Coupled with the time and effort, it probably won’t be worth it to cook too many complicated meals. Basic ones might be okay but you really need to think about the value for your labor. Especially when you could be chilling out by the free hotel pool or hot tub.
Do you have any thoughts or ideas for easy hotel meals, that you’d like to let us know about. Share with us in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you!
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