Easy, Healthy Hostel Meals

Eating out every meal while traveling can have an impact on your wallet and your waistline. Saving money might be the most obvious benefit to utilizing hostel kitchens, but cooking the occasional homemade meal while on the road is a healthier alternative to dining out constantly.

Plus, you won’t feel too bad about having an extra pastry or three.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

It can be difficult to eat enough fruits and veggies while traveling, and produce like lettuce can be hard to come by (or unsafe to eat) in certain regions. A quick and easy cucumber and tomato salad is sure to satisfy any cravings for fresh, whole foods.

Simply dice up a cucumber and some tomatoes, toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It’s really that easy! Raw onions are another tasty addition.

Stir Fry

Stir fry is a quintessential backpacker meal. Before making a trip to the grocery store check the hostel’s kitchen to see what spices and cooking oils they have on hand, if any. Then, get creative! Visit the local market or grocery store and choose some produce that’s in season. Broccoli, peppers, onions, garlic, that weird-looking vegetable you can’t quite identify… anything goes!

Be sure to enlist the help of your fellow hostel-dwellers, too. Group meals are one of the most enjoyable things about staying in hostels.

Omelets

Getting enough protein while traveling can be tricky (especially in countries with tons of delicious pastry options) and that’s where omelets come in. You’ll need eggs and whatever omelet fixings you’re craving. For a simple option, just toss spinach and cheese in. If you aren’t skilled at flipping the perfect omelet, just turn it into an egg scramble.

If you have extra eggs, hard-boil them to add to your snack arsenal, too.