Eat With A Local!

Today we have a guest post from Vicki who started a cool website called EatWithALocal.com. Shelley and I love to eat with locals whenever we can, so this site immediately caught our attention. Yes, doing this can save you some money, but even more importantly eating with locals can give you some of the most enriching cultural experiences of your entire trip. That’s what makes this website such a GREAT idea!

Me eating on Colva beach with my hostess Meghana in Goa, India

If you enjoy good food and sampling delicious dishes cooked by local people Eat With A Local will put you into contact with hosts all over the world willing to cook for you in their homes.  It is free to join and use.  If you are unable to cook but enjoy meeting people there is an option to take the visitor to your favorite restaurant.  Hosts can choose to charge a nominal sum for ingredients but most members host freely.

The girl from Virginia and I

I have dined with members in India, Marrakech, Boston and Brighton, it has changed the way I travel forever.  Eating and meeting with the locals gives you a better insight into the culture of the country not mentioned in the usual guide books.  Recently I hosted a young student called Sonja from Virginia in my kitchen in Wales, UK.  It was her first attempt at solo travel, and she was studying in Oxford.  It gave her the confidence she needed knowing there would be a friend meeting her on her journey to Wales.

When I met up with a family from New Zealand they were exhausted as they had broken down on the Baltic sea and had to eat sandwiches for 48 hours.  They were so happy to have a home cooked meal after their experience.  And I was thrilled to host a family from down under in my kitchen in Wales.

We have been breaking bread with strangers in the name of peace for centuries. Eat With A Local is taking this concept into the future!