Traveling on a shoestring doesn’t have to mean missing out on all the culinary wonders a destination has to offer. You may not be able to afford multi-course gastronomic feasts at the hottest spot in town, but with a bit of ingenuity, you can stretch your travel dollars and not miss out on the great food and drink at your destination. By balancing out splurges and sacrifices you can dine like the jet-set crowd on a backpacker’s budget with these ten tips.

1. Set a budget and stick to it. This is the obvious first tip - but if you don’t plan your budget ahead of time, you might end up having a “money is no object” mentality (while seemingly more glamorous) it’s not realistic.  Budget for a trip like you do in your every day life. Keep an approximate running tally of your expenses so you always know how you are doing. If you come in under budget one day, use that to offset a more expensive day.

2. Remember that everything is a trade off.  Want to splurge a little on dinner one night? Go head, just cut back on your spending for that day’s lunch and breakfast to make up the difference. Or if you plan on having a fancy feast on Saturday, plan to picnic on Sunday. Balancing out high cost meals with less expensive ones will keep the overall tally lower.

3. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Pick hotels and bed and breakfasts that include a daily breakfast in the rate. When you’re preparing your budget, you don’t need to factor in breakfast!  At the hotel, load up and grab a piece of fruit or pastry for later, and you’ll be sated well into the afternoon.

4. Self-cater. If you can’t locate accommodations with breakfast included, try to seek out a place with a guest kitchen or rent an apartment (if you are traveling with a group or staying more than a few days, it can be an even bigger value) and cook a few of your meals at home. Head to the market and pick up ingredients to make a home-cooked meal using regional specialties.

5. To market, to market. One of the best ways to experience a local culture is to spend a day at the market. Head to the local market to see a city really come to life full of new smells, sights, and sounds. Pick up some fixings for a picnic, nibble as you wander, or gather up ingredients to cook a full meal.

6. Make lunch your main meal. If there’s a fancy restaurant you’re just dying to try, see if they offer lunch service. You’ll get the same quality cuisine, in slightly smaller portions and at much smaller prices. Plus, you may be less likely to drink alcohol with lunch (or at least, not a full bottle), which can also greatly cut down on your total bill.

7. Do as the locals do. For the sake of both your budget and your taste buds, avoid any restaurant that has a laminated menu in multiple languages, waiters standing outside trying to recruit customers, or is directly in front of a major attraction.  These places jack-up the prices because they can. Seek out smaller, out of the way places preferred by locals and you’ll likely get not only a better meal, but also a less expensive one.  Ask local merchants, instead of the hotel staff, for restaurant suggestions  - they’re more likely to suggest place they love and not a place they’ve been paid to promote.

8. If you must drink, drink local.  Be aware that drinking can add a considerable cost to your bill.  Don’t be discouraged, instead of going for your old standby beer, wine or cocktail, drink, taste the local tipple instead. In Venice a glass of Prosecco will be cheaper than a few sips of Bordeaux and in Germany beer is cheaper than bottled water.  Prolong your evening, but resisting a bottle at dinner, and instead share a few glasses at the bar afterwards – it’s cheaper and you get to hang with the locals.

9. Share and share alike. Rather than ordering a three-course meal for yourself, share an appetizer, salad or pasta, and an entrée,  and dessert with a companion. You’ll still get to try a variety of dishes, but on a smaller scale. Your waistline and your wallet will both thank you.

10. Eat on your feet. In cities like Venice and Barcelona, many restaurants charge extra to sit at a table rather than stand at the bar and eat. Sidle up the bar and order some small but filling bites of bar snacks (known as cichetti or aperitivo in Italy and tapas or pinxtos in Spain) and save big. Or grab food from a street vendor and eat as you go: crepes in France, pizza in Italy, steamed dumplings in China, samosas in India. Not only is it cheap, but you’ll save time as well not waiting in a restaurant.

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Katie Hammel lives in Chicago with her husband and two very fat cats. An Event planner by day, she feeds her wanderlust by spending every spare minute researching future destinations and helping friends and family plan their own trips. Katie firmly believes that travel doesn’t have to cost a fortune and that some of the best experiences are completely free.   She chronicles her frugal adventures at http://katiehammel.blogspot.com.