TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

When visiting Madrid, get off the beaten path and enjoy a tour of great restaurants for tapas. If you are unfamiliar with the term, "tapas" are like Spanish appetizers served before a larger meal. They can be pretty popular on their own for light eating.

Adventurous Appetites (www.adventurousappetites.com) has a great walking tour that hits a number of non-touristy restaurants where you can get a taste of real Spanish cuisine while enjoying some city night life. Tours are fairly late by North American standards for a meal, usually around 8pm running until midnight. You can book an "all inclusive" tour so you don't have to worry about the bill at each restaurant. Just enjoy the walking, drinking and food.

It can be a nice way to relax a bit after a day of sight-seeing, as long as you don't mind staying up a bit late.

London is the 16th most expensive city in the world so expect to pay a lot more for food, drinks, accommodation and tickets to attractions. The most expensive cafés and restaurants are in the city centre and close to the main attractions. Although cafés along the Embankment of the River Thames look charming, they will be expensive. Soho is generally pricey, along with Notting Hill. Greenwich has many restaurants, with a range of prices. Chinatown is a good area to head for as there are always bargain menus. Head for the Baozi Inn in Chinatown where a set lunch is around £8.50 and main courses at night are tasty at around £8 each. Indian and Ethnic restaurants are also good places to find filling food on the cheap. Jambo in Tottenham, Kitfo House in Vauxhall and Dosa n’Chutny in Tooting all do great food at sensible prices. Comptoir Libanis serves Lebanese cuisine in Marylebone. It has no menus, just a self-service counter so you help yourself, pay the cashier and sit on a stool. You save on service charges too!

Vegetarian restaurants are also surprisingly cheap, even if you’re not a vegetarian yourself. Beatroot in Soho serves comfort food such as bean hotpot and veggie shepherds’ pie for under £7, or head for the community-run Bonnington Centre Café in Vauxhall Grove. The Garden Café on Lambeth Palace Road is another star, with vegetarian main courses for around £6.

Most visitors to Orlando know all about the attractions in the area, but few discover Downtown Orlando.

Church Street Station is a reconstructed town street and old railway station complete, with locomotive. It is surrounded by several old saloons, bars and restaurants which offer great places to eat in a fun environment. Prices are good and there is something for everyone here, so get out and see the 'real' Orlando.

On arrival in Las Vegas, browse the local coupon book and earmark any discounted buffets or good meal deals.

Alternatively, search on the internet for "Coupons Mortons" or "Coupon PF Changs" or whatever your favorite restaurant chain is. Generally you can get some great free desserts or 2-4-1 meal offers this way.

Eating out in England, particularly in London, is much more expensive than in the USA. However, the traditional fare of fish and chips, wrapped in paper and eaten on a park bench is as good as gets. Sprinkle salt and vinegar on the battered fish, just like the locals do!

Alternatively, pubs serve excellent home-cooked fare, often called 'Pub Grub' which is always generously portioned, hot and tasty.

Carveries are another great British deal - basically they are all you can fit on your plate from the buffet and include carved meats, crispy roast potatoes, a wide selection of vegetables and sides along with lashings of thick brown gravy.