Food
& Drink
eat the thing the place is known for
Food is the easiest culture to give a child, because they have to eat anyway. You are not adding an activity, you are choosing where the thing they were going to do regardless happens. And a child who has eaten something in the place it comes from has a stronger opinion about that country than any museum could give them.
The market first
On the first morning in any new city, go to the food market. Before the sights, before anything.
It tells you what is grown there, what is in season, what people actually eat, and how much things cost. That last one is useful for the rest of the trip.
Children engage with markets in a way they do not engage with much else. Things are piled up, people are shouting, there are samples, and nobody is telling them to be quiet.
Buy lunch there. It is almost always the cheapest and best meal of the day.
The one dish rule
Every place has a thing. Find it and eat it, and make a small ceremony out of it.
It does not matter if the children like it. The point is having tried it in the right place, and children remember trying things far more than they remember liking them.
Let them rate it. We score things out of ten as a family and the arguments are half the fun. The soju and gimbap arguments from Korea are still going.
And go where the locals eat it rather than where it is advertised in four languages.
Order more dishes than you think you need and put them in the middle of the table. Sharing plates gets everyone trying more without anyone committing to a full portion of something they are not sure about, and it is closer to how most of the world actually eats anyway.
Where the food is the reason
- ItalyWhere regional food is a serious matter, and children are welcome everywhere.
- JapanPrecision, vending machines, and the best convenience food on earth.
- South KoreaGrilling at the table, which is a meal and an activity at once.
- SpainTapas, which is the ideal format for a family who cannot agree.
- FranceMarkets, bakeries, and children expected to sit and eat properly.
- MexicoStreet food, and the real version of everything you thought you knew.
- ThailandWhere the best food costs almost nothing and is cooked on the pavement.
- VietnamBreakfast soup, and coffee that will change your standards.
- PortugalPastries, grilled fish, and pricing that still surprises people.
- GreeceLong lunches by water, and food children actually eat.
- MoroccoTagines, mint tea, and markets that overwhelm in a good way.
- TurkeyBreakfast as a national event, and it is enormous.
Cooking classes with children
One of the best activities available and consistently under-booked by families.
Pick a class that includes the market shop at the start. Choosing ingredients is the part children like most.
Two to three hours maximum. Look for classes that advertise family or children specifically, because the pace and the knife work differ.
Pasta, dumplings, bread and anything involving hands works. Anything involving a lot of chopping and waiting does not.
And it comes home with them. A child who learned to make pasta in Bologna makes it in your kitchen for years afterwards.
The fussy eater question
A question I hear often, and it matters much less than parents fear.
Bread and fruit exist everywhere. A child will not starve on a two week trip and the anxiety about it causes more trouble than the eating does.
One safe meal a day and everything else is negotiable. Usually breakfast is the safe one.
Do not make it a battle in a restaurant abroad. That is how a child learns that foreign food is stressful, and it lasts.
Ordering for the table and sharing works far better than individual plates, because trying one bite of something is much easier than committing to it.
If food is the reason your family travels, tell me and I will build the trip around markets, classes and the places worth planning a day around. That is one of my favorite briefs to get.
Questions people actually ask
The ones that come up before anyone books. If yours isn’t here, ask me.
How do you introduce children to new food while traveling?
Visit the food market on the first morning, identify the one dish the place is known for and try it together, and order for the table to share rather than individual plates so trying a bite is low commitment.
Are cooking classes suitable for children?
Yes, particularly classes lasting two to three hours that include a market shop and involve hands-on work such as pasta, dumplings or bread. Classes advertised as family-friendly adjust pace and knife work accordingly.
What if my child is a fussy eater abroad?
It matters less than most parents fear. Bread and fruit are available everywhere, one reliable meal a day is usually sufficient, and avoiding confrontation over food prevents children associating foreign travel with stress.
Which countries are best for food-led family travel?
Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam all combine excellent food with real welcome for children. Spain’s tapas format works particularly well for families who cannot agree on one dish.
Why visit a food market when traveling?
Markets show what is grown and eaten locally, indicate normal prices for the rest of the trip, and engage children more readily than most attractions. They also provide the cheapest and often best meal of the day.
More in Themes and Interests
- HistoryWhere the past is still standing.→
- Books & StoriesGo and stand where the book happened.→
- Arts & CultureMuseums, music, and making something.→
- Nature & WildlifeAnimals in the wild, not in an enclosure.→
- SportsWatching, and playing, abroad.→
- Seasonal JourneysAutumn color, winter markets, spring bloom.→
- Festivals & TraditionsTurn up on the right week.→
- Adventure & OutdoorsThe trips that need a change of clothes.→
Keep reading
Written and kept current by Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel. If something here is out of date, tell me and I will fix it.
Tell me who is coming and how long you have.
That is usually enough to know if this is a ship, a train, or a car with the windows down.
