The Overpriced Vacation Perk Hotels Always Try To Lure You Into

Travel may broaden the mind, but it also lightens the wallet. Statistics say nearly half of us can no longer afford it at all. If you've pinched those pennies hard enough to take that long-awaited trip, you may still be looking to save a few bucks where you can. One way is to take advantage of the free breakfast that comes with your hotel stay. If the hotel charges for a morning meal, though, just say no to the upsell. Michelle Jensen, the travel blogger behind Travel Herstory, advises doing a DIY breakfast instead.

"When I was straight out of college, I would go to the local grocery store and grab a roll, muffin, or croissant along with a fruit like a banana or orange as my breakfast," Jensen told The Takeout. These days, she's able to afford something a bit more upmarket so she opts for coffee and a pastry at a local cafe. If you'd rather save your restaurant expenditures for lunch or dinner, however, she had some advice. "Hotel room coffee or microwaves can make for a more budget-friendly breakfast." 

On her past travels, she said, "I often grocery shopped and then made things in my room, which saved me a lot." She added, however, "I made sure to get things that weren't too complicated to make such as cereal and oatmeal since I sometimes had limited kitchenware." If you start the day with coffee or tea paired with a piece of fruit and a granola bar, she characterizes this minimalist breakfast as "an excellent and easy option."

Even if your hotel breakfast comes at a price, it might still be worth it if the meal is something special. "I've had some all-you-can-eat buffets in Thailand that I still think about that were well worth the cost," Jensen reminisced, seeing it as an opportunity to try foods she might not otherwise have encountered. Also, as she pointed out, "Eating a lot at breakfast made me less hungry throughout the day so I was able to hold off till dinner or at least have a very light lunch." Jensen even admitted to squirreling away a few bananas for later — it's hardly considered stealing if you've paid for the breakfast buffet. (Even if you haven't paid extra, the cost of a "free" buffet is built into the price of your hotel room.)

Rick Steves, a travel celeb from back before bloggers existed, advises his readers to avoid European hotel breakfasts if they're strictly of the continental variety (meaning one pastry and a cup of coffee). He is a fan, however, of the smörgåsbord spreads laid on by some Scandinavian hotels since those let you eat pretty heartily (and pack up leftovers for lunch). Steves also recommends big British B&B breakfast fry-ups along with the cold cuts, rolls, and pastries you might find in central and Eastern Europe. In France, Italy, and Spain, however, he feels you may be better off breakfasting somewhere other than your hotel.