My worst travel week ever taught me the real budget hack

Last summer I planned a 7 day trip to New Orleans on a $400 budget. Day two I got food poisoning from a cheap po boy and lost two full days in the hotel. I spent $60 on medicine and Gatorade at the CVS on Canal Street. Turns out the real money saver is packing a basic first aid kit with Imodium and antacids. Has anyone else had a trip ruined by getting sick from street food?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_fisher1d ago

Oh man, that is brutal lol! I had a similar thing happen in Mexico City last year. Ate some tacos from a street cart that looked amazing and ended up stuck in the hostel bathroom for a full 24 hours. Spent like $40 on Pedialyte and crackers at a pharmacy near the Zocalo. The real kicker was I missed out on a free walking tour I was hyped for, so my cheap meal cost me way more in the long run. I swear, I always pack Pepto now no matter where I go.

willow_anderson851d ago

My buddy once spent like $50 on Imodium AND those electrolyte popsicles at a 7-Eleven in Prague after a questionable kebab. The crazy part was he had to bring the whole bag to the bathroom with him because he was too scared to leave it unattended. He said the popsicles melted into a weird sticky mess all over his stuff and he smelled like artificial cherry for the rest of the trip. It was so bad his hostel roommate asked if he spilled a candle everywhere. I swear the universe punishes you extra hard for trying to save a buck on food.