Tales from TravelLocal: our most unique culinary travel experiences

When it comes to experiencing a culture’s complex and layered heritage, there are few better ways to do so than through its cuisine. Sinking your teeth into the local flavors, familiarizing yourself with time-honored cooking traditions and recipes carried over the centuries, making friends and sharing stories over a hot drink or roaring campfire… All this offers true insight into the day-to-day of a community and its cultural roots, and is a chance to experience a country richly with your taste buds. In this article, we share a few of the TravelLocal team’s most memorable foodie travel experiences, taken across the world.

Unforgettable foodie travel tours taken by the TravelLocal team

Hayley’s trip to the Maldives

On my honeymoon back in April, which was booked through TravelLocal, my partner Tess and I went on a luxury liveaboard in the Maldives, halfway through our trip, for five days for some underwater adventures.

On our last evening the crew set up a dining experience on a deserted island for us and the 13 other guests. It was a barbecue feast of fish, shellfish, and lots of lovely local dishes. It was easily one of my top foodie travel highlights, and an experience I won’t forget!

Read more: Sri Lanka and the Maldives: the best pairing for far-flung romance

Marie’s trip to Italy

On my recent Italy trip, which was partly organized by a local expert through TravelLocal, I did a pasta cooking class and a vineyard tour.

At the pasta cooking class we made three types of pasta: tortelloni, ravioli and pappardelle. We made them completely from scratch and got to eat all three at the end. The tortelloni was my favorite as we made them with a ricotta filling and I love lemon flavored things, so I was able to add as much lemon as I liked! We also had unlimited wine.

On the vineyard tour, my favorite part was visiting the Poggio Amorelli vineyard where we got a private tour of the wine cellar from the owner and the wine tasting was probably the best I ever had! The owner had so much knowledge to share, and he really guided us through the whole experience. We did not only taste wine but also balsamico, olive oil, and truffle oil. Everything tasted amazing and the view was just as great. It was one of my favorite travel experiences!

Read more: Italy for foodies: top bucket list experiences

Abbie’s trip to Japan

Japan might sound like an obvious if not boring one to mention, but hear me out—because of all the flavors I’ve gotten to try on my foodie travel tours, nothing really compares to the night we spent at a small, 150-year-old inn near Lake Fujikawaguchiko, experiencing the tradition of robata-yaki cooking.

As we’d arrived for dinner, the grey skies cleared to let us finally glimpse the elusive Mount Fuji in the distance, which definitely felt like a sign we were in the right place at the right time! Inside, we were provided with a warm welcome, hot tea, and platters of fresh seafood and vegetables to cook for ourselves over hot coals in a sunken hearth. Alongside all this, we were brought bowls of chewy hōtō noodles—the perfect remedy for a chilly October night, and my favorite-ever food tried on vacation.

Yes, while in Japan we had melt-in-your-mouth sushi, ramen ordered from a vending machine, oddly delicious 7-Eleven snacks and sandwiches, pancakes so fluffy they practically floated… but that night, enjoying a moment of nostalgia and togetherness, in the company of a friendly owner who had hewn his craft over the years, was what made our trip so memorable.

Read more: What to eat in Japan: an overview of Japanese cuisine

Leisa’s trip to Sri Lanka

I joined a cookery class in the mountain town of Ella, Sri Lanka, where we learned to make the typical Sri Lankan meal of ‘rice and curry’. It’s comprised of multiple small bowls of different curries, served with coconut roti, sambal and rice. Our hosts met us at Matey Hut, a popular local restaurant on the edge of town, and we were whisked off to their out-of-town teaching kitchen in a lush forest setting.

I didn’t imagine that we could make such a complicated selection of dishes in under two hours, but the secret, as is often the case, was in the preparation – chopping vegetables and grinding fresh spices ahead of the main event. My favorite part was working with fresh coconuts, extracting the flesh using a special vice-like scraper, then learning about the different grades of coconut milk, how they are made and used in different stages of cooking.

The cooking itself was high energy and lots of fun. We each had six small gas rings in a line on our workbench and had to cook the six different curries simultaneously. It sounds chaotic, but our earlier preparation meant that it was easier than expected to keep all dishes progressing at the same time. We even managed to rustle up some banana fritters for dessert. The icing on the cake was sitting together beneath the forest canopy to enjoy our delicious creations with a cold beer and lively chat.

Read more: A sensory journey across Sri Lanka

Dai’s trip to Finland and Norway

This is a good one!

Actually, one of my most memorable food experiences wasn’t in a restaurant at all, but during a northern lights tour somewhere near the remote border between Finland and Norway.

It was a cloudy night, so although we caught a glimpse of the northern lights, they weren’t as clear or dramatic as we had hoped. Instead, we found ourselves beneath the Milky Way, gathered around a campfire in the middle of nowhere. I was traveling with my best friend, and we sat together drinking hot chocolate and eating reindeer sausage.

The sausage itself was simple but it was the setting that made it unforgettable: the darkness, the fire, the stars, and the feeling of being somewhere so remote—so free. I’m not sure it would have stayed with me in quite the same way if I’d eaten it in a city-center restaurant! Sometimes, it’s the atmosphere and the feeling of being so far away from home and the people you share a meal with that make the food truly special.

Read more: Tales from TravelLocal: the trips that changed us

Make it happen

Set out on a fantastic foodie travel adventure of your own with help from our local experts, whose firsthand knowledge and experience ensure you’ll enjoy the very best, most authentic culinary tours and experiences. Find your next destination and reach out to start planning your bespoke journey.