How Food Tours Are Totally Changing The Way We Travel

If you’re planning a trip to Colorado Springs or anywhere else in the world, make time in your itinerary for a food tour!

Food tours provide access to local knowledge, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and local dishes that will blow you away – all in a few short hours!

There’s no doubt you’ve taken a tour at some point in your life. While museum tours and guided snorkeling trips have long been part of the tourism industry, there’s a new kid on the block called a food tour, and it’s changing the way we travel!

A food tour is a guided journey through a location’s unique and local culinary scenery. The way we see it is that there is no better way to explore a new destination than by learning about one of the most important parts of a culture – its food!

Here are six ways food tours are completely changing the way we travel and why you should sign up for one on your next trip!

Food tours give you access to hole-in-the-wall places you might have never known about.

No matter where we travel, we always make sure to take a food tour. It can be tempting to stick with the names we know or the types of places we are familiar with, especially when traveling internationally. However, if you’re interested in getting a glimpse into the life of a local, a food tour is the perfect option for you.

How many times have you hopelessly wandered a new city, looking for that perfect spot to eat? It’s likely you missed some of the best spots in town because you simply didn’t know where to find them or that they even existed.

A food tour will expose you to local cuisine you would have likely never found on your own. You’ll travel down unassuming alleyways and local streets to lively markets, food carts and mom and pop shops serving unique dishes you’ll remember for years to come.

Taking a food tour is an amazing way to support a variety of local businesses.

When you travel, especially internationally, it’s important to remember to support sustainable tourism and a big part of that is saying no to the big name brand hotels, restaurant chains, etc., and choosing to support local businesses who rely on the tourism industry.

Here at Rocky Mountain Food Tours, we are all about supporting local businesses – in fact, it’s kind of our bread and butter! When you take a food tour while traveling, not only are you supporting the business that’s running the tour, but you’re also supporting their partners – those hole-in-the-wall restaurants we mentioned above – who rely on people like you to make a living.

Your guide will provide you with access to unique local knowledge!

While food is definitely the main focus of a food tour, you’ll likely walk away with more than just a full belly. Most food tours also give you a glimpse into unique history and inside knowledge about this new place you’re visiting.

Our guides here at Rocky Mountain Food Tours know and love the history of the Pikes Peak Region. We tell stories of Colorado Springs’ interesting past, provide local knowledge only a native would know, and give you a behind the scenes peek into the coolest restaurants in town.

You’ll broaden your culinary horizons!   

Are you a picky eater? Or are you tempted to order a hamburger wherever you go? A food tour is the perfect way to broaden your culinary horizons. A quality food tour should push you out of your comfort zone, at least a little bit. Whether it’s an interesting flavor combo you normally wouldn’t go for or a chocolate covered insect, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try new things! While you’ll never be forced to try something you don’t want to, a food tour will at least give you the opportunity to taste new things in a safe environment.

And for anyone wondering – no, we don’t offer bugs on our food tours!

You’ll see a local side of the city via foot or bicycle.

With visiting hole-in-the-wall spots and tasting unique, local cuisine, comes seeing a part of the city that you may not have visited otherwise. If you’re staying at a big name hotel and eating at well-known restaurant chains, you’ll likely be spending most of your time in a not-so-local part of town. If your travel style includes wanting to see how the locals lives, there’s no better way than walking or biking around with a local as your guide. Not to mention, you’re sure to get your steps in and earn all the yummy food you’re about to partake in!

Only staying somewhere for a bit? Food tours are the perfect way to see a lot in a short period of time.

In just a few hours, a food tour provides a culinary experience you would have a hard time replicating in a week, or even month, of staying somewhere. Essentially, a food tour is a combination of cultural experiences condensed into one – unique exposure to local spots, time with a local who knows the city you’re visiting like the back of their hand, and tastes of new dishes you might not otherwise have tasted.

With the nature of travel today, many people only visit a city for a few days, or even a long layover. If you only have time for one activity in a new place, we suggest you plan a food tour. On the other hand, if you’re staying somewhere for a longer time, or even moving to a new city, you might consider doing a food tour within the first few days you arrive. What better way to set the tone for your stay (or new home!) than by trying the best food the area has to offer!

Looking to explore Colorado Springs’ unique culinary scene? Whether you’re a local with a hankering for a tasty night out or planning your next trip to the Pikes Peak Region, click here to learn more about the incredible tours we offer!

Cheers, Your Rocky Mountain Food Tours Team

(So, what’s a food tour, anyway…?)

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