People who like food are foodies. People who like to travel are travelers. We like both–so that makes us Foodie Travelers.

We’re often asked how we pick destinations. The immediate answer out of our lips is “for the food!” (Well, there is that bit about the car museums, but that’s another story 😉.)

No matter where we go, we’ve got to eat. And we both love everything about food–shopping for it, cooking it, and (of course!) eating it. Despite having gotten rid of almost all of our possessions, we still have our kitchen stuff in storage. Seriously—my All Clad pots are sitting in a cousin’s basement, and I visit them about once a year.

When we travel in the U.S. we’ve developed a “go bag” of essential cooking items–a small Le Crouset Dutch oven, a set of good quality knives, and Michael’s beloved barbecue tongs. Overseas we have no cooking tools with us (can you imagine trying to schlep a set of cooking knives onto a RyanAir flight??? 😳). But we have done our share of “kitchen enhancements” at various Airbnb apartments over the years.

Even if we’re not cooking we’re seeking out the best local flavors a destination has to offer. Often this is not the fanciest restaurant in town, but at an out-of-the way food truck, like those that make Sonoran Hot Dogs in Tucson, Arizona. Or perhaps a small cafe in a nondescript shopping center at the edge of town. And when it is a “proper” restaurant, we like to know it has been around for a while, and won’t change cuisine/owners/names/etc. with whatever food craze happens to come along. Which is why we love Hostaria Costanza in Rome; we’ve been visiting this tried-and-true favorite for 30 years, and never been disappointed.

So check out our Foodie Travelers category, you’ll find some well-known spots, along with some surprises. But we guarantee they’ll all be tasty!