Cooking on Vacation Just Got Easier

A New Kind of Guide for Travelers Who Cook on Vacation

What makes a good grocery store? It's the question at the heart of Tiny Cupboards, and honestly, the answer depends on where you are.

Cooking on vacation isn't a trend anymore. It's just how a lot of us travel now. Instead of staying in hotels and eating out every night, vacation rentals with real kitchens offer a convenient and more affordable option to eat well on vacation. Yes, we still eat out and indulge and discover new foods, but we also cook up to half of our meals. Which means grocery shopping somewhere we've never been before, without our stocked pantry, our go-to brands, or any idea whether the store down the road will have what we need.

Photo by Curated Lifestyle on Unsplash

Here's what often happens: you show up at the nearest store, hope for the best, and end up buying a 32-ounce bottle of something you'll use twice. You pack it home or leave it behind. Either way, it's money out the window or a bag of guilt in the trash.

We understand grocery shopping while traveling can be a chore. And in a new place, especially if you have dietary needs or food sensitivities, finding the right products in the right sizes can eat up a whole afternoon.

We talked to travelers, ran surveys, and discovered we were not alone in this frustration, especially in the current economy. Nobody wants to overbuy or throw good food away. But without a little insider knowledge, it's hard to know where to go or what to expect.

So, we created Tiny Cupboards: a travel grocery guide built for people who cook on the road.

In addition to well-known supermarkets, you’ll find natural and organic grocers, cultural markets, specialty food shops, farmers markets, food co-ops, cheese shops, zero-waste stores, and plenty of hidden gems in between. We cover what makes each store worth a visit and what travelers specifically need to know, like options for bulk bins, travel-friendly sizes, and local products that double as the best souvenirs you'll bring home.

We also have recipes and easy meal ideas that can be prepared without the fancy tools we’re accustomed to. And when you'd rather grab something for the trail or a long day out, or don't want to steal sugar packets from the local coffee shop, our Essentials Kits, Snack Packs, and Sweet Sacks are built for exactly that.

When you shop local on your travels, you're doing more than filling your fridge. Small grocers, farmers markets, and specialty shops are the kinds of businesses that make a destination worth visiting. Spending a little there goes a long way toward keeping them around.

There is no single best grocery store. What you need on a solo trip to the coast is completely different from what you need during a two-week family rental in the mountains. Tiny Cupboards isn't here to tell you what's best. It's here to help you find what's right for your trip, your kitchen, and your people.

Friends don't let friends shop hangry.