The Truth About Tourist Trap Restaurants! | 15 Tips to Avoid Them

The Truth About Tourist Trap Restaurants! | 15 Tips to Avoid Them - Dive into the world of dining abroad without falling into the tourist trap restaurants. Whether you're a foodie looking for authentic culinary adventures or a traveler aiming to save money and avoid scams, this video is your ultimate guide. #EatLikeALocal #TravelTips #AvoidTouristTraps

Hey there, I'm Nora Dunn, aka The Professional Hobo, and today, I'm sharing 15 Tourist Trap Awareness tips to help you eat wisely while traveling. From spotting warning signs on menus to finding the local gems, these strategies will ensure you taste a bit of local life abroad without overpaying or falling for scams.
Plus, stick around to the end for a cautionary tale about a tricky restaurant scam that you'll definitely want to avoid.

📺 RELATED EPISODES 📺

💰 Learn How Much to Tip (and Who to Tip) While Traveling, with TipFox!

#AvoidTouristTraps #TouristTrapAwareness #AuthenticDining #LocalRestaurants #HowToFindLocalRestaurants

CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:43 - Avoiding Tourist Trap Restaurants
3:09 - Identifying Menu Red Flags
9:44 - Location Tips for Authentic Dining
11:50 - Spotting Aggressive Restaurant Marketing
12:22 - Recognizing Authenticity Scams
13:04 - Finding Authentic Local Restaurants
17:00 - Restaurant Scams Awareness
21:08 - Guarding Against Pickpocket Scams

____________________
Greetings! I'm Nora Dunn, aka The Professional Hobo. I've been a digital nomad since 2006. I help people design their lifestyles and arrange their affairs so they can travel long term while working remotely. (I also have a ton of crazy travel tales to share from almost two decades of lifestyle travel).

And let's connect on my other social channels!

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Thank you for watching! Remember to subscribe for more travel tips and insights. Safe travels! 🌍✈️

[NoraDunn]

🤔 Are tourist trap restaurants all that bad? Well, yes and no. (Mostly yes.)
Today we'll explore 15 Tourist Trap Awareness tips so you can eat wisely while traveling, save money, avoid scams, and taste a bit of local life abroad. (See what I did there? Taste?)

📺 RELATED EPISODES 📺

[CineMiamParis]

Thanks Nora, brilliant video! 
A few tips specific to France.
1. By law, menus with prices must be displayed either in the window facing out, or outside, so you can make up your mind before going in.
2. Prices include service. You can leave a tip as thanks for really good service (we’re getting better!). Your bill details service fees and taxes (TVA). But the total is only what was on the menu. Firmly refuse any add-ons. This is a police matter, so make a huge fuss.
3. Were you offered menus in French and English? Get both. Check that prices are the same.
4. Tap water (une carafe) and bread (du pain) are free. When asked if you’d like water, ask for a carafe. If you request still or sparkling instead, you will be given a bottle and be charged.
5. Dinner before 8 PM? You’re a tourist. Prefer eating at a cafe that boasts home cooking (fait maison), or find a brasserie. A brasserie is a restaurant with non-stop service. It says brasserie instead of café or restaurant.
6. Little extras like butter, olives with drinks, olive oil with salad, are free except at high-end places. So are mustard, oil and vinegar. Ketchup and mayo depend on your order.
7. Avoid places you saw in movies or on TV. This is probably true everywhere. I live where Amelie was shot and there’s a bakery nearby made famous by a children’s show. By all means come, take a walk, take pictures. But queuing up one hour for cakes make no sense unless it makes your kids happy. We have good cakes and great-looking pâtisseries everywhere.
8. Outside of the bigger cities, eat local. Don’t order cassoulet in the north or choucroute on the Riviera. Small country towns do not serve burgers or pizzas. If it’s on offer, it’s for tourists. It will be frozen or horrible, or both.
9. As Nora said, ask around. Every French person is a food critic. (True in Italy as well). People will often speak enough English to direct you to their own hidden gem.

[mjordan]

Moto traveler here and not a foodie, so... I actively avoid cities (traffic) and don't actively seek out tourist spots. Secondary roads and small towns are my preference. This almost automatically guarantees authenticity. Most of the time, I'm the only non-local in any given establishment.

[FastFredRuddock]

Using beer pricing to determine markup is ingenious!

[davidpeterzell]

Another fantastic video, with so many clever ideas. So glad I discovered this channel. RE the “different price scam”... When I remember to snap a pic of the menu, then I notice that the scam is common here in Los Angeles. Sometimes, I ask if I can simply keep the menu in case I want to order more later. That was my go-to in the days of yore before cellphone cameras, to make sure I had the menu in my hands when paying the bill.

I especially liked the bit about “nuance” to make surviving a tourist trap restaurant better. I’m actually a bit of a sucker for “good” tourist trap restaurants. That restaurant at the top of the Alexanderplatz tower in Berlin is the perfect example. The view was great, and despite the price, the food and service were pretty good because they were trying to live down years of terrible reviews. I think a sign of a “good” tourist trap restaurant may be a proclamation that says, “under new management.”

[Graygramma]

Also find out if there is a table charge or mark up if just having a drink at a sidewalk table by a tourist attraction. An aperol spritz on the Grand Canal in Venice can be more than your entire dinner elsewhere.

[claytonwchurchill]

“Authentic Food Sold Here”….”If you have to say it, you’re not.” :) Great video, fantastic and helpful content, thank you!

[JM.TheComposer]

Excellent info. The only bad meal I had in Portugal was when I listened to one of those touts. Disgusting tourist trap food.

[cltinturkey]

Terrific video! These are all real situations and you've given many techniques to avoid being taken. Brava!

[sandrakazandjian]

Hi Nora: Great video as usual! I would love to see a future video on how to use Google Translate effectively, such as using your phone's camera to translate a menu like you mentioned in this video. Some of us are smartphone/technologically challenged, and this would be very helpful on learning how to use our smartphones to the fullest. Thanks!

[NormaMcCammon]

Fun to hear the Nasi Goreng comment Nora. My Indo mom would make our weekly nasi goreng out of all leftover meats and veggies in our fridge. Hard to imagine it being elevated beyond a wonderful comfort dish!

[rgoonewardene]

Asking a taxi driver about where to eat? Even in London this is a bad idea.

[annpetlin]

One of my friends advised that when dining in tourist hot spots in Italy “beware of laminated menus.” Not avoid laminated menus, just beware. If a menu is laminated it means they don’t change the items based on what was in the local market that day. If you ask an Italian chef about tomorrow’s menu the good ones will say they won’t know until after they shop tomorrow.

[petek]

On my last trip to Lisbon, I went to two different restaurants for the famous Piri Piri chicken. The first was touted as very popular with the locals, the second was in a really popular touristy area. Guess which one was better? That’s right the one in the touristy area 😅. I research restaurants almost a little too much, but I find it pays off in the long run. Google maps reviews and Hungry Onion are my go to, as well as local food bloggers and I try to take at least one food tour in every city I visit, they can be a great way to find local, out of the way restaurants. 😊

[RayRoss-ccjg]

Nora my favorite traveler!
As you know because I’ve asked you many questions. I just got back from Thailand to the USA. Everything was seamless, except for trying to use credit card on a transportation site due to a confirmation text to my USA number which I had thought I signed up with Google.
????
You’re the best!
Ray

[WillNGo]

All great Information. A tip is not just money, it's also a thank you. In places like Japan where you can't tip even if you want to, after a great meal, I like to order extra food to go.
And ask about the bill, ask about anything, especially if you don't share a language. It's part of the fun and joy of travel. I love Google Translates (It remembers all the Chinese I've forgotten) but I was always amazed at how much information and friendship can be shared without language.

[cynthiahiatt]

Watch when you add tip on debit terminal..add $ amount instead of percent. Because if you click percent you pay a tip on the tax too

[cindyk]

All great tips, especially finding out prior to arrival the times that the locals eat. If it is a small mom and pop type restaurant, I don't mind an upcharge when I know the state of the economy.

[terryschima]

Yes, nice to know the farms. I have been in Asia, and only Georgia 🇬🇪 in Europe, and I could see differences. Sometimes in Indonesia, 🇮🇩 they take the Chinese philosophy, “If you can cheat, you should cheat.” Though the food tastes good, one must beware.

[FastFredRuddock]

Saving money tip is solid advice. I find it is much cheaper to eat the better food in Latin America. I also think english menus is another warning!