Five reasons why you should join a food tour when you travel

Eating local cuisine is an important part of traveling, especially if it's a new destination. To provide tourists an easier way to do this, tour agencies have added guided food tours in their list of services. Some may overlook this kind of activity, but for those who want to soak the culture as quickly as possible, then a food tour is your best option.

"If you are passionate about food, it is a no-brainer to join food tours. I personally think that you can get to experience more, push you out of your comfort zones, and bold about food choices when you travel," says travel writer Ryazan Duray-Tristram, who experienced a food tour in Istanbul, Turkey.

"It's also a fun way to meet new people," shares Amber Doton, who went on a walking food tour in Hanoi, Vietnam. "Food is shared with your fellow joiners of different nationalities. You get to see the locals and how they go about their regular lives."

If you're still not convinced about booking a food tour on your next trip, here are five reasons that might help you decide:

Learn new information

The best way to get to know a destination's culture and history is through its food, and a food tour delivers just that.

"Compared to doing it yourself, a food tour lets you glean insider tips and information from a guide who is well-learned about the culinary culture of a place, its history, and how a certain dish or culinary establishment came about. Some of these things you won't even find in a book," explains Gretchen Filart of the travel blog Filipina Explorer.

For Travel Factor co-founder Cedric Valera, the experience becomes different when you know the context. "When we were sampling tapas in Madrid, the floor was a really big mess; we're talking about mountains of discarded tissues just on the floor. They say that all the successful tapas bars have the dirtiest floors!

"In Singapore, our guide was explaining the history of all these dishes, how they are a culmination of heritages from Malaysia, India, and China. Somehow, eating became more meaningful."

Find hidden gems

Locals know their food best and where to find them, so when you join a food tour, you'll find out where the most delicious or the most affordable dishes are served.

Ryazan says, "You get to know the hidden gems when it comes to restaurants and shops where the locals go and receive insider tips when it comes to the local cuisine. It's like knowing a foreign culture through your tastebuds."

"There are food tours that include stops with cooks making heirloom dishes that are otherwise unavailable to DIYers," adds Gretchen.

Amber agrees. "A lot of our stops are hard to locate and some have no signs in the store. We also did not have to worry about the language barrier because we have the tour guide to serve as our interpreter."

Help local tourism

Joining a food tour lets you support local tourism and help boost their means of livelihood, especially if it's a place that takes pride in its gastronomical offerings. It gives vendors and stall owners a chance to showcase their products to tourists who would usually go for more established or well-known restaurants.

"In the case of some food tours like the Malabon tricycle tour, it's a government-initiated program that was created to provide alternative livelihood to tricycle drivers, who also serve as tour guides. So every time a traveler does the tour, he also helps sustain a tricycle driver's livelihood," tells Gretchen.

She adds, "A food tour lets you understand the what, who, how, and why of a local dish; how a certain food establishment impacted a community and the humble stories that started them all -- most of which come from day-to-day folk who love to cook."

No waiting in line

A more practical reason to join a food tour is not having to wait in line to get a table. Some establishments do not accept reservations, but they give special considerations to food tours.

"A lot of the really good gastronomic haunts would usually involve a line. Getting a tour guarantees that you have tables reserved when the tour group arrives at the restaurant. No waiting in line! Another pro is that you get to eat and taste a lot of stuff without having to pay for the whole order," shares Cedric.

Taste everything in one go

For those who have limited time in a certain country, a food tour is a convenient way to see the sights and eat your way around. This was the case for Amber and her friends, and why they decided to go for a food tour.

She explains, "We had limited time in Hanoi -- we only had the evening free and had to travel to Halong Bay the following morning -- and wanted to try the food. It exceeded our expectations, and the walking was a way for us to help pace ourselves for the other food that we had to try."

Cedric also had the same sentiments. "I joined a food tour because I wanted to taste specialty food in a certain destination and I wanted to make sure I was eating the right stuff, prepared by the right people. Sure you can do it on your own, navigate the neighborhood and order the items separately, but it's a lot of work."

So the next time you find yourself in a new country and with little time to spare for exploring, get a food tour and you will definitely not regret it.