I’ve recently started a job that involves regular travel, and I receive a daily per diem allowance for food and expenses. I’m looking for ways to stretch that allowance so I can save as much of it as possible each week while still eating well and staying comfortable on the road.
For those of you who travel for work and deal with per diem, what are your best tips or strategies for maximizing how much you keep? Do you meal prep, stick to certain types of restaurants, or use specific apps for deals? Also, how do you handle things like snacks or coffee without dipping into your own money?
I once worked with a guy who joined us from Uganda and travelled a lot for his work. He would never come to dinner with us, which I thought odd but fair enough, but later found out he’d go fishing (most of our work was rural Africa), cook his own food, and scrupulously save all his per diems and any spare salary. Once his year’s contract was up, he went back to his family’s village and paid for all the houses to be hooked up to solar power.
A lovely guy.
So to answer your question - pack a fishing rod and portable stove.
Always stayed at the hotels with the complimentary breakfasts to save on breakfast. Get a cheap sandwich somewhere for lunch, and like a chipotle for dinner. Would spend like $22-$24 a day.
Penn said:
TIL that people get allotments and don’t just expense everything on a corporate card.
My company gives reimburses all travel expenses (including the cost to get to the airport) and a per diem of $70 which is nice but I also am guaranteed breakfast /snack and lunch from the clients I visit per their contract. I usually get quick take out and chill in my hotel room, so I only end up spending about $20. The only thing I get to put on the company card are hotel and flights.
@Shiloh
My company does $75 but it’s all on our own cards and we get reimbursed later. We also don’t get to keep anything we don’t spend so I’m basically trying to spend $74.99 every day of my trips lol.
Penn said:
TIL that people get allotments and don’t just expense everything on a corporate card.
I just wrapped up a term as Treasurer of a quasi-governmental electrical oversight organization and our travel expense policy encourages the use of per diem costs because the accounting cost of tracking individual receipts can easily exceed the amount of the receipt itself. Ultimately, why should the employer care if someone finds some cheap food and lodging instead of going out to eat at fancy restaurants and the nicest hotels the budget allows? Are some people “pocketing” the savings? Yeah. So what? It’s a minor perk for being away from family, sitting in airline seats for 10 hours, etc.
Get a suite with a microwave/stove and a fridge and get groceries instead of eating out. Hotels with a free breakfast buffet are great because you can have a heavy breakfast and you can usually sneak out something for lunch if you’re slick.
@Adi
And bring a full-sized metal fork from home (or swipe one from the on-site restaurant and return when you depart) to make supermarket take-out, prepared salads, and leftovers much easier to eat than with a plastic spork.
I always ate super cheap when I could, hotel breakfasts etc. I used to spend leftover per diem at a grocery store for spices, as long as it was food I was good. I had a 3 month stint across the state and when I came home I had a suitcase full of spices and oils.
Build up loyalty at Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt. Once you get to higher status you will get free breakfast buffet at a lot of their hotels. Upscale breakfast buffets are better than the free breakfast at mid-tier hotels because there are more diverse choices and therefore you can eat more so you can go light at lunch. A lot of the same hotels have a members lounge with heavy appetizers which can heavily supplement or even replace supper. Otherwise instant oatmeal and protein powder is a great in-room supper (which is usually the most expensive meal). Lunch at grocery store hot/salad bars is a lot more filling for a lot less money than fast food.
