Do you cook?

[Lisa P Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lisa P]

We always have breakfast in, except maybe on check-out day. If we'll be very busy and active that day, I'll make a hearty breakfast but otherwise, it's self-serve whenever everyone gets up. Lunches are very simple and flexible, depending on where we are - usually yogurt, fruit, raw veggies, sandwiches and/or leftovers.

If it's just DH and myself, we eat out for most dinners, preferring to try local restaurants.

Most of our trips include our 3 hungry teenagers and 1-3 of their friends, sometimes inlaws too, or another family of friends. So then, I stock the kitchen with easy to "assemble" meals and snack foods. On these trips, I do all the planning and shopping when we arrive. Everyone takes turns doing the prep and clean-up, though I rarely cook and never clean-up (DH's idea - I like it!) on vacation. As a family or group, we eat out for at least one nice dinner, sometimes more.

Our home PC has a Word.doc with packing lists for every person, for our home kitchen and an arrival shopping list. I just delete unnecessary items for any given trip, print it out and close it without saving the changes, so it reverts to the larger original lists. It works. We usually bring very few items from home for the kitchen - spices, coffee, extra detergent, etc.

[Kay H Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Kay H]

When we go to Killington, it depends on whom we bring with us.

If it is a son and dil, or a couple who have limited income I cook and freeze 3 or 4 meals at home before we go and take them with us. DH and others eat lunch on the slopes and I take an envelope of soup ingredients and make a big pot of soup which I enjoy while they are on the slopes. We will go out for dinner 1 or 2 times and eat left-overs the other nights.

If it is just the 2 of us, we usually eat dinner in a restaurant.

At Christmas time, I take a couple tubes of cookie mix and bake cookies in the ts for the front desk, bell and housekeeping staff. They love it and appreciate it.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

I started the thread and have found all of this to be very interesting. As I said, I cook and so have my pack that I will bring on our trips. Based on some of the comments, I will make some adjustments to the pack. The muffins idea sound really good.

We may go out to eat, maybe once or twice, but will also hit the grocery store and buy better supplies, good stuff from the meat counter or buy some deli or some prepared food items. We will do a surf and turf night or even surf and surf-like crab legs and some type of fish, or bring back stuffed pork chops or nice steaks from the meat counter and some kind of potatoes from the hot food section of the store. While we are getting special foods, it is costing us less than going out to eat. We would rather spend it on seeing the sites and doing the touristy stuff. I want to go ocean fishing sometime!

Don
As always, spelling doesn't count.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

I ususually cook in breakfast and the rest depends on where we are. This trip at Disney I'm not leaving the parks and go home to eat and then go back. When I'm at the beach I usually eat bfast and make sandwiches /chips/drinks for lunch. Kelli usually makes those. We go out for supper. I hate to have to come in and change clothes for lunch. shaggy

[janapur Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close janapur]

It looks like we are in the minority of preferring to go out for bfast. It's such a relaxing time to go over the day's plans- especially when we're vacationing with others, as we more often wake up much earlier than our travel companions.

While I am impressed by a luxurious kitchen, it tends to be wasted on us. I'm on vacation. Until I can teach my husband to cook or do dishes, that's the way it will stay.

Jana

[nanoose Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nanoose]

We do both! I have assembled a TSTG box!! (Time Share To Go!!) which I have basics that have been mentioned above. Seasonings, bbq tools, foil, sweetners ect. Things you don't want to buy because you already have it at home!

Depending on where we are going, we stock up accordingly. If it is more remote of an area with expensive groceries, I will bring more non parishables. I usually bring or buy snack type things to munch on . . . and a couple of bottles of wine. For meals we usually eat breakfast in and end up eating a late lunch out and then we aren't hungry at dinner time. That is where the wine and munchies come in handy! If we do make dinner, we will BBQ or buy premade items. Somebody mentioned TS without BBQ's are low on their list. I'm right there with you! We love to bbq and tend to splurge on what we bbq and then get ready made salads and sides to finish out the meal!

We usually have at least one ritzy dinner out. But if we are in a TS with a view and a bbq nearby that would be our preference! I do try to keep in simple, I am on vacation after all!!!

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Yes, my wife always cooks because my oldest son has very severe food allergies and can't eat out much. So, timeshares are perfect for us.

We have a timeshare box we take with us wherever we go. It has all the stuff we need. Coffee, equal, filters, spices, our own pan, crystal light lemonade, popcorn, brownee mix, etc. The thing that kills you when timesharing is when you constantly buy condiments over and over and over again. If you've got all that stuff, then you are just buying the main food and it doesn't kill you in terms of cost. Oh yeah, always have to bring my own coffee mugs. Hardly any timeshares have large enough mugs for coffee.

[Icc5 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Icc5]

coffee mugs

BocaBum99 right on with the coffee mugs. I bring my own travel mug because I like the top on it. It is a flat top so nothing spills. I bought it and about 1/2 dozen others years ago and then could't ever find them again.
Wouldn't leave home without it for any length of time.
Bart

[LynnW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LynnW]

We also have a timeshare box with all the basics that we take on driving trips. We also have a plug in cooler which we stock with cold drinks, beer and water so if we're staying in a motel overnight we have something when we arrive. Usually it's breakfast in unless we have late morning golf and then we'll eat at the golf club or on the way so we don't have to worry about lunch. If we're staying around the resort we have lunch in. We usually barbeque one night and if we know that the resort doesn't have grills we'll take our small George Forman. Other than that it's take out pizza or chicken and sides from the deli a couple of nights and probably 4 dinners out. I try to buy a couple of restaurant.com coupons for the places we are visiting when they're on sale. When we go to Mexico or the Caribbean we usually eat dinners out most nights and have breakfast and lunch in.

[bigrick Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bigrick]

We usually fix breakfast in the room, especially if we're someplace that requires a car to get around. Breakfast in leaves more time to see and do the things we want on our trip.

I like units with full kitchens although we don't use the oven ourselves when traveling. We have taken guests who cooked and baked some evenings. Maybe that's our best use of the full kitchen -- bring guests and let them have at it!

[timesfive Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timesfive]

Hi, yes we cook while on holiday. One of the main reasons we bought into timeshare was so we could have a kitchen - we have 3 children and this makes holidays affordable for us.

Saying that we are new to timeshare only bought in May this year, but have done two extra weeks already and have also exchanged for Tuscany in Dec 2008. This week is compulsory half board but as it is Christmas week we figured we could be cooked for that week

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Hi, yes we cook while on holiday. One of the main reasons we bought into timeshare was so we could have a kitchen - we have 3 children and this makes holidays affordable for us.

Saying that we are new to timeshare only bought in May this year, but have done two extra weeks already and have also exchanged for Tuscany in Dec 2008. This week is compulsory half board but as it is Christmas week we figured we could be cooked for that week

timesfive..... Welcome to TS4M's!

Congrats on the purchase of your timeshare. Seems you catch on quickly. Christmas in Italy sounds wonderful, enjoy!

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

DW hits the Supermarket before we even get a chance to unpack. She LUVS2COOK!
I must say. It tastes good too!

[EAM Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close EAM]

I prefer cooking -

I prefer to cook most of the time, whether at home or on vacation. I think that the food I prepare myself tends to be healthier than restaurant food, particularly since there is something in some restaurant foods (MSG, perhaps?) that gives me a migraine or gives my husband nausea. For instance, I can't eat at Boston Market and he can't eat at Bob Evans.

When we drive, we usually bring beverage cups that fit in cupholders, Splenda, tea, some seasonings, a vegetable peeler that works, a good skillet and spatula, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, sandwich bags, olive oil, etc. We buy food at a grocery store when we get to the resort area, e.g. eggs, milk, whole wheat bread, cereal, fruit, vegetables, easily prepared meats or vegetarian substitutes, etc. Sometimes I will bring a set of recipes to try or a cookbook along.