# what type of food do you bring w/you?



## socal4me (Jul 4, 2009)

hi all,

Next week we are going on our first timeshare week purchased through 'last call' on RCI.com.  this is the first time we are doing this type if thing since purchasing our first timeshare on the resale market on eBay.

the question is: does the fully furnished kitchen come w/a coffeemaker that has filters, do I bring filters, coffee, or do most people just buy this at a market nearby?

are there any other tips you can share?

thanks,
Carol


----------



## Luanne (Jul 4, 2009)

What we bring depends on whether we're driving or flying.

On the coffee filters, some places supply them, some don't.  It doesn't seem to be consistant.


----------



## NWL (Jul 4, 2009)

Some units will have a"starter pack" of 2 packs of coffee, 2 filters, creamer and sugar.  If you want more, you supply it.  Best to wait until you get there to see what type of filter it will take.  I bring my favorite coffee with me since I know I won't be able to get it elsewhere.

If you are driving, will cook a lot, and have the room, I'd suggest bringing along your favorite condiments.  Many times you can't get that kind of stuff in quantities small enough to use up before you leave.  Then you either have to find someone to give it to or throw it away.

Units usually have a good assortment of pots and pans.  Some people bring a crock pot with them.  

We go grocery shopping the day after we arrive since we usually arrive early evening.  We bring along anything we think we'll need before we get to the market.

Hope this helps, and have a great trip!

Cheers!


----------



## Andar (Jul 4, 2009)

I agree, if we fly, I take my filters and Peets coffee, salt and pepper only. We will pick up milk and cereal for the next morning once there.

If we drive, I usually go to the dollar store before leaving and get best foods mayo, ketsup, mustard, snack items, chips salsa or cookies, depends on what they have.  If we don't use it all I don't feel bad about thowing out or leaving unopened items for the staff when something  cost a dollar. 

If you are going to eat every meal in the unit (we usually do). Just think of your preferred meals at home and go from there planning your main dish. 
Things that will cost the same at the local market get when you get to the unit.  

Easy meals we usually do and and plan for lefovers with just the two of us 

spaghetti 2  nights 
BBQ steak 2 night ( I make fijiitas with leftover meat)
Rotassary Chicken or Deli take out meat - last time we had a wonderful meatloaf for 4.99 that gave us a dinner and leftovers for lunch sandwiches. 
Round out with fres veggies and salad.

It seems the more times we do this the less we take. 

Have a wonderful time!


----------



## csalter2 (Jul 4, 2009)

*It Depends*

It depends how close you are to where you are going. If I am going relatively close within two hours, I will bring many items from home. I put it in a box in my car and go fill the cabinets and refrigerator when I arrive. 

I usually don't bring anything if I am flying. I try to buy at the stores where we are staying. 

In either case, you save money since you don't have to pay for restaurants. 

I love timesharing!


----------



## wwomant (Jul 4, 2009)

I try to plan out what kind of meals we're going to be eating while there, and then pack things that I won't want to purchase entire containers of while we're there.  Like spices and condiments.  If I plan on cooking something requiring a dry ingredient, I pre-measure out the amount it requires and put it in a zip lock bag and pack it.  It's vey light and small this way!  And having some things premeasured makes cooking on vacation a little easier and quicker.  I throw a couple cups of rice in a zip-lock bag too.  An easy side dish that will go with anything.    I do the same for my coffee and throw in several filters.  They may not fit in the resort coffemaker, but if they do, I'm ready to go for a few pennies.


----------



## JulieAB (Jul 4, 2009)

For the coffee maker, we're particular so I bring a few of each style of filter (though each resort has provided some out of the 4 I've stayed at thus far), our own coffee, cream (or buy, there's never enough in the room!), and sugar (also never enough).

We've only driven so far, so I bring the stuff I know I can get much cheaper or on sale at home (and/or will bring back), and travel reasonably well.  I also plan out simple meals so I know what spices and condiments I might need.  Some people have mentioned the trick of saving unused packets of ketchup, salt, and pepper when you're eating fast food leading up to your trip.  I think you might be able to buy these at Smart & Final as well.

The wednesday before the trip, I check the grocery ads online of the stores near the resort so I know what I can save packing and pick up cheaply when I get into town.

This past trip, we were gone 2 weeks.  I don't like cooking a lot and we never knew our schedule.  So the second evening, we grilled up a package of hot dogs, some burgers, and chicken.  I froze some to easily pull out the second week.  Then we ate the rest here and there for lunches and dinners, depending on what we felt like.  I kept some cut up veggies and fresh fruit on hand to quickly go with it.  We used the chicken in tortillas, pitas, and sandwiches as well.


----------



## Kel (Jul 5, 2009)

If we are flying we bring coffee, filters, sugar, salt and pepper.  We shop for everything else after we get there.  If we are driving we bring all of our food for the week so we don't have to shop when we get there.


----------



## Hophop4 (Jul 5, 2009)

A few more things that I bring if we drive:  I have a soft cooler on wheels that I call my timeshare box we take with us every time.  It has in it 2 or 3 large (3 lb) empty margerine containters.  These make good use for several things...like storing leftover food if condo doesn't have plastic bowls and you can always thorw them away if you don't want to wash them.  I also use it to store extra ice cubes in freezer.  A nightlight for the bathroom, extra dishwasher soap (I buy the cubes), laundry soap, coffee and filters, my non-stick frying pan and a plastic spatular, some resorts only have metal spatulars, extra zip-lock baggies.

I think there is or was a complete list of what to bring on TUG someplace, may be on the main page.


----------



## swift (Jul 5, 2009)

I bring ground coffee, (mainly because I am picky and if they don't have good coffee near by I get grumpy  ) a large zip lock baggie filled with the little cups of vanilla creamer, (again because I am picky), zip lock bag with packets of sugar, (okay all set for coffee). I also bring a large zip lock bag packed with salt, pepper, and spices for cooking such as poultry seasoning, chili powder, meat rubs and curry.  

Once I arrive I go shopping either that day or the next to pick up what ever ingredient I need to cook for the week. Planing a menu is key.


----------



## JulieAB (Jul 5, 2009)

Yes, that's a also a big one -- bringing an assortment of ziploc bags to store leftovers and take snacks when we're out.  Sometimes I bring a few tupperware containers too.  There has one been ONE tupperware dish in ONE of the TS's I've stayed in.  And while they all had soap and paper towels, none had any ziploc bags, foil, or saran wrap, etc.


----------



## pcgirl54 (Jul 5, 2009)

We bring coffee,tea bags, sugar,ziploc bags med and large and those aluminum foil sheets that are flat and easily pack. Also a couple of seasoning jars that one finds on the baking isle and salt/pepper shakers that cost around $1.00. Spot remover and laundry detergent sample sizes and I throw in a couple of dryer sheets. 

If you like beach picnics I also pack a collapsible cooler and two chip clips.

And ladies for your summer painted nails and toes-don't forget nail polish remover pads for travel.


----------



## Icc5 (Jul 5, 2009)

*We all do different things*



socal4me said:


> hi all,
> 
> Next week we are going on our first timeshare week purchased through 'last call' on RCI.com.  this is the first time we are doing this type if thing since purchasing our first timeshare on the resale market on eBay.
> 
> ...



#1 I check to see if the timeshare has an email address and if so I write and ask about the coffee maker.  You might also ask about any spices, or other questions.
When driving we bring a cooler, some cereal, some spices, some canned goods, coffee, filters, some odds and ends.
When flying we pack coffee (My son works for Starbux so I get a pound a week) and depended on what they answer in #1 I bring filters.
We also bring water and any information we have looked up about the area and things around it.
Bart


----------



## Debbyd57 (Jul 5, 2009)

We bring laundry soap (along with stain remover and dryer sheets, extra dishwasher soap (liquid if there is a jacuzzi tub), ketchup, spices, hot chocolate and tea bags, non-stick frying pan(s), flour, sugar, dry food products like taco mix, brownie mix, etc, and non-stick spatualas and spoons.  We also bring anything else we can think of.  If we fly, we don't bring much of anything for the kitchen.


----------



## Conan (Jul 5, 2009)

For foreign travel, we like to have breakfast in the room every morning, and we buy local eggs, produce, fish or chicken, etc. to cook three dinners during the week and some drinks.  Since it's not practical to buy small quantities of cooking basics on the spot, I pack prep-type material.

For a trip to Madeira, Portugal:

Tequila, Marguerita mix, ground coffee, filters, breakfast cereal, sugar, ultra-pasteurized half-and-half, tetra-pack 1% milk, salt, pepper, oil, butter, cup of raw rice, jar of salsa, cheddar cheese, crackers, cayenne pepper!!


----------



## Red Rox (Jul 5, 2009)

Great question, as confirmed by the large number and variety of replies. We've been doing TS vacations for almost 30 years, and in that time we've taken a full range from nothing, to what seems like half of our kitchen. It mostly is an exercise in thanking ahead. The difference bewteen driving and flying is huge. It also depends on where we are headed. If it's a place with great restaurant options and we expect to eat out alot, then we can pack light. If it's otherwise, we try to plan almost every meal and decide what we can shop for locally verses taking along. Condiments and spices are easy to bring by using zip lock bags and tupperware containers (if we're driving). We buy meats and fruits and produce locally after we arrive. We almost always bring our own coffee, unless we know of a good local source. And then there's wine...


----------



## geekette (Jul 6, 2009)

I always bring my own coffee and filters, after having had to buy 200 filters too many times!!!


----------



## ScoopKona (Jul 7, 2009)

socal4me said:


> are there any other tips you can share?



Buy the "big things" and the inexpensive things at the local market. Bring the small things and the expensive stuff with you.

Buy: meat, chips, beer, wine, eggs, charcoal etc.

Bring: coffee (and seven filters, folded), olive oil (enough for a week's cooking), a non-stick pan (the pans at the resort are junk -- always), spices, small packets of condiments, etc.

One of my first posts on TUG was my packing list for cooking on vacation. Here it is.


----------



## labguides (Jul 8, 2009)

I take instant oatmeal for the first breakfast ..just in case, we don't have time to shop the day we arrive. I don't go on vacation to cook. We buy breakfast (cereal, toast milk) and lunch supplies.. cereal, deli meats and that is all.


----------



## ScoopKona (Jul 8, 2009)

For a lot of people, the question of whether to cook or eat out is an economic one.

Assuming eating at US "Denny's/Applebee's" level restaurants, three meals a day, each person is looking at $8 for breakfast (eggs, sausage, OJ and coffee plus tip), $15 for lunch (sandwich and chips and drink, plus tip) and up to $50 for dinner (appetizer, main course, dessert, a couple glasses of wine, plus tip). But let's call it $35 for dinner. We're being frugal, after all.

Throw in a snack and it's a nice, round $60 per person per day. So a week for a family of four is almost $1,700. Let's call it $1,500 because the kids don't drink wine.

Cooking breakfast and dinner in the condo reduces the per person cost significantly. A good breakfast can be made for $2 per person. And a great dinner is easily doable for $5 -- I made linguini with a white clam sauce for four last night, and the ingredients didn't cost more than ten bucks, total.

So now we're at $2 for breakfast, $15 for lunch, and $5 for dinner. A daily total of $22 per person, and nearly $1,000 per week less than eating out every meal. For a lot of people, that's the difference between getting a vacation this year, and staying home. For my wife and I, it's the difference between taking one week or two. That's a big deal for us.

Finally, I am rarely happy with the quality of restaurants in tourist towns. If I'm going to someplace like Napa Valley, Barcelona, or Nice, there are lots of great restaurants. (At a price, of course.) Places like Nassau, Key West, Sedona, Orlando, Venice, etc., it's hard to find a restaurant that gives the patron good quality for the money. They're out there, sure, but they're hard to find. Any place that's made it into a guidebook is likely already past it's prime.

It's been my experience that it's hard to get a good seafood dinner (at a reasonable price) at a restaurant in Florida. But it's almost guaranteed that buying seafood at a Florida fish market, wrapping it in tinfoil with a little olive oil and seasonings, and throwing it on the grill (or in the oven) for 20 minutes will yield a little piece of heaven on earth -- at one-quarter the cost of a restaurant.


----------



## BILL_B (Jul 8, 2009)

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the need to bring "sharp" knives. I'm sure that somewhere out in TS land a sharp paring knife and a sharp carving knife exist, but the chances of either one being in your kitchen drawer, in your unit, during your week are about the same as being struck by lightning


----------



## Luanne (Jul 8, 2009)

BILL_B said:


> I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the need to bring "sharp" knives. I'm sure that somewhere out in TS land a sharp paring knife and a sharp carving knife exist, but the chances of either one being in your kitchen drawer, in your unit, during your week are about the same as being struck by lightning



Yes, we bring one sharp knife with us.  But knives aren't food.


----------



## ScoopKona (Jul 8, 2009)

BILL_B said:


> I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the need to bring "sharp" knives. I'm sure that somewhere out in TS land a sharp paring knife and a sharp carving knife exist, but the chances of either one being in your kitchen drawer, in your unit, during your week are about the same as being struck by lightning



Check my link a dozen posts up....


----------



## geekette (Jul 8, 2009)

ScoopLV said:


> For a lot of people, the question of whether to cook or eat out is an economic one.




I don't think so, from the tons of posts over time that say "I refuse to cook while on vacation."


----------



## geekette (Jul 8, 2009)

swift said:


> Planning a menu is key.



We somewhat wing it, but check-out morning is always French Toast to use up the eggs, milk and bread.


----------



## Nrthstr (Jul 20, 2009)

*Brita pitcher*

We usually fly for our vacations, but drive out to Colorado this year. We put a Brita pitcher in the cooler for the drive, and are keeping it full constantly in our TS unit. We've liked having great water to carry with us throughout the day, and for our tea in the morning. We've decided to pack it with us for our flying vacations from now on. (This is kind of a "food" item.)


----------



## jmeninga (Jul 23, 2009)

*Timeshare Tub*

This is what we bring when we drive.  Also bring muffins or something easy for the first breakfast until we can get to the store.

                                    TIMESHARE TUB

Pump soap                                            Lawrys salt

Worcestershire					Scissors

Plastic cups	                                    Saran wrap		

Coffee filters					Tea

Paper plates	                                    recipes			

Pizza pan	                                             Ice cream scoop
Knapsack bag					Dressings, etc.					
Minced onion					Powdered milk

Laundry soap                                       Mugs					
Bounce						Rice/noodle mixes

Foil							
Baggies/twisties	                                    Chip clips			

Candle						Pam cooking spray

Napkins						Pizza wheel cutter

Salt, pepper					Coffee jigger

Envelopes & stamps	                            Mac & cheese				

Parmesan					         Scotch tape


----------



## jmeninga (Jul 23, 2009)

A good recipe I got from someone on this site (I think) a long time ago:

Chicken Pie

2 cans mixed vegetables
2 cans chicken
2 cans any cream soup
2 small cans French Fried onions

Mix all but onions in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Top with onions.  Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes.  

This is suprisingly good and you can bring it all with you if you drive.  We've even had it at home because everyone likes it!  Barb Meninga


----------



## travel bug (Jul 24, 2009)

One thing that I always throw in are some bamboo skewers. As long as the timeshare has a BBQ a supper of skewered meats and vegetables is always delicious - add some baked potatoes and you're done.


----------



## fwd1 (Jul 24, 2009)

if this is your first experience with timesharing, I suggest you start a timeshare list of things to bring and after each visit delete or add what you wish you had brought.  I keep a small box packed and with my list check to see what I need to replinish. 
Florine


----------



## John Cummings (Jul 25, 2009)

We never take any food with us when traveling except for some snacks and cold drinks for when we are driving.


----------

