Travel Like a Locavore

The idea of culinary travel is by no means a new one and if you were to add traveling to see the wine regions of the world into the mix you will find tourists have been pumping money into local economies for decades to experience something unique to … let’s say Bordeaux. Thousands of people take cooking classes when in Thailand and other destinations around the world as a means by which to get something to bring home beyond photos and souvenirs that can remind them of their travels in the comfort of the kitchen.

In recent years, many have come to embrace a “farm-to-table” type of sustainable and local eating that have them choosing one restaurant over another simply based on a particular restaurant’s willingness to use these ingredients in its offerings. The same applies to culinary destination travelers who have embraced this new thinking about what is responsible eating and with that comes a number of tours popping up all over the world that also embrace this philosophy in their offerings to tourists.

The best way to enjoy these three or four location daytrips is often to avoid places like New York City, where finding a local meal is easy but getting to these farms will prove difficult. Portland, with an already thriving food culture, is not too far from the countryside. A trip over the Golden Gate in San Francisco will get you to these farms “quickly” as well and these cities offer numerous locavore tours in each. Charleston, S.C., is another example fine example.

Liberal college towns like Madison, Wisc., are set mere miles from sprawling farmland and have their own tour options for craft breweries, cheese makers and sustainable farming.