Culinary travel isn’t only about tasting menus and Michelin-starred restaurants, though those are often a huge piece of the puzzle.
It’s also about dining like locals, which for many travelers means cooking and shopping for ingredients like locals.
If cooking is your passion, you’ll want to be sure that your accommodations will provide you with essential kitchen items, which is why it’s so important to work with a professional who can help ensure you’ll have everything you need.
You’d probably be very disappointed if you DIY’d an Airbnb or Vrbo (companies we do not work with) and found when you checked in that the kitchen had no pots, pans, or silverware. Or, maybe there’s a coffeemaker, but no coffeepot, a dystopian torture which would destroy me (this very thing happened to a family recently).
The sad fact is that DIY homestays are just that. There’s no guarantee that your rental will be as advertised when you get there, and there’s very little on the accountability front should you call these things into question.
One of the main reasons why I won’t book with those companies is simply because there’s no clear escalation path should something go sideways. Missing kitchen equipment? Sure, I can contact the host. Will they reply to me? Maybe? (Probably not.)
But fear not: homestays go well beyond DIY offerings that look good online but are probably not owned or managed by travel industry professionals.
One of the advantages of working with us is the strength of our network. We have partners on the ground all over the world that own and operate homestays such as apartments, houses, private villas, and even unique stays (castles, anyone?). We will make sure you have everything you need to cook, or better yet, arrange a private chef to do the cooking for you.
I was recently quoted in The Kitchn about how you should prepare for your trip if cooking on vacation is something you enjoy.
If you’re choosing to spend a week at a stunning villa in Puglia or in a castle in Scotland, you’ll want to be sure you’ll have everything you need. And we will be in your corner.
