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This week is a special one for food lovers, because on Friday 16th, the world comes together to mark World Food Day. The United Nations’ theme this year is “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future”, a reminder that food connects us: our health, our planet, our sense of culture and belonging.
If you’re in midlife, perhaps travelling solo, with a partner, or even in a small group, this is the perfect moment to dive deeper into what food means – not just eating, but journeys, rituals, memories. To mark the occasion, I have collated some ideas to make the next trip (or even a local outing) a truly transformative one through food.
The Magic of Exceptional Food
A few weeks ago, I celebrated my birthday in style (and taste!). My husband surprised me with a dinner at Akoko, a fine dining West African restaurant by the acclaimed Chef Aji Akokomi – the first Black female chef in London to be awarded a Michelin star. It was a 10-course tasting menu, and WOW – each course carried me somewhere new: flavour, texture, history. It isn’t something I do often – Michelin stars, tasting menus – but when I do, it elevates everything.
It reminds me how powerful food can be: as art, as culture, as love.
But here’s the thing – you don’t need to go to a Michelin restaurant every time to experience the heart and soul of a place. Sometimes, the most transformative meals are humble, local, unscripted.
Celebrating Local Food While Travelling: What Makes It Transformative
Here are the kinds of food-travel experiences that stay with you. Especially meaningful in midlife, when life’s pace often shifts, and there’s space to savour, reflect, and connect more deeply.
- Food tours I’ve taken food tours across the world. The Hawker Centres in Singapore. Pinxtos in San Sebastián(and yes – sherry-on-cheesecake is more amazing than it sounds!). In Lisbon, I did a food tour and, by chance, got led into a local festival that night – unexpected magic. Touring with locals opens doors: to hidden gems, to stories behind dishes, to smells and flavours that guidebooks don’t always capture. Some of my favourite tours have been with Devour who offer numerous food-based adventures across Europe and North America. Check out these (and my other favourite Walking Tours) using THIS LINK.
- Cooking classes/lessons If you want to go beyond tasting and instead create, a cooking lesson is gold. For instance, in Hoi An, Vietnam, I joined a class that included a tour of the market first – picking fresh ingredients, learning local produce, then cooking with them. It’s hands-on, sensory, connective. By making rice pancakes, chopping herbs or stirring spices, you touch the culture (literally).
- Markets and street food Wandering through markets is like leafing through a storybook. The produce tells you what thrives where, what people eat daily, what they care about in flavour. Sampling small bites from street vendors, chatting with stallholders, trying local sweets or snacks – these can be the moments you treasure. Street food is a whole other culture in itself, so how about a tour specifically to sample the local fare such as my scooter tour in Saigon?
- Festival or community events Sometimes your trip may align with a local food festival, harvest time, or a communal meal. These are not just about food, but about collective joy and culture. Being in the heart of a community, sharing food with locals, seeing rituals, tasting seasonal specialities makes the trip much more vivid.
- Fine dining and tasting menus Yes, they’re more expensive, sometimes more formal—but doing one or two in a trip (especially on special occasions) adds texture. The precision, creativity, presentation, pairing – it can open your palate and your mind. Just like at Akoko, where each course was a surprise and a delight.
- Farm-to-table/ingredient sourcing Visit farms, tea or cocoa plantations, spice gardens. See where the food starts: how soil, sea, climate, people shape what ends up on your plate. Some experiences even let you harvest or forage. These moments deepen understanding and gratitude. Click HERE to check out my drive along the Tasting Trail in Tasmania, a road trip north of Launceston which includes over 40 different artisan food producers. Or my experiences learning about how they produce chocolate in Ecuador and Grenada.
- Private dining and chef’s-tables For a treat, a private tasting or a chef’s table where you get to hear the stories, see behind the scenes, understand choices – seasoning, sourcing, pairing – these make food deeply personal.
- Immersion in rituals and storytelling Food is rarely just food. It carries stories: family recipes, migration stories, local taboos, festivals. Seek out meals that include storytelling – whether family dinners, local feasts, religious or cultural celebrations. They often stay with you long after the flavours fade.
How to Plan A Food-Focused Transformative Trip
Because our priorities shift; we often want more meaningful travel (not just ticking off lists). Here are tips to help you make food travel transformational:
Go with Intent: Pick destinations with cuisines that intrigue you, or that connect with your heritage, or flavours you want to explore. Research chefs, markets, local specialties.
Balance comfort and adventure: Maybe one night of Michelin, other nights of market stalls. Small, clean guesthouses where local hospitality feels warm. Trust your instincts about safety and comfort.
Travel slowly: Don’t rush through many cities in one trip. Give yourself time to wander markets at dawn, linger over dinner, chat with locals. The slower pace lets you absorb more.
Learn some local food vocabulary: Even basic words for ingredients, dishes, tastes. It opens doors, earns smiles, helps you read markets, menus, labels.
Document the journey: Journals, photos, even sketching a spice vendor, writing down recipes, tasting notes. These become more than souvenirs – they become treasures.
Bring home more than flavours: Perhaps recipes, spices, techniques. Maybe host a dinner when you return, share what you learnt. This makes the travel transformative and lasting.
Budget smartly: Fine dining and tasting menus are treats. But often street food or local family meals are cheap and wonderful. Save up for a few splurges, mix in the modest meals.
Stay open-minded: Some flavours will surprise you, maybe challenge you. Embrace that. When you try something unfamiliar, you grow.
Celebrating World Food Day 2025: What You Can Do Now, Wherever You Are
To honour World Food Day on Friday, here are ideas both for when you travel and when you are at home:
- Pick a local restaurant that celebrates ingredients from your region, or that works with small farmers or sustainable producers. Treat yourself (birthday style!) to something exceptional.
- Join or plan a food tour in your own city: find markets, hidden food-vendors, or chefs running pop-ups. Sometimes you don’t need to travel far.
- Attend cooking workshops or cook-along events around World Food Day: many organisations run special ones themed around sustainability, agro-food systems, local produce.
- Try cooking a full menu based on local ingredients from somewhere you’ve travelled – or want to travel. Try recreating something inspired by that: discover the spices, the techniques.
- Swap meals with friends where everyone brings a dish from a different part of the world; share stories. Food + storytelling = connection.
- Read, watch and learn: documentaries on sustainable agriculture, chef biographies, global food systems. These deepen appreciation of what’s on our plates.
Why This Matters More in Midlife
At this stage, energy and curiosity often merge. We want depth, meaning, experiences that enrich and last. Food travel can deliver both.
Taste memory is powerful. What you eat, how you eat, who you eat with – memories are built with all your senses. In midlife, you’re less interested in flashing sights and more in resonant moments.
Food connects you to culture and people. Meeting local cooks, producers, farmers and street vendors adds human connection and stories. They stay with you.
Creating rather than consuming: cooking, tasting with intention, owning the experience makes you feel active and engaged.
This World Food Day lets celebrate food not just as sustenance, but as adventure, connection, artistry, memory. Whether it’s a birthday surprise at a Michelin-starred restaurant, a market walk in a small town, tasting menus under soft lights, or cooking lessons at sunrise – these are the moments that transform travel from something we do to something that becomes part of who we are.
So, pack your appetite. Bring curiosity. And get ready for transformative flavours, unexpected friendships, stories you’ll tell for years.
Because when you travel with the senses fully awake, life tastes richer.
So, {{ subscriber.first_name }}, when was the last time you were inspired by a culinary adventure on your travels? I’d love to hear the details. Hit reply to this email to let me know or connect via your social method of choice (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Threads or LinkedIn).
Can you believe I am all done with the Camino de Santiago? Thank you to everyone who has sent messages about how much they enjoyed the series. Your feedback has meant a lot. Missed it? You can check it out, one day at a time on the playlist HERE.
And that means that this week I have something new for you, along the theme of food, you can see a short, sharp delve into my cooking class in Hoi An HERE.
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Until next time, Safe Travels
Sue x
P.S. Previously I mentioned that the prices for my travel coaching and Find Your Way: The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Travel Journey will be going up significantly soon. If you’ve ever thought about asking for my help — whether that’s with one-to-one coaching or joining Find Your Way — now is the time to take action. This is your chance to invest in yourself before the new rates come in. Don’t let the moment pass you by! Hit reply to this email or contact me on sue@suewherewhywhat.com and I will forward the link. Alternatively, if you want to chat before you commit, I am happy to do that too.
This newsletter may contain affiliate links. By using these, Sue Where Why What may receive a small commission for which I say thank you, but you will not pay any extra charges for this. My opinions remain my own.
More of my Adventures…
Find Your Way: The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Travel Journey
Video – Pintxos in San Sebastián The BEST Food Tour & What to Order
Video – Must Do in Vietnam Learning to Cook in Hoi An
And finally, just for you…Receive a small commission for which I say thank you, but you will not pay any extra charges for this. My opinions remain my own., but you will not pay any extra charges for this. My opinions remain my own.
🏠 For accommodation, I use Expedia and Booking.com primarily. They have their own loyalty schemes which is easy to progress through the levels for better discounts and inclusions.
🚍 For tours and activities, my preferred supplier is Get Your Guide.
🚶♀️ For walking and food tours (two of my favourite things to do anywhere), I recommend Walks and Devour Tours.
🗺️ For multi day or week tours, check out G Adventures. I used them for trips in Costa Rica, Peru, and Galapagos.
🤞 I would never leave home without travel insurance. With Safety Wingyou can take out an annual policy and pay monthly. This takes the hassle out of having to remember for us regular travellers.
🛫 For cheap flights, check out Skyscanneror join Jacks Flight Clubwhich scans the internet for error fares (UK only).
🧳 For luggage storage on your travels, I recommend the service by Bounce
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