Food and travel go hand in hand.

鈥淭he thing most people reference when they come back from traveling is the great food experiences that they’ve had,鈥� travel writer and 91传媒 Journal blogger Lisa Niver, author of 鈥淏rave-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents, and Feeling Fearless After Fifty,鈥� told the Journal. 鈥淥ne of the best things to do besides try new food is to try new food with someone 鈥� It makes a big impression because it impacts so many of your senses.鈥�

Whether you seek out food adventures abroad, in another state or close to home, there are plenty of options. It鈥檚 not just about trying new restaurants. 鈥淚 took a great cooking class in Vietnam, and they actually took us walking from the restaurant to the market.鈥� They pointed out what鈥檚 in season and talked about what food they were going to make. It was also a great opportunity to strike up conversations with locals, as they know all the best places, from restaurants to bakeries. 鈥淏e curious,鈥� Niver said. 鈥淭alk to people.鈥�

Niver also recalled a cooking class she took in Tuscany. 鈥淲e made fresh pasta, we got to wear funny hats 鈥� I liked that part 鈥� and I tasted lots of different wines,鈥� Niver said. 鈥淭here were amazing desserts, we made different sauces and they gave us the recipes.鈥�

A cooking class is a great activity for traveling, but it鈥檚 also a way to travel without leaving home. For instance, a class Niver took at Sur la Table in Los Angeles was a delicious and social experience. 鈥淲e got to taste everything,鈥� she said. 鈥淯sually you work in a group of four, six or eight, and sometimes different tables in the cooking class are making different parts of the meal.鈥� Niver said that she talked to everyone, found out where they were from and why they were there. 鈥淚 made lots of new, best friends,鈥� she said.听

For those who want to be more brave with their food adventures, Niver suggests pairing up with a friend. 鈥淥ne of the things I learned from scuba diving [is to] never go underwater without a buddy,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I’m at a restaurant, one of my most favorite things to do is share, because I want to try more than one thing.鈥� The other benefit to pairing up, is, if you are not sure about something on the menu, perhaps your friend will order it. 鈥淢y friends from college, Carl and Heather, will eat pretty much anything,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o sometimes, if I’m a little bit interested in something, they order it, and I can taste it 鈥� Most of the time in full honesty I don’t even taste it, but I like to see them eat it; they get very happy.鈥�

While Niver enjoys cooking some of the 91传媒 dishes she grew up with, especially something like brisket for the holidays, one of her favorite things to make is chocolate chip banana muffins.听

When traveling, 鈥淚 basically bring my elementary school lunch on the plane,鈥� she said. Niver packs a lot of food for road trips too.

Along with her muffins, Niver takes a little bag of carrots, hard-boiled eggs, those little red cheeses (Babybel) and crackers. 鈥淚 literally eat the whole plane ride,鈥� she said. 鈥淚’m having my smorgasbord as I cross different time zones.鈥�

Another tip for travel, Niver suggests, is to make an effort when interacting with the locals. 鈥淲hen I was first starting to travel, I had spent a semester in Jerusalem,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome of my friends were in other places around the world, and I went to visit.鈥� She continued, 鈥淲hen I was in Paris, I walked into a shop [and] talked in English, and everyone ignored me.鈥�听

In the next shop, Niver tried another approach. 鈥淚 spoke not very good Spanish with my terrible accent 鈥� to a woman who promptly answered me in English,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd the lesson I took away from that is, if you make even a small, not great, effort, people appreciate that, so I always have tried to learn a few words.鈥�

Remember, you don鈥檛 need to cross oceans to have new experiences. 鈥淚 think that people get caught up in what other people are doing,鈥� Niver said. You don鈥檛 need to quit your job and travel around the United States in an RV or live abroad in hostels for six months. 鈥淚t doesn’t have to be that dramatic,鈥� Niver said. 鈥淚f you’re not traveling much, my suggestion is to start close to home. There are so many adventures in your own backyard.鈥�

Learn more about and 鈥�.鈥�

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

5 large bananas
戮 cup white sugar
1 egg
鈪� cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
陆 tsp salt
1 陆 c flour
1 cup chocolate chips

On a plate, cut the 5 bananas into small pieces. Add to bowl and mash bananas with a spoon.

Add sugar, egg, oil and mix well.

Add remaining dry ingredients and mix well.

Spoon into muffin papers, which I put in a muffin tin.

Cook for 20 min at 375 degrees.

EAT!

Debra Eckerling is a writer for the 91传媒 Journal and the host of 鈥�Taste Buds with Deb.鈥� on or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.