You’ve settled on a hostel, booked a comfy bunk or cozy private room and you’re set. There’s just one small problem: you’re not big on the shared kitchen situation. It’s not that you’re above shared spaces, not at all. It’s not even that you wish you had more time for laid-back cooking with music and a glass of wine. No. Your problem has more to do with social anxiety or stage fright. You just hate cooking around others.

That’s valid… and more common than you’d think. It’s not that any traveller would ever judge another’s kitchen skills—or even notice—and you know that, but still, the discomfort is there. Fear not! We’ve so been there and we’ve got you covered with meals you can make with little to no preparation at all! Think of this as less of a recipe guide and more of a brainstorm of bare-bones meals so you don’t have to think about it when you’re already jet-lagged and travel-weary. 

The instant noodles, but better 

Most destinations have their own version of instant noodles. If you’re just looking for something simple to throw together after a day of tours, this is such a good hostel kitchen go-to. Simply make the noodles but upgrade them with whatever you can muster!

Ingredients:

• ​​A pack of instant noodles
• Optional upgrades (use what you’ve got!):
  • Fresh herbs
  • Chopped tomatoes
  • A fried egg
  • Sliced avocado
  • Leafy greens (spinach, arugula, etc.)
  • Bell peppers or chili flakes

The quick-and-easy vegetable pasta 

No recipe required. We’ll give you one anyway. 

Ingredients: 

• Pasta (duh)
• A mix of fresh vegetables. (Take whatever vegetables you got at the grocery store or local farmer’s market.)
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper 
• Optional: Garlic, herbs or cheese

Directions: 

1. Keep it simple. Sauté your vegetables with seasoning and oil. Cook your pasta and throw it all together with a little drizzle of olive oil, herbs and grated cheese. That’s it!

The overnight oats with tons of fruit 

The ultimate no-cook, no-fuss breakfast—or dinner, we don’t judge (reminder here: nobody is ever judging). This one’s cold, creamy, and weirdly satisfying.

Ingredients: 

• Oats 
• Milk or yogurt in a container
• Optional: Maple syrup, cinnamon or peanut butter if you’re feeling it
• Fruit: Berries, bananas, mango, or whatever exotic fruits are iconic to the area you’re visiting

Directions: 

1. Mix the oats, milk, yogurt, and syrup or peanut butter. 
2. Set it in the fridge overnight.
3. In the morning, add chopped fruit! 

The everything salad 

Boring salads aren’t allowed. The everything salad is… well, what it sounds like. 

Ingredients:

• ​​Greens (spinach, arugula, lettuce)
• Add ins:
  • Chopped veg
  • Beans
  • Fruits (apple, berries, orange slices)
  • Nuts or seeds
  • Cheese (feta, cheddar, goat cheese, etc.)
  • Tuna, tofu, or a boiled egg
• Dressing (store-bought or made on the fly with oil, vinegar, and mustard)

Directions: 

1. Grab your base and throw in whatever works… there are no rules here. 
2. Drizzle with dressing and boom, it’s a full meal disguised as a salad.

The backpacker’s Buddha bowl

Think the everything salad above but with a bit more structure. 

Ingredients: 

• A cup of your favourite grain like quinoa, couscous, or last night’s leftover rice.
• Veggies (whatever you’ve got!). For example carrots, bell peppers, spinach, cucumbers, etc. 
• Protein: If you’re shy in shared spaces, your protein options can literally be as easy as canned tuna, canned beans, chickpeas, or a boiled egg. 
• Optional: Hot sauce, soy sauce, guacamole, or dressing. 

Directions: 

1. Heat up your grain and protein, add in each food group at a time, drizzle with sauce and boom, done! 

The stupidly simple pesto pasta 

Does the hostel kitchen have a blender? Disclaimer, we’re not going for perfection or authenticity with this pesto idea. Yes, you’ll probably have much better pestos, but the point of this round-up isn’t to get you winning any culinary prizes. (As if that isn’t already completely obvious.) 

Ingredients: 

• Get a green as your base. Basil is the top choice but you can also use arugula, parsley, mint, or kale. We measure things in piles or big handfuls here.
• OIive oil 
• Water
• Nuts (pine nuts often are expensive or hard to find so you can use almonds or walnuts) 
• A hard cheese like parmesan
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

• Put this in a blender until it’s smooth. Add it to pasta, and you’re done. 

The whatever-you-have stir fry

This one’s easy and has been powering backpack adventures since… forever. The whatever-you-have stir fry is exactly what it sounds like: 

Ingredients: 

• Whatever you have! (Think: bell peppers, carrots, onions, frozen veg, leftover chicken, tofu, beans, or a fried egg)
• Rice
• Soy sauce
• Optional: A simple peanut sauce (1 spoon peanut butter + a drizzle of honey + lime juice + a pinch of garlic). 

Directions: 

1. Chop and sauté whatever veggies or protein you’ve got in a pan with a little oil.
2. Add cooked rice and a good splash of soy sauce.
3. Stir in peanut sauce if you’re feeling fancy.

Backpacker tip: If you’re travelling in Asia or Latin America, it’s highly likely you can even just buy a portion of cooked rice at a local restaurant. If not, minute rice can also be your friend. 

The sandwich that doesn’t suck 

Move over, ham sandwiches and PB&J. We get that you don’t have the energy or might not want to spend much time meal prepping in a little corner or a busy kitchen. But you also don’t want to eat something mundane after a day on your feet and in the sun. Enter sandwiches… but not the boring kinds you used to send home in your school boxed lunch. 

Ingredients to upgrade any basic sandwich: 

*Choose as many as you like.

• Guacamole
• Herbs
• Pesto
• Chips (yes, seriously, just ask your fellow British backpackers)
• Pickled anything
• Sundried tomatoes
• Hummus
• Arugula
• Cheese that’s a *little* nicer than standard mozzarella

Backpacker tip: Toast it. Even the simplest sandwich feels gourmet if you throw it in a pan or toaster oven for 2 minutes.

The peanut noodles heaped with herbs 

That peanut sauce from above? That can be used for a lot of different things. Like this dish.  

Ingredients: 

• Your choice of vegetables like onion, garlic, broccoli, and carrots
• Noodles of choice 
• Peanut sauce (described above)
• Herbs (basil and parsley work best)
• Avocado

Directions:

1. Sauté all your veg in a pan with a little oil.
2. Cook a batch of noodles.
3. Add your peanut sauce and mix. 
4. Garnish with a mountain of herbs and sliced avocado.
5. Brag if you must: You’ve mastered something that’s delicious but stupidly easy. 

The eggs with a business-class upgrade 

Everyone knows how to scramble eggs (right?), and they’re a great option for backpackers in that they’re quick, yummy, easy, and relatively cheap. Want a business-class upgrade? Throw spinach, tomatoes and cheese in that pan. Boom, breakfast that tastes like an omelette without the anxiety-inducing flip for the chefs with performance anxiety. 

The bowl of beans and other stuff

Not exactly glamorous, but it is satisfying and full of protein. 

Ingredients:

• 1 can of beans (black beans, red beans, chickpeas, whatever’s on hand.)
• Chopped veggies (tomatoes, peppers, onions, greens, etc.)
• Optional extras:
  • Sliced avocado
  • Shredded cheese
  • Hot sauce
  • Lime wedge or juice
  • Cooked chicken or ground beef (if you feel like cooking)
  • Rice or tortilla chips (for serving)

Direction:

1. Drain and rinse the beans, then toss them into a bowl.
2. Add chopped veggies and any extras you’ve got on hand.
3. Warm it up if you want, or eat it cold — your call. Top with hot sauce, cheese, lime, and protein if you're adding any.
4. Serve with rice or tortilla chips, or just grab a fork and call it dinner.

It’s a bowl, it’s filling, and it works.

The trusty tuna salad

This one’s been holding it down for travellers since forever. 

Ingredients and directions:

1. Crack open a can of tuna.
2. Mix it with mayo, mustard, or a little olive oil.
3. Add whatever extras you’ve got: chopped pickles, onions, celery, chives, chickpeas, or greens. 
4. Serve it with crackers, bread, or straight from the bowl if it’s that kind of night.

The leftovers with guac and veggies

So you went out last night and spent a little of your backpacker budget on a burger or tacos, and you’ve got leftovers. Or, a backpacker who checked out this morning passed along a couple slices of a pizza they couldn’t finish. Eat others’ leftover food at your own risk and don’t even think about justifying it because you brought all that Imodium. (Yeah, we see you and we know exactly the kind of cheap backpacker stuff you pull!)

Anyways, hand-me-down food or not, the way to jazz up leftovers that aren’t quite enough on their own is to whip up a simple guacamole, add chips and sliced vegetables like carrot sticks and broccoli. Done. 

The emotional support grilled cheese

For when you’ve had a long travel day, your feet hurt from climbing a mountain, and someone stole your avocado.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of bread
• Cheese of any kind (if you're in Canada, Kraft Singles work wonders in grilled cheeses)
• Butter or oil

Directions:

We know you know how to make a grilled cheese — but just in case:

1. Butter the bread and add your cheese
2. Toast in a pan over medium heat until golden and melty, flipping halfway
3. Serve with ketchup if that’s your thing

That’s literally it. Plain, gooey, and the perfect hostel comfort food.

The yogurt parfait for busy travel days

This one’s a no-cook win for mornings (or evenings… you do you) when you’re rushing to catch a bus, tour, or sunrise/sunset hike. Just layer yogurt, fruit, and something crunchy like granola or nuts in a cup or bowl. You’re travelling, not trying to get on the next cooking contest show (although a hostel version of those would be hilarious). The yogurt bowl is fast, filling, nutrient-dense, and won’t draw curious glances from any onlookers. Plus, it makes you feel a little bit like you’ve got your life together even if your socks are still drying on the bunk ladder (a hostel faux-pas, but that’s another story). 

The leftovers in a wrap

Last night’s leftovers made it home with you and now you’ve got *almost* enough for a meal but not quite. Take whatever it is (roasted veg, beans, rice, yesterday’s salad, even scrambled eggs) and roll it into a tortilla. Add hot sauce, guacamole, greens, hummus, or cheese if you’ve got it. This lifestyle is about repurposing and getting crafty. It’s about the adventure, not Michelin-star eats.

The never-fail pasta salad

So many things taste better when drenched in balsamic vinegar. A lot of pasta salads rely on mayonnaise, which isn’t the healthiest option (not that that’s always the goal). 

Ingredients: 

• Balsamic-vinegar 
• Olive oil 
• Pasta (of course) 
• A mix of vegetables like spinach, olives, cherry tomatoes, carrots, avocados
• Protein, like chicken or tuna
• Chickpeas for extra punch 
• Herbs (always!)

Directions:

1. Prepare as you would any salad. For the shy chef, all this requires is a bit of chopping and mixing which is so not that hard. 

The classic bread, wine and cheese

Don’t fix what already works. Not into cooking in shared kitchens? Totally all good! A bottle of wine, fresh bread, and a nice cheese is honestly the best way to finish a day full of sightseeing. Plus, not only are these things available at many local markets, but you’re also likely to find a great local cheese or bread from an artisanal baker. 

The healthy, but painfully easy, hummus

It’s cheaper than store-bought, just as good (better, honestly), and takes as much skill as making a smoothie. Eat it with veggies, chips, pita, or a layer on the gourmet sandwich above.

Ingredients:

• A can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• A few tablespoons of tahini (if you’ve got it but seriously, no worries if you don’t)
• Salt (to taste)
• Optional: extra seasonings from the shared food shelf - cumin, paprika, chili flakes, etc.

Directions: 

1. Add the above list of ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend.
2. Add water if needed. Tip: Add less liquid than you may think to begin with so it doesn’t end up runny.

The plate more random than yesterday’s itinerary 

Exhausted by all the other meal options? Same.

Sometimes you just gotta make do and if you’re a true backpacker at heart, you probably know that by now. Don’t feel like making small talk or cooking something big after a hard day on the trails? Don’t. This is the backpacker’s version of girl dinner. A plate consisting of random stuff totally works as a hostel-hopper meal. Yeah you’ve got some strawberries, a few slices of cheese, a piece of bread, and the end of yesterday’s pasta dish. Look, it’ll do.