Travel Expert Samantha Brown Has a ‘Homemade’ Meal She Makes in Her Hotel Room

"It's about as fancy-schmancy as I get these days. But it tastes great."

By Stacey Leasca Stacey Leasca

Stacey Leasca is an award-winning journalist and co-founder of Be a Travel Writer, an online course for the next generation of travel journalists. Her photos, videos, and words have appeared in print or online for Travel + Leisure, Time, Los Angeles Times, Glamour, and many more. You'll usually find her in an airport. If you do see her there, please say hello. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on November 22, 2024

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Courtesy of Samantha Brown

Sometimes the perfect meal while traveling is one that you can put together yourself.

And thankfully, travel expert Samantha Brown has shared her go-to "hotel room salad" for a quick, healthy, and somewhat homemade meal.

"I've been making my hotel room salad for years in three, four-star hotels across the United States — they're the ones that give you the big refrigerators," Brown explained in an Instagram video. "I head to the nearest supermarket, gather all the ingredients, hopefully organic, and then just eat a really healthy meal."

"It's about as fancy-schmancy as I get these days. But it tastes great," she added.  

Her ingredients of choice? Chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and mushrooms. And a bonus, Brown uses the lettuce container for her salad bowl to make the process even more seamless.

Explaining in her caption that the salad is "inspired by my love of supermarkets, which I visit just like they're a local attraction," Brown noted that she also rinses her veggies before assembling the meal.

And when asked about salad dressing by a follower, she explained that she also keeps that easy, too.

"I get the most non-processed dressing I can find in the refrigerated section," she said. "Sesame ginger is my go-to."

Another follower also suggested an easy dressing made of olive oil, salt, and a little squeeze of lemon, which you'll likely find in any hotel bar. 

Brown, as we know, is filled with tips and tricks for travel including why travelers should alway pack duct tape and flip flops and also shared with Travel + Leisure this year that she makes it a point to explore her local surroundings and “hunker down.”

“Where’s the deli? Where’s the local little store? Where’s the coffee shop? Where can we get groceries for our room?” Brown said. “I always just sort of want to hunker down… because a lot of times, especially when you’re out and about during the day… you don’t want to go from menu to menu or restaurant to restaurant.”