For just a couple of days and no full kitchen, I would probably cook some chicken thighs and a pork tenderloin before I left and then warm them in the microwave. I usually serve with coleslaw or salad. Sweet potatoes are easy in the microwave, too. My husband can't eat out so we do this regularly.

Similar kind of answer: If you want good and easy food, plan meals ahead, with some flexibility points, and precook anything that's fiddly, or travels better cooked. I.e., make chicken ahead but grill steaks on site. Bring a grill top pan for any issues with the grate or cleanliness. Same with veg, especially the kind that takes less space when cut up, vs. those that take less space whole. Be open to picking up something at a farmers market, and prepared to make the meals if you don't. The more you can organize and prepare ahead of time, the less you need to think about while you're away.

I don't want to be on vacation and not get a break from the at home chores, including cooking. But if budget is a consideration and having the complications of a dog and eating out, I would probably think about what ready to prepare or cook foods I could bring from home. I don't want to spend days cooking ahead just in order to avoid cooking on vaca.

I would be looking at things from TJ's or similar that are really good and easy to heat in the microwave, like frozen lasagne, and maybe already prepared chicken from a local drive in. Steaks on the grill are easy, sides in the micro. Microwaved potatoes and veggies. Bags of salad. A tub of potato salad. Maybe hard boiled eggs for breakfast, or cereal, microwave oatmeal. Fruits and raw veggies and cheese/crackers for snacks. I'm a bit of a food snob, but I am also averse to spending my vacations cooking. I can suck it up and eat already prepared foods for a few days and give myself a break.

For just 2-3 days, I would probably eat from the deli or prepared food sections of the local grocery stores, plus simple salads. If you enjoy grilling and the place has a grill, then that’s an option too.

When we travel, we almost always rent apartments and cook most meals - very simple meals. In foreign countries, seeing what is in the local markets is as fun and interesting as seeing what is on the local menus. In the US, eating out is expensive and often not interesting or even good.

We did this just a month ago with a couple of houses and a couple of hotel rooms rented at the beach. Kept it really simple, we were there to catch up with cousins from about 3 states and not just to eat.

Everyone was on their own for those who ate breakfast and mostly it was shared (two full kitchens and a kitchenette all accessible on foot - but we were careful to pack our own good knives) Lunch things were mostly deli or eaten out. Picnic fare.

We cooked a couple of large but quick fillets of fresh salmon one night and my brother made a lovely garlic lemon butter sauce for it. I splurged on Dungeness fry legs and we had crab salads (set up a make your own salad bar) with a minestrone soup another evening. My brother had brought a nice piece of tenderloin and cooked that over a grill night three and one of the cousins added a very good quinoa and tomato salad, rolls.

We were a group with a dog. A 4 yr old child. And believe it or not my brother travels with his maine coon cat. A HUGE cat not yet year old, gratefully she's leash trained 😊

Lots of snack type things like cheeses, crackers, nuts, vegetable sticks and fruit - the fresh peaches were lovely right then. No one complained of being hungry and if anyone slipped out for fast food they were discreet - I didn't see it. And no one spent hours in kitchen preparing full holiday type meals.

Sounds really fun!

Got us out of the heat wave! I don't do well over 95*! Get severe headaches! Don't EVEN want to think about cooking! It was a nice local staycation.