When you travel, do you carry along dozens of theplas to sustain you through your foreign trip? Do you opt for packaged tours that advertise travel with a cook, so you can continue eating daal-chawal everyday?

Although this used to be understandable years ago when vegetarian food wasn't easily available and travelers had to rely on bread and butter to fill their stomachs, these days in most countries offer a variety of vegetarian fare.

A large part of visiting another country and experiencing their culture is sampling their cuisine. If you've spent a week touring France and return without sampling the authentic baguette or gulping down an escargot, needless to say, you've not made the most of your visit.

Vegetarians naturally face a large obstacle to sampling various cuisines, but they certainly don't have to convert to enjoy the experience. There are often vegetarian options no matter where you go, it is just a matter of selecting the right dish. In addition, if you are traveling with a group, not all members will be vegetarian. Even the very act of selecting a restaurant, observing the service, partaking in ambience and the dining experience adds to your trip.

A McDonalds or similar fast-food joint is great when you're on the go. It's cost-effective, quick and fills you up enough to carry on with your sightseeing. But at night, do make it a point to check out a local restaurant and try the food on offer. Certain cities have restaurants that are famous, and although you may be tempted to try them out, doing so may rob you of experiences to try other places offering more authentic fare - especially if you are on a budget. If money is not an issue, go ahead and splurge, but try and take in everything from the fanciest restaurants to the tiniest little joints on the streets.

Don't travel like a tourist, travel like a local. Use local transport when getting from one place to another. You will never see locals at popular tourist destinations, but that doesn't mean they are better avoided. Take in one or two 'tourist traps', skip the rest and spend your time having experiences. You don't want to return just with souvenirs and photographs, you want to return with memories. Think of yourself as an explorer and not a tourist.

To enhance your travel experience, visit fewer spots on a trip and spend more time in one place. Read up on a place before you reach - and don't just read guide books. There are various novels like Under the Tuscan Sun, A Year in Provence, that fairly immerse you in a country's culture and help you experience the place with a new perspective.

Have a fair idea of a country's historical and mythological background too before making the trip. It's unbelievably easy to call for an epic movie like The Gladiator before making a trip to Rome. You will enjoy seeing the Colosseum that much more. Pick up something that focuses on the history and culture of a particular city or country. It's a shame when someone spends so much time and money traveling to a place, but doesn't spend any time researching the place so he can gain much more out of the visit.

Don't spend all your time at malls. Spend a small fraction of your time shopping, but spend most of it exploring. Walk around as much as you can, especially around areas buzzing with life and activity. Buy a day's buss pass, and armed with a map, get off at all the places you want to see. You can do this only if you have done your research and already know where you would like to go. Although you may be tempted to get off at any 'cute little place' that catches your fancy, never do this in a strange land or foreign country. Some areas are very dangerous, and you can get mobbed or killed. Yes, you want experiences, but not horrifying ones. Travel safe, travel smart. And if all this is too overwhelming, just sign up for a conducted group tour, sans cook.