How I Plan Food-Focused Trips That Feel Local | RJVIPGP

The Research Never Stops.

By Richard Jarocki · Travel Stories · July 20, 2026 · Updated September 25, 2026

Food-focused trips usually start with a restaurant for me. Most people start planning a vacation by searching for flights; I start by figuring out where I want to eat.

Or maybe it’s a cocktail bar I’ve been reading about for months. Sometimes it’s a Formula 1 race. Other times it’s a hotel I want to experience for myself.

Whatever it is, that’s where the research begins. One reason to go becomes dozens of browser tabs, Google Maps pins, menus, videos, conversations, and questions. By the time I leave, I’ve usually learned enough about a place to write a guide before I’ve packed my suitcase.

Normal? Probably not. Worth it? Usually.

I Start With a Reason to Go

Even my food-focused trips sometimes begin with something other than food. Barcelona started with a race; the restaurants helped shape the rest.

Barcelona started with Formula 1. New York started with restaurants I’d been trying to book for years. São Paulo began with Interlagos, then grew into a much bigger interest in its dining scene, cocktail bars, neighborhoods, and hotels.

I don’t build a trip around a checklist of famous sights. I start with what genuinely interests me, then learn what else is nearby and worth my time.

I Research the Details—and Ask People

When planning food-focused trips, I read menus months before I arrive.. I compare hotels to understand which ones deliver on their promises and which ones simply charge luxury prices. I read reviews for patterns rather than star ratings: What do people consistently love? What disappoints experienced travelers? Is a restaurant exceptional, or just everywhere on Instagram?

I also talk to people. A review can tell me a lot, but a conversation can point me toward a place I would never have found on a list.

São Paulo is a good example of how far I’ll take that research. I read about the hotels and spoke with people while figuring out where to stay. Across three trips, I stayed at different hotels for two or three nights at a time, then moved on to the next. I wanted to experience them myself before deciding which ones were actually worth recommending.

For my own trips, I also use the Marriott Bonvoy app. I tend to prefer Marriott properties because I like the service, though I still want to know how a particular hotel feels in person. In Barcelona, I chose Sir Victor for its location and its connection to Marriott Bonvoy. On my next São Paulo trip, I’m staying at the W. I’ve stayed there before, but I spent so much of that visit out in the city or at the race that I didn’t get much time to explore the hotel itself. This return will give me a better chance to get to know it.

I Pick a Few Restaurants I Don’t Want to Miss

I Build the Days Around the Experiences

My food-focused trips start to take shape once I know which reservations are fixed and how much time I have between them.

A bakery in the morning. A neighborhood or museum to explore. An afternoon cocktail. Dinner somewhere I’ve spent months trying to reserve. Maybe late-night drinks at a place someone recommended along the way.

I think about how the experiences fit together. I’d rather spend three days getting to know one neighborhood than race across a city trying to see everything.

I leave room for the unexpected, too. Food-focused trips need enough flexibility to follow a good recommendation. Some of my favorite memories came from a bartender pointing me to another bar, a chef recommending a restaurant, a concierge sending me somewhere I hadn’t considered, or a walk between two reservations that became the best part of the day.

I can help you plan a trip this way, too. If you’re deciding where to stay, which restaurants are worth reserving, or how to fit everything together without rushing, tell me what you’re planning.

I Judge the Experience for Myself

Luxury isn’t about spending the most. It’s attention to detail: service that feels effortless, a perfectly balanced cocktail, a hotel that lives up to the promise.

Sometimes that means a Michelin-starred tasting menu. Sometimes it means a twelve-seat neighborhood wine bar. Price doesn’t impress me. Quality does.

That’s why I go beyond collecting recommendations. If I tell you a restaurant is worth visiting, I’ve eaten there. If I recommend a hotel, I’ve slept there. My own experience is what turns all that research into an opinion I can stand behind. No sponsored rankings. No recycled lists.

I bring that same firsthand standard to travel and hospitality collaborations. I experience the place myself, and my opinion stays my own.

The Research Never Stops

Friends have always asked me where to eat, which hotel I’d book, and whether a place deserves the hype. This website is where I share what I learn from planning, going, asking questions, and sometimes going back again.

Every trip adds something: a better restaurant, a hotel I’d return to, a hidden cocktail bar, a neighborhood I didn’t expect to love. The list keeps growing. So does the curiosity.

If all those hours of research help you find one unforgettable meal, one perfect cocktail, or one place you might otherwise have missed, they were time well spent.

Usually.

Completely Unnecessary. Absolutely Worth It

Need help planning food-focused trips, a city break, or a Grand Prix weekend? Send me your destination, dates, budget, and what matters most to you. We can talk through the hotels, meals, and experiences that make sense for your trip.

More From My Travels

• Barcelona Travel Guide: Where I Stayed, Ate, and Explored
• My São Paulo Restaurants Guide
• São Paulo: The Trip That Changed Everything
• Why I Love Formula 1: Our Sport. Our Passion. Our People.

Follow me on Instagram @Richard.Jarocki for more food, cocktails, hotels, and Formula 1 from my travels.

Completely Unnecessary. Absolutely Worth It.

Let’s Plan Your Next Trip

Have a destination in mind—or a restaurant worth building a trip around? Tell me where you want to go, your dates, approximate budget, and what you enjoy. Whether it’s food, cocktails, hotels, or a Formula 1 weekend, I can help you work out how it all fits together.

Fill out the form below, and I’ll get back to you to discuss your trip.