Why travelers are obsessed with foreign supermarkets
Why travellers are obsessed with foreign supermarkets
From Tokyo egg sandwiches to Greek dairy aisles, supermarket shopping has become a beloved travel ritual. Hilton's 2026 Trends Report found 77% of travelers enjoy visiting grocery stores abroad, and Condé Nast Traveller named grocery tourism a top trend for 2026. Experts explain the appeal: supermarkets offer an unscripted, authentic glimpse into daily life, and the context enhances the taste. Even a Finnish chain now lists branches on Tripadvisor, though overtourism can spoil the magic.
Monuments reveal how a country remembers its past, but a supermarket shows how it lives today.
- juancn
It's freaking fun! That's basically it.
What's common and everyday in one place is exotic in another.
It lets you get something that's just plain fun, for little money and it feels like a shared experience with the locals.
They don't usually appreciate what they have, but it's a great way to rethink your own culture's assumptions.
- mgkimsal
I don't travel abroad as much as I'd like, but I always enjoy bringing back some foreign candies for friends. Some things we can get locally in upscale shops, and much you can get from Amazon, but most folks don't bother. I recently came back from Iceland and brought probably $20 in little candies. Lots of licorice-based stuff - that's apparently a big thing there. Just little fun bits to pass out to friends when I come back.
But I've always enjoyed poking through grocery stores traveling abroad - China, UK, Russia all were interesting in their own way. Seeing what's similar and what's different. Yeah, cool - they have Pringles too - but... wow... such weird flavors. I do remember seeing canned horse in a couple of Russian stores. And in one upscale Moscow grocery, they had a huge fridge case for 'cheeses from around the world'. Germany, Italy, France, UK... kept going... got to the 'US' portion and ... tubs of 'Philadelphia cream cheese'. I thought I'd taken a pic of that but sadly can't find it any more. I really thought it was a joke.
Given that almost everything is a subsidiary of Unilever, the 'I wonder what they'll have' question has faded. But finding local flavors of things is still fun. Greece is likely my next bucket list trip. Any suggestions on foods to try or candies to look for - let me know! :)
- Shank
While Japanese convenience stores are certainly fun, they aren’t grocery stories. Try Maruetsu, Olympic, LIFE, AEON, My Basket, etc. There are also the fancy grocery stores on the basement of malls. Convenience stores do sell groceries and they’re worth visiting, but they aren’t grocery stores.
- prtmnth
One of my favorite travel activities is browsing supermarkets and in awe of the interesting products on the shelves. So much fun!
- al_borland
It’s interesting, but also useful. I usually grab some food for the hotel room and it’s cool to see and try things you don’t normally have access to. It’s not all about fancy restaurants.
Another seemingly mundane thing I heard someone mention a few years ago and started trying was McDonalds. Counties tend to have some custom options or various spins on what I’ve come to expect. Apparently Hamburger University in Chicago lets you try food from around the world, though I haven’t been.