[jslabovitz]

Over decades of travel, I've found that one of the best ways to experience a culture and a place is to learn how to cook the local food. I guess you could do that through cooking classes, etc., but I've found a whole new dimension of traveling by staying in Airbnbs/etc. that have kitchens, and going to the market down the street to find ingredients.

For more experienced & long-term travelers, having some way of preparing food (maybe just breakfast, or breakfast + lunch) often means you have the budget to stay in a place longer and get to know a place better. And you can take a day or two off to recharge if you've exhausted yourself, and know that you won't go hungry or be forced to go buy crappy to-go food at a convenience store or the like.