Solo travel has so many benefits but one of the golden tickets of it has to be this: you have sole control over where you go to eat (itinerary and obligations aside).

I love diving into new little cafes and family-owned restaurants when I travel. It started with my love of my grandparent's restaurant when I was growing up, was fed by my dad's inspirational love for finding his affectionate "hole in the wall" diners when we made the trek to the Midwest during summers and now, I get to entertain my genetic tendency toward homestyle foods with my own travel adventures. But when I'm at home for a stretch and want that road food experience without leaving my couch, I don't need to go any further than Man V. Food.

So here are 5 reasons to watch Man V. Food as an intrepid solo traveler!

1. It's not just about food - it's about people.
Man V. Food doesn't just walk into a cafe, chow down and walk out. You generally get to hear the stories of how the food meccas in the town came to be, and as many of the secrets of the food that the proprietors are willing to divulge.

2. Good stories, good production.
The host, Adam Richman, makes watching someone eat enthralling. Maybe it's the way he builds up the suspense of eating 180 oysters, or his fantastic descriptions of what he's eating, but either way, it's just fun TV in some of America's greatest cities.

3. You know where to go when you do go.
If you happen to have a trip scheduled to a big city, you owe it to yourself to see if Adam has filmed any episodes in or near where you have to go. By profiling at least two or three eateries, you instantly have two or three multi-star options for your culinary experiences.

4. You get local - fast.
Food is one thing that can tell the story of a spot in the country in a short amount of time. If you want to get to know a city, eat it's food. Food makes us tick, and when you tap into the fried chicken in Memphis or the barbecue outside of Austin, you're finding the city's heartbeat.

5. You get ideas of where to go next.
I am always looking for reasons to go new places. What better reason to go than a world-famous restaurant that cooks up the most amazing dishes ever? I recommend watching Man V. Food with your Travel Box journal close by. Take notes, and compare it with your travel list. You might just find a mystical alignment between the trek of Man V. Food and your own bucket list.

Use the inspiration! You can find several seasons of Man V. Food on Netflix, or catch scheduled episodes on the Travel Channel.

Safe Travels.

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http://www.travelchannel.com/tv_shows/man_v_food/about_the_show