By Larry Olmsted

Guided culinary tours are the best way for the traveling foodie to experience pretty much any city in the world. You get to try more different things and learn more than you could by choosing a single place to eat on your own, no matter how good it is, and you will usually uncover some hidden gems you would not find through research.

I’ve been a food writer for two decades, authored a New York Times bestselling book on food, and have been a food columnist at America’s largest newspaper for many years, and frankly, I know a lot about food. But you can always learn more, especially with insider local perspective, so I am a big fan of signing up for food tours in cities when I travel. Of course, I haven’t traveled in a year, but with a vaccinated light at the end of the tunnel, I hope to return to the road shortly, and when I do, I will be starved for the dishes and places I’ve missed.

I’ve done these outings from Tokyo to Taipei, New York to New Orleans … read more

Award-winning travel journalist Larry Olmsted is the author of “Real Food, Fake Food.” He is a Contributing Editor to US Airways Magazine and Cigar Aficionado Magazine and “The Great Life” columnist for Forbes.com. His newest book, “Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happer, Healthier, and More Understanding,” is published this month.