I ate dinner with complete strangers using a meal-sharing app - and would do it again the next time I travel

Sarah Schmalbruch / Business InsiderSome of the delicious pizza I ate.

When you're traveling, sometimes the best way to experience the destination is to eat with locals in the comfort of their own home.

But if you don't know anyone personally, there are apps that can connect you with people who will host such gatherings.

Meal-sharing apps like Feastly, EatWith, and Cookapp, are basically like Airbnb for meals. They connect tourists with locals and are changing the way people travel.

I decided to be a tourist within my own city and try out one of these apps. I signed myself up for Feastly, and booked a $42 dinner of unique handmade pizzas prepared by a woman named Michelle, who lives in Union Square, in the center of Manhattan. The three other guests I shared the meal with were all tourists visiting New York City from other countries.