Calories and travel... HELP!?

You CAN restrict your calories while traveling. The question is - should you...I would just enjoy myself and try everything I want to try while still being sensible.
Trust me, we Europeans know our food, you'll regret it if you don't let yourself indulge a little bit.
Especially if it's only a week or two, don't worry about it, even if you gain a couple of pounds, you'll lose them in week or so!

I personally would just enjoy yourself, how many times will you have this opportunity? When I go to the big cities I tend to maintain as I walk everywhere and make sure to drink lots of water.

portion sizes over here tend to be smaller, and there's often plenty of fresh vegetables, but also plenty of delicious bread and pastry offerings.....(I'd choose to have a pasty or sweet treat instead of lunch rather than in ADDITION to lunch.

Meals tend to be social affairs and there's plenty of opportunity to eat slowly. There's so much deliciousness that please don't hold back on trying all the good stuff!!!

I went to Spain on a business trip for 2 weeks once. I lost around 10 pounds on that trip without even trying. There happened to be a metro strike going on while I was there, so public transportation got a little tricky and I opted to walk a lot instead of wait a lot in the station just to ride a super packed metro (I got to see more of the city that way anyway, and even had a few side adventures on my walks). The food also seemed way healthier than what I was eating at home around that time. The only real temptation was all the pastry shops. Unfortunately (fortunately?) they were a bit too pricey for me, so it wasn't a problem in the end.

I spent two weeks in Europe in September, and I logged. I increased my calories to only losing 1 lb. per week so I could eat more. I didn't lose 2 lbs., only .5 lbs. but I was glad that I didn't gain. I went to wine tastings and parties and had evenings that I could only "guesttimate" the calories--I'm sure they were over my goal. I also arranged to stay in an apartment with a kitchen so I cooked most of my own food. (This is in a country whose food I don't particularly like much, so this was preferable to me). I would probably eat out more in Italy or France, both which have cuisines I like.

I think the key to it (and life in general) is to not make food the center of your activity. Of course you don't want to miss out on the gourmet delicacies in France or Italy, but there are many things to do and see in those countries and more interesting IMO is the activity rather than the food. You can get amazing French and Italian food outside of Europe (although pricier and doesn't have the "cultural" thing) although it's not in the context of the culture. What you cannot do is talk to the natives in their milieu, visit the sights, museums etc., outside of those countries.

One tip that helps me when I travel is to hit up a grocery store for some standard high protein breakfasts (hard boiled eggs, cheese, maybe oatmeal if that's your thing). I'm all about enjoying food and soaking up the culture, but a croissant or pastry every morning wasn't doing me any favors filling me up for the calories. I would get something like that one day to experience it and then the rest of the day try to stick to normal breakfasts, maybe even lunches, and indulge during dinner.

I’m “traveling” to San Diego tomorrow and our favorite Mexican food place has the best carne asada fries ever so I have been hoarding calories this week so I can eat them... all... in one setting. Some things are worth planning for. If I was going to be somewhere for a couple of weeks I’d probably keep doing IF and switch to maintenance because I love trying new foods.

You probably won't gain as much as you think.
- you walk a ton in Europe
- The diet tends to be very healthy. Even with the butter.
- Portions tend to be smaller

I spent 2 weeks in Argentina eating churros and steak and I think I gained like 2lbs.

Just be realistic and healthy-ish and most importantly ENJOY. You'll feel worse about spending time in Europe and not enjoying the food than you will be if you gain 5lbs.

Are you going to be in a hotel or an apartment? For 2 months definitely log. You can set to maintenance. You could undo a lot in 2 months. Even if eating out every day if you log you will at least have an idea. If you are in an apartment and can cook, plan to eat a certain amount at home to save calories and money.

I usually lose weight when I travel, even if not intended...especially overseas or just about anywhere but the US, portions are smaller.

I'm also way more active in my day to day when I'm traveling...lots of walking around seeing this or that or the other. I'm on the go most of the time, so usually way less snacking. When I'm at home I'm sitting behind a desk for 8 hours 5 days per week and, welp...it's 3 PM and I'm bored so I guess I'll have a snack.

Just enjoy your trip.

I spent 6 weeks in Germany, did not track food during that time, and lost 5 pounds. As everyone says, you will most likely walk a lot more plus the food is generally healthier and served in smaller portions. Have fun!