Vacations are no freebie

I'm walking down the street in Sydney, Australia, on my lunch break. I pass a gas station, and my eyes peer into the open door and zoom in on the chocolate candy bars and potato chips. I already had lunch, but I want something to top it off. Something salty or sweet. Inner dialogue: I do need some more energy and it will definitely hold me over until after work. An hour later, I am regretting my decision to eat that junk food.

Why is it that when I'm in a foreign country all of my regular eating habits disappear, and I feel that it is O.K. to eat anything and everything?

Granted, I give myself a little leeway when I go on vacations, but I was living in Sydney for three months. That's a long vacation of binge eating.

Vacation Smarts from MSNBC.com has some tips from health nutritionist Keri Glassman on how to manage to eat smart when on the go, or on vacation.

• If you know you will be away for a long period of time, bring snacks for about every couple of hours. Glassman said to bring something low-calorie and crunchy for when you feel like just picking.
• If McDonalds or fast food is an only option for a quick fix, choose a plain hamburger, even instead of a grilled chicken sandwich (lower calories in the burger).
• Or if you are on a lunch break and a quick stop at the newsstand is all you have time for, choose fruit, a yogurt or a low-calorie bar.

Next time I go abroad I will try more self-control.