Rather than offering advice, I will tell you what I do, and has been effective for me.
I have been type 2 for 30 years and been to Disneyworld about twice a year... and other travels. My A1C rises sharply when I am sick or under high stress - be aware of that. Otherwise, I am a problematic diabetic, because my fasting glucose was always 130-150 no matter what I do for diet and exercise. The only thing that produced a low glucose was 24 hours of fasting. That has changed recently, after switching my GLP-1 to Mounjaro and increasing daily insulin from 10 to 20 units, and starting to take anti-inflammatory supplements. My A1C dropped to 6.0 (often in mid 7s or higher) and my glucose dropped to 90 on a 10 hour fast.
Eating Habits:
Portion size: Yes, for carbs. Little portion sizes. Or avoid altogether. But there are others I can eat as much as I want.
I don't eat breakfast except for coffee. I eat lunch, smaller dinner, and evening snack to spread it out.
The foods I limit sharply are breads, fruits, potatoes, rices, pastas, desserts and other obvious sugary foods (Learn to estimate carbs in these groups, portion sizes smaller than your fist - half the size of my fist.)
Things I can eat abundantly: Vegetables, meats, most dairy (watch for hidden sugars).
Learn to choose high fiber foods, you get to subtract fiber grams from carb grams.
I change fries to vegetables or salads.
I eat more cheese, eggs, and although not a meat eater, I try.
I use butter, oil and seasonings more to make dull foods tastier (roasted vegetables!).
I don't stress over the tomato in my salad, but I don't eat the croutons. I don't stress over a few tablespoons of salad dressing.
I drink water, coffee, diet soda, and diet flavored waters. Argue all you want about chemicals, but there is no evidence artificial sweeteners contribute to any diabetic concerns. I cannot drink only water, I would die of boredom and caffeine deprivation.
I never order sugary drinks at Starbucks. Coffee, Flat Whites, Cold Brews. Once in a while a mocha or similar but I reduce syrups to 1 or 2, not 4-6 pumps.
At restaurants, I ask to eliminate or reduce breading and sauces that may have higher sugar content. That's usually enough to enjoy something.
If my day has been really good at carbs, I will allow myself something more indulgent, like a Fish Fry or Margarita.
When I choose a food with fried coating, I enjoy a few bites and separate the crust and don't eat the rest. I will even do that with Mozzarella sticks.
As for alcohol: Tequila, Rum, Vodka has zero carbs. All the calories come from alcohol.
At home, I mix with diet juice. When I cannot get diet juice, I mix with diet soda, or ask for half club soda and half cranberry juice. I alternate with diet soda or water and can drink all evening. There is something to know about your liver halting glucose release while processing alcohol - some people are at risk of blood glucose dropping and becoming hypoglycemic. I don't drink to excess and have never experienced this, so I don't worry.
