wordlady...

everyone loses at different rates. What I gave you is an average which means that some people will lose more and faster than that and some will lose less and slower. There are a lot of factors that influence that such as age, activity level, gender (it's unfair, but men generally lose quicker than women) and prior dieting history. It might be realistic for you to lose a pound a week, but it might not. I'd hate to see you get frustrated and thinking that you're doing something wrong when you're really losing at an appropriate rate.
There are a lot things you can do to help the process and one of them is something you mentioned...exercise. Weight resistance training is a good tool to help increase your metabolism and keep it raised longer than cardio will and it's just generally good for you overall. Keep at it and the weight will be off before you know it and in the mean time, enjoy the trip and the other health benefits that you're getting with low carbing.