"Mark was born with a traveler's eye, one that sees below the surface, and a writer's voice, to share what he sees in ways that enlighten others." Arnie Weissmann, editor in chief, Travel Weekly

"Pour yourself a drink, fasten your seatbelt, and get ready for the trip of a lifetime. Prepare for Departure is a book filled with laughter and poignant experiences that will inspire you to pursue your dreams and appreciate life to the fullest. Above all, it's about unconditional love, and the special bond shared between a son and his mother." Robert Adams, editorial director, Passport Magazine

"With pathos and aplomb, travel writer Mark Chesnut's enchanting book gathers essays about his aging mother and growing up in the 1970s as part of a single-parent household. Warm and elegiac, the memoir voices a son's love for his inimitable mother." Foreword Reviews

"In this memoir for today, travel writer and self-confessed aviation nerd Mark Chesnut presents a different kind of guidebook. Sharing moments culled from a lifetime's worth of experiences, Chesnut examines the highs and lows between a mother and son, and the complicated path as the child becomes the caretaker. With writing that is often achingly beautiful, weirdly hilarious and always brutally honest, Chesnut shares his family's history over the course of decades, ranging from his Southern roots in Kentucky to his childhood in Upstate New York, all while interweaving stories from his successful career traveling the world. Ultimately, the journey along this road arrives at a greater acceptance of the fragility of life, and the faults and courage that make us human." Kenneth Shapiro, publisher/editor-in-chief, TravelAge West

"Packed with tight, elegant prose, Mark Chesnut's charming memoir explores a childhood, youth, and travel writing career through the prism of his mother's caring, her eccentric rules, her fears for his future as a gay man, her parade of quirky relatives, and mostly through the lens of her final years in nursing homes. This is a story of a child who preferred designing his own airline to doing homework, and who understood that hotels and traveling could lead to adventures, passions and contentment. It is a story of unashamed love, and an unashamed thirst for travel that results in both success and fulfillment. The reader will enjoy the ride: its wit, its candor, its foibles, its joys, its tears. I know I did." Geoffrey Weill, travel publicist and author, ALL ABROAD, A Memoir of Travel & Obsession

"A warm-hearted, funny memoir about growing up different. Yes, he works as a travel writer, but Mark Chesnut reminds us that life itself is a journey, with our family as our constant traveling companions. Mark's delightful voyage with his irrepressible mother, Eunice, is poignant, humorous, and deeply moving. With its vivid characters, awkward life lessons, and valuable travel tips, Prepare for Departure is filled with trials, triumphs, and laughter. It's a trip you won't want to miss. Buckle up! It's going to be a bumpy - but also extremely entertaining - ride!" Ann LeSchander, writer/director, The Park Bench

"Like David Sedaris, Chesnut weaves dark humor (as well as a healthy dose of 1970s nostalgia) into his clever prose as he describes his misfit childhood, eccentric relatives and his mother's emotional final months. Tears may be shed, but they're never far removed from the next chuckle that this book will surely elicit. We may not fully understand Chesnut's fantastic obsession with all things travel; not many authors, after all, have pretended to be a flight attendant on an abandoned school bus or stolen departure signs from airports. But we can all relate to his universal themes of love, loss, laughter and forgiveness." Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, author of Remember Me