Traveling While Married

by Mary-Lou Weisman

Book Overview

Ah travel New scenery, exciting adventures, time alone with a loved one. Truth is, travel can make or break a relationship. Just negotiating when to leave for the airport can be tricky: she insists on arriving hours ahead of flight time, he likes the excitement of a photo finish. But as Mary-Lou Weisman sees it, "The inevitable rage with which we begin each trip only helps us to better appreciate the good times that lie ahead." Or maybe not. When...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565123190
• ISBN13: 9781565123199
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Algonquin Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Don't go away without this

Mary-Lous Weisman, a seasoned veteran of both marriage and travel has written a hilariously funny handbook for those travelling in tandem. She explores the trauma of packing for two, the necessary compromises about what to see, eat, and buy (or not) and describes the triumphs and failures she has had on the road, the high seas and in the air in the company of her husband, Larry. This vital information is contained in one of the funniest books I've ever read. Serious stuff, like the hotel without a view or central heating in a place that was advertised as warm and picturesque sounds like a little glitch to be overcome. And there's practical information too.For instance, if you're bored out of your skull on a slow (and expensive) French barge trip get bicycles and meet the other passengers at the next four- star auberge. We've all experienced the unplanned for event that threatens to ruin a trip. But , with only a few exceptions, such catastrophes seem to melt under the uniqe, slightly off center, but always fresh viewpoint that is Mary-Lou's sense of humor. You will find yourself reading the book aloud to strangers on the bus who will try to wrench it out of your hands as you move to get off. And, if your friends are like mine, a gift of this book will send them off to buy copies for every innocent they know is about to go abroad without the protection of Mary-Lou's wisdom.Even if you're staying at home this book is a trip. As for those who are travelling with their mates Traveling While Married is as vital to a successful voyage as getting those shots if you're going to a places where you're warned not to drnk the water. Watch the divorce rate go down as sales of this book go up. Strike a blow for family values buy this charming,riotously funny, must-read book.

HUMOR AT THE TOP OF ITSs FORM

I can not keep this book in my house. I keep buying a copy and giving it away because it is so wonderful. Mary Lou Weisman is one of the top humor writers in this country. She has wit, charm, a joyful use of the English language, imagination, heart, intelligence, savy, and class. And that's for starters!It's been a long time since I have laughed out loud. One of my favorite chapters is about the time they rented a house in Italy.Ms. Weisman says about the disappointment of the house .."Sometimes you have a view and sometimes you are the view".Anyone who has travelled, is about to travel, or who dreams of travel in partnership has to read this book. It's perfect for anyone 20-80. She is a first rate American humorist.I simply love this book!

A "must" Gift

This is one of the truest, funniest books I've read on the subject of travelling with one's spouse or significant other.Weisman writes with insight and humour about the quirks of travelling with someone else. The illustrations are also superb. I highly recommend this book as a gift for any couple about to embark on a vacation.

Hilarious!

A gem of a book that should accompany every couple on vacation. He takes her on a white water rafting trip. ("Larry likes camping. One of the ways I got him to marry me was to pretend I liked it too.") She takes him to a spa, where he tries yoga, which she suggests will make him feel stretchy and catlike. ("If I want to feel catlike, I'll get a litter box," he answered.) And so it goes. From traveling poor as a young couple to a house in Tuscany to Elderhostel. There is practical advice, too, on packing, for example. ("Packing is the original sin of travel. In the beginning there was no packing. There weren't even any clothes.") But really, the dedication says it all: "I, Mary-Lou, take thee, Larry, to be my constant traveling companion, to Hong and to Kong, in Cyclades and in Delft, for deck class and deluxe, so long as we both shall move."

a great book to share

I started reading the essays in this book and found myself interrupting my wife every couple of minutes to read a line out loud. Like this one: "Paris is our all-time favorite place in which to pretend to live....We don't care if the French aren't friendly. When we are French, we won't be friendly either."This collection of essays is insightful about its subject, but mostly just funny, self-effacing, and full of honest observations about the ways people (especially married couples) tend to act when traveling. It's not a book of tips on travel; it's a book to read out loud on the plane over, or the plane home, or just at home.If you like to travel and have the ability to laugh at yourself a little--as Weisman can and does--you will love "Traveling While Married" and will probably end up sharing it with people you love and love to travel with.