Mark Chesnut is a successful travel writer, having turned his obsession with world exploration into a career as a content creator and consultant. His work has appeared in American Way, Fodor’s, Forbes Travel Guide, HuffPost, the Miami Herald and Travel Weekly, to name a few. However, in his recent memoir, Prepare for Departure: Notes on a single mother, a misfit son, inevitable mortality and the enduring allure of frequent flyer miles, he undergoes a different kind of exploration. Readers get insight into how he navigated caring for his sick mother and preparing for her final moments in life, as well as his reflection of how she shaped him to be the man he is today. 

Mark Chesnut is gay and grew up in a single-mother household. His father passed away when he was just four years old, and his sister was about 14 years older than him. Consequently, he and his mother Eunice developed a bond arguably closer than that of other mother-son relationships growing up in the South. In Prepare for Departure, he puts his journey on full display – identifying his sexual orientation, becoming obsessed with traveling as a boy (i.e. creating his own imaginary airline), and even his devastation at his mother losing her campaign for political office. 

Even so, Chesnut continues to outline his experiences in dealing with his mother’s brain tumor and aging process. He recounts searching in New York with his sister for an adequate nursing home (along with all the paperwork involved), her decline in mental capacity and memory, and how he went out of his way to be friendly with all residents and staff each time he visited her. While some of these situations are undoubtedly depressing, I give much credit to Chesnut for being the person that he is through it all. Readers get an honest and vulnerable account of what life is like for a child caring for his mother in her last days. His description of her symptoms and the guilt he felt for continuing to live his life are authentic. 

Through it all, Chesnut still found a way to make his stories entertaining – filled with listicles such as, “Eunice’s Tips for Attending a Funeral” and the follow-up, “Eunice Ignores Her Own Tips for Attending a Funeral” illustrate his talent for turning a collection of essays into an engaging story. For travel enthusiasts who believe that their dream job is to become a travel writer – he gets real about that too, advising readers that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Nevertheless, he does share some advice for that career path in the chapter labeled “Trip Whore: A Ten-Point Plan to Become a Travel Writer.” 

The only things that fell short with Prepare for Departure was it’s relatability; I didn’t grow up as a gay man. I didn’t grow up traveling to and from different parts of the country to see relatives. I grew up with both parents in the household, and thankfully they’re still in fair health in their 60s (that’s not to say there weren’t frightful health moments along the way). Having said that, I can’t relate, but that’s not the author’s fault. He opened himself up to tell his story and explore the process of saying goodbye to arguably the most important person in his life, the person who helped shape who he is. Hence, anyone who can relate to his story will undoubtedly appreciate him sharing his experiences. 

Mark Chesnut joins us for a Cantina Conversation to talk about his experiences developing this book, what he learned the most about himself and his mother, and what advice he would give to those going through a similar situation. Keep an ear out for the interview on an upcoming episode of The Nerd Cantina Show podcast and pre-order Prepare for Departure, available July 26.