https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/2015/12/19/2015-christoph-fischer-best-non-fiction-award/
My 5* Review of: “Have Bags, Will Travel” by D.G Kaye
https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/2015/10/30/review-have-bags-will-travel-by-d-g-kaye/
D.G. Kaye’s wonderful travel memoir owns as much to ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ as it does to popular Airline documentaries. Her sharp observations on travel customs and customs offices around the globe are accurate and well observed.
Hilarious and witty with an occasional stab at the bureaucratic and user-unfriendly ways the industry has developed, Kaye describes the fall from grace of airline travel, yet keeps it light-hearted and entertaining throughout.
I have spent 15 years in the air and have to back her up on most of her points.
As another reviewer put it:
“Much of what we endure to travel these days seems to defy logic and Kaye has a qitty way of putting things as well as a sharp, observing mind.
There are many hilarious moments as the author is stuck in customs at an airport in Venezuela, Canada or out in London and the Champs Elysee. Very enjoyable, pretty accurate and useful, thanks to the many tips at the end of the book.
This is compelling and essential travel reading.”
These Episodic anecdotes of travels past and present this is highly recommended.
Have Bags, Will Travel is available now in ebook at Amazon, and will soon be available in print.
There is an excerpt at D.G Kaye’s blog : Book release, amazon, Have Bags Will Travel, promotion, vacations, humor, D.G. Kaye
March 17, 2018
5 Stars
For me, the answer to that question is- just about everything is more exciting and pleasurable to me than traveling. However, I love to read travel memoirs and this is good one!
D. G. Kaye begins by describing the simpler times when traveling was a joy and she could head to hot, sunny, places with good shopping and prices. You will chuckle and smile as she describes her travels with best friends to places such as Caracas , London and Greece. In addition to her vivid descriptions of the destinations, D.G. also gives us helpful travel tips and crafty packing tactics. I especially enjoyed hearing about her adventures in Las Vegas when it was still a magical place. The book ends with the author and her husband planning their snowbird adventures to Arizona. I highly recommend this fun travel memoir.
Reading this book I realised that perhaps I shouldn’t complain. I am not obsessed with germs (thankfully), I’m not a big shopper, I don’t wear make-up and although I’ve managed sometimes to pack too many things, I haven’t had to carry three suitcases all by myself. The author of this very short book has all those things against her. She also remembers the good old days when travelling was more glamorous and the airlines weren’t so strict with weight limits and didn’t insist on packing the clients as if they were sardines. That for sure must add to the frustration, as at least quite a few of us have nothing to compare it with and know no better, only degrees of discomfort.
D. G. is a woman with a great sense of humour and writes the book as if she were sharing anecdotes around a table with some friends. She wonders why she always gets picked up for searching at the airport (she tries to go unnoticed but there are limits to her attempts at invisibility) and is happy to confess to her fears, her crazy shopping sprees, and her failed best-laid plans. I was particularly interested in her reflection about how Las Vegas had changed. She describes her first trip there as a fascinating experience, when you landed in the desert and the hotels were the only oases in it and is disappointed by how much it has changed. I’ve only visited once and not being a gambler either, found that although its location was very convenient, it wasn’t the place I had read about. It’s difficult to fight commercialisation and consumerism and nobody can stop “progress” but perhaps there’s more to be lost than to be gained by some of the changes we’re implementing.
This is not a guide to travelling or packing (although there are a few wise words of advice at the end), but, as the subtitle indicates, a memoir of some of the writer’s trips. It could be extremely therapeutic if you’re going travelling as you’ll have the comfort of knowing that things could always get so much more complicated. You’ll end up with a smile on your face and you might also pick up a tip or two.
My Book Review of Have Bags, Will Travel
By Terri Webster Shrandt
Check out Have Bags, Will Travel on Amazon!
My Five Star Review:
What I love about this novella-length book beside the fact that it’s a fast, entertaining read, is Kaye’s hilarious look inward at herself and her serious addiction to shopping. Her book reads like a series of fun blog posts, highlighting her signature, conversational style, while sharing useful travel information!
A seasoned traveler (well, except for the over-packing part—but life is short, right?), Kaye deftly reminisces her early days of travel when life was simple and “travel was a joy.” (Before TSAs!). She then describes how her obsessive shopping habit has created the need for smart packing and planning.
With everything she has purchased over the years, one would guess she has an extra house for all her goodies! Kaye’s love for travel and adventure is evident as she shares hilarious exploits and nail-biting moments on her many trips that include London, Paris, Venezuela, the Greek Islands, and on to Las Vegas and Arizona.
Kaye shares valuable advice for navigating airport security, planning for purchases and dealing with germs. Her idea of packing sockettes in her purse to wear through the TSA line after removing her shoes is brilliant.
Kaye’s chapter “Admitted Germ Freak” resonates with all of us as we hear more of the dirt, grime and germs associated with hotel rooms, public restrooms, and restaurants.
***
By Diane Lynn McGyver on June 10 2017
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
The opening sections had me nodding my head and smiling. Germs. While I’m not as obsessive about them as D. G. Kaye, I am a faithful hand-washer. Years ago, I began using my shirt, jacket or the paper towel I dried my hands with to open public washroom doors. I thought I was the only one who did this until I read Johnny Depp also did. And now I read Kaye does the same.
Kaye explains how air travel has changed over the years with new regulations, restrictions and lack of comfort. It’s not for the better but if you’re like Kaye, you keep travelling and apply humour to the wounds.
My travel doesn’t always involve planes, but I have noticed many things have changed over the years. The biggest being security. Before 9/11, a week-trip to Montreal for a hockey game and shopping found my brother and I the only ones on the plane after the stop-over in Moncton, NB. Once in the air, the steward asked if either of us wanted to go into the cockpit. I jumped at the chance. While my brother and the steward broke out the liquor, I sat between the pilot and co-pilot all the way home, including for the landing. It was a thrill I’ll remember always. It was Christmas Eve and they were talking about sightings of Santa Claus and joking about who could land the plane better. Sadly, this would never happen these days.
Kaye shares many travelling adventures she has had with friends and family over the years, and although they don’t all include shopping, many of them do. For Kaye, shopping is a sport. Her perspective on how the atmosphere and landscape has changed in Las Vegas, Nevada, is interesting because she has been visiting her beloved Vegas since she was twenty.
I’ll admit I do not like to shop—buying only a few items when I travel—and I pack lightly—taking only what will fit into a backpack and the shoes on my feet—but anyone who finds themselves struggling with luggage weight restrictions and too many things to fit into their baggage for the return trip, will find a few great tips and lots of humour.
You may also start reminiscing about your own travel adventures.
5 Stars
D.G. Kaye loves to travel and offers traveling hints and funny stories to make traveling easier for you. Have Bags, Will Travel Tips and Tales – Memoirs of an Over-packer just came out. This short, easy-to-read essay is perfect for the short plane ride or quick train trip.
Have Bags, Will Travel: Trips and Tales – Memoirs of an Over-Packer
D.G. Kaye has a long history of loving to shop when she travels. We all want to bring back something from our traveling. Right? But how much is too much? And how do we get it through customs?
D.G. Kaye packed and traveled differently in the past. How has she coped with the many changes in the travel industry? Has airport security threatened her travel buying? As you will see, she offers creative tricks to pack and still have fun shopping.
Follow D.G. Kaye and her friends as she travels to Paris, London, Las Vegas, Greece, Venezuela, and Arizona. Pay attention to her traveling hints about locations to visit. For example, she describes her reaction to the transition from old Vegas to today’s Vegas.
Have you ever traveled in a garbage can lid? Find out how it’s done, and what to wear!
Ever break a foot while traveling? It happened to D.G. and another friend of mine, too. Bad memories are often the funniest, and make the trip memorable.
Whether or not you love germs, D.G. Kaye will entertain you with her germy experiences traveling at home and abroad.
I absotively recommend Have Bags, Will Travel.
5 out of 5 Stars – A must read before you travel!
5 out 5 Stars – I love to Shop
Case#1 – She’s a shopaholic. Well, I love to shop, though maybe not as much as she does. Christmas shopping, back to school shopping, birthdays, anniversaries – I could shop for days on end. I love buying gifts for others, furniture for our home, the list is endless. The author loves to buy so much more, in fact shoes are her favorite shopping item. The problem is she shops when she travels and has to have a way to get it home without customs finding out she packed more than she is allowed to bring back. As you will see, she goes to great lengths to pack creatively.
Case #2 – the suitcase. My husband thinks my suitcases are overloaded, but I never have to pay for overweight luggage or an extra suitcase. I have a few packing tricks up my sleeve to get everything to and from with some room to spare for purchases. Ms Kaye, on the other hand, has tricks galore.
Her friends personalities are much like the author’s, and their escapades will leave you chuckling. Well, not exactly. They will have you in stitches. Follow D.G. Kaye as she travels to Paris, London, Las Vegas, Greece, Venezuela, and Arizona. You will be fascinated with her description of the transition from old Vegas to the Vegas we know today.
I’m not about to go into detail about her shopping trips, the size of her suitcase, or how she manages, or not, to get through customs. You have to read the book to find out. However, I promise, you will be laughing from page one to the end. Written with such vivid detail, you will feel you are right there watching the spectacle of someone who loves to shop too much, trying to get everything home without chucking it on the way to airport. A delightful story, HAVE BAGS, WILL TRAVEL, is a short book that can be read in one sitting.
Do I recommend HAVE BAGS, WILL TRAVEL? Absolutely!
5 out of 5 Stars – Have A Great Read, Will Travel
By debby on September 28, 2015
Format: Paperback
For those of you who are familiar with D.G. you will recognize her quirky sense of humor and her authentic voice in this travelogue. It’s refreshing and relaxing. I dare anyone to read it and not laugh at how she gets out of her cross border shopping dilemmas.
A great airport read!
By bookworm on October 15, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition
There are many hilarious moments as the author is stuck in customs at an airport in Venezuela, Canada or out in London and the Champs Elysee. Very enjoyable, pretty accurate and useful, thanks to the many tips at the end of the book.
Compelling and essential travel reading.
International travel is no longer straightforward; so a little humour goes a very long way. D.G. Kaye relives those halcyon days when passengers were welcomed with open arms, allowed some leeway on number of bags and their weight instead of being herded through various lines to be interrogated. But if you are going to travel, then take advice from an expert; relieve some of the stress.
Like many women, I find that shoes, handbags and the odd bit of jewellery have an added touch of glamour when you are infected with holiday fever. It seems almost impossible to pass by and not take home a memento. Trouble is today the airlines have weight and size of both check in baggage and carry-on locked down tight. This is where the expertise of the seasoned traveller comes in. And D.G. Kaye is certainly that. Having learned lessons from her run-ins you can benefit from her ‘how to’ pack your bags to get a little extra through the system.
I have visited Las Vegas a number of times through the decades but not for the last fifteen years so I was intrigued by the up to date review. Not sure that I am tempted to go there again but it was great to revisit through D.G’s experiences.
Overall Have Bags, Will Travel is a delightful book and a terrific read on the outbound flight so that you can strategize for your return.
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