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When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home
The inimitable Erma Bombeck, returns from abroad with a suitcase full of delightfully witty stories and a passport photo bad enough to cancel most vacations. In this uproarious best-seller, she unleashes her wit on the sublime rituals it takes just to get out the door, and keep the vacation enjoyable once you reach your destination.
5 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 1991
21 people are currently reading
1292 people want to read
About the author
Erma Bombeck
102 books535 followersErma Louise Bombeck, born Erma Fiste, was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for a newspaper column that depicted suburban home life humorously, in the second half of the 20th century.
For 31 years since 1965, Erma Bombeck published 4,000 newspaper articles. Already in the 1970s, her witty columns were read, twice weekly, by thirty million readers of 900 newspapers of USA and Canada. Besides, the majority of her 15 books became instant best sellers.
For 31 years since 1965, Erma Bombeck published 4,000 newspaper articles. Already in the 1970s, her witty columns were read, twice weekly, by thirty million readers of 900 newspapers of USA and Canada. Besides, the majority of her 15 books became instant best sellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
January 29, 2022
Why I chose to read this book:
As my self-appointed "Humor Month" comes to a close, I had one more hardcopy book of Erma Bombeck's to read! Once again, she appeals to generations over the years with her relatable humor, this time with a focus on travel.
Positives:
1. I can't remember how many times I laughed out loud reading Bombeck's various anecdotes about her travel woes! Some topics told with amusing hilarity include: taking a guided motorcoach tour through Europe; renting a car in a country where drivers are expected to drive on the left side of the road; hiring a driver in Indonesia; the challenges of souvenir shopping; the perils of eating in foreign countries; toilets around the world; European continental breakfasts; dealing with non-English speakers; traveling with your children as well as the six worst arguments you have on vacation with your spouse;
2. many of her stories mentioned above hit so close to home, as well as her feeling about bats, Italy's gypsies and pedestrians and how if you've seen one cathedral/museum, you've seen them all;
3. I just have to laugh at her unique similes and metaphors; and,
4. one of my favorite lines in her photography section..."No one wants to see your slides. Get that through your head."
My favorite Bombeck book so far! Another highly recommended book for "travel bugs"!
As my self-appointed "Humor Month" comes to a close, I had one more hardcopy book of Erma Bombeck's to read! Once again, she appeals to generations over the years with her relatable humor, this time with a focus on travel.
Positives:
1. I can't remember how many times I laughed out loud reading Bombeck's various anecdotes about her travel woes! Some topics told with amusing hilarity include: taking a guided motorcoach tour through Europe; renting a car in a country where drivers are expected to drive on the left side of the road; hiring a driver in Indonesia; the challenges of souvenir shopping; the perils of eating in foreign countries; toilets around the world; European continental breakfasts; dealing with non-English speakers; traveling with your children as well as the six worst arguments you have on vacation with your spouse;
2. many of her stories mentioned above hit so close to home, as well as her feeling about bats, Italy's gypsies and pedestrians and how if you've seen one cathedral/museum, you've seen them all;
3. I just have to laugh at her unique similes and metaphors; and,
4. one of my favorite lines in her photography section..."No one wants to see your slides. Get that through your head."
My favorite Bombeck book so far! Another highly recommended book for "travel bugs"!
February 21, 2022
Erma Bombeck, whose books have sold more than 15 million copies, takes her show on the road with this devastatingly witty and quintessentially Bombeckian book about family travel--here and abroad. I think I've found a new humorist to read and explore. Since my wife and I have travelled extensively, I found many of the experiences she describes are the same as ones we have experienced and she has a better way of describing them.
Want to read
December 10, 2018Suggested to me by my mother-in-law. Never knew she loved this comedian/author so much.
June 15, 2017
Having often enjoyed Erma's one liners that entirely sum up an experience or observation, I was surprised to find I didn't enjoy this audiobook with story after story of whining and complaining about travel to exotic places.
At this point in my life, I guess I've changed, but Erma's observations struck me more as entitled whining. Travelling with someone like this would be less about laughter and more about endurance. Does nothing make you happy? Can't you open your eyes and see the wonders of the world? Can't you appreciate other cultures?
The characterizations of the american's that she's travelled with were unfortunately still true stereotypes but the characterizations of people in the countries they were visiting alternated between rude and racist. I kept cringing about ugly americans abroad.
Didn't laugh as much as I would have 2o years ago. I have loved Erma Bombeck for most of my life but I realize her humor is somewhat dated now.
At this point in my life, I guess I've changed, but Erma's observations struck me more as entitled whining. Travelling with someone like this would be less about laughter and more about endurance. Does nothing make you happy? Can't you open your eyes and see the wonders of the world? Can't you appreciate other cultures?
The characterizations of the american's that she's travelled with were unfortunately still true stereotypes but the characterizations of people in the countries they were visiting alternated between rude and racist. I kept cringing about ugly americans abroad.
Didn't laugh as much as I would have 2o years ago. I have loved Erma Bombeck for most of my life but I realize her humor is somewhat dated now.
December 10, 2019
Travelogue memoir with hilarious antidotes. I love Erma. She is always therapy for me.
May 21, 2013
I chanced upon this book on my visit to a local library. I have been a huge fan of Erma Bombeck's primarily because of her quotes but have never had the opportunity to read any of her books. Being fond of travel and hoping to travel the entire world one day, this particular book interested me immensely.
The book talks about her travels across countries; about travelling with her husband, with kids, with parents, etc. It also talks about the various activities one undertakes in the course of travelling - a cruise, rafting, etc.
Erma's style of writing is humourous and the way she puts across her experiences is amazing. You cannot but help laugh at her (mis) adventures as she plans her travels and actually undertakes them.
However, the book is not all comedy; there are quite a few poignant moments as when Erma realizes how much closer travel has brought her family and how women all over the world share certain key worries pertaining to their families and kids.
The book takes us through quite a few exotic places such as Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Istanbul, Mexico and Russia (the nation-to-visit-before-I-die on my bucket list).
Erma's wit shines through each and every chapter in the book. Sample her thoughts on flying: "After the attendants have given them the evacuation procedures in the event of loss of air pressure and demonstrated how to use the life jackets in the event they ditch over water, they're free to relax." Doesn't each one of us feel this way whenever we fly? I wish I was half as able to express it as beautifully as she has.
On her visit to Russia, she says, "The religion, the ideology, and the government may be different, but the dreams are all the same."
Erma is quite vocal about her love for shopping and for wishing to get back souvenirs for friends & family back home. At the same time, her husband is shown to be quite passionate about actually wanting to see historial sites and knowing about their history!!!
If you are a travel-addict (like moi), read this book. It describes all that we actually experience on our travels but never reveal. Even if you aren't a travel-addict, read this book - it will help you better explain to your fellowmen why you don't travel :)
This review first appeared on my blog: pallosworld.blogspot.com.
The book talks about her travels across countries; about travelling with her husband, with kids, with parents, etc. It also talks about the various activities one undertakes in the course of travelling - a cruise, rafting, etc.
Erma's style of writing is humourous and the way she puts across her experiences is amazing. You cannot but help laugh at her (mis) adventures as she plans her travels and actually undertakes them.
However, the book is not all comedy; there are quite a few poignant moments as when Erma realizes how much closer travel has brought her family and how women all over the world share certain key worries pertaining to their families and kids.
The book takes us through quite a few exotic places such as Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Istanbul, Mexico and Russia (the nation-to-visit-before-I-die on my bucket list).
Erma's wit shines through each and every chapter in the book. Sample her thoughts on flying: "After the attendants have given them the evacuation procedures in the event of loss of air pressure and demonstrated how to use the life jackets in the event they ditch over water, they're free to relax." Doesn't each one of us feel this way whenever we fly? I wish I was half as able to express it as beautifully as she has.
On her visit to Russia, she says, "The religion, the ideology, and the government may be different, but the dreams are all the same."
Erma is quite vocal about her love for shopping and for wishing to get back souvenirs for friends & family back home. At the same time, her husband is shown to be quite passionate about actually wanting to see historial sites and knowing about their history!!!
If you are a travel-addict (like moi), read this book. It describes all that we actually experience on our travels but never reveal. Even if you aren't a travel-addict, read this book - it will help you better explain to your fellowmen why you don't travel :)
This review first appeared on my blog: pallosworld.blogspot.com.
July 27, 2023
OMGoodness, I can't believe I read this book years ago. I just put it down a few days ago, AFTER laughing ALL NIGHT!!!
Update! My personal favorites; The traumatizing drives in Ireland and Italy. Camping with children. Touring (internationally) with groups (or in those group packages). Tipping in America vs elsewhere. Taking a cruise...for romance. Shopping from Turkish carpet-sellers, or in Hong Kong. Flying for peanuts. Airline food; "never eat anything that blinks first." Describing the theater event in Indonesia. And this one. In One Word. ALASKA. Just on and on and on, to the exculpatory "please note" appendage...oh my, I cried laughing!!! Simply delightful writing. If you've read it before, read it again. LOL! If you haven't, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
Update! My personal favorites; The traumatizing drives in Ireland and Italy. Camping with children. Touring (internationally) with groups (or in those group packages). Tipping in America vs elsewhere. Taking a cruise...for romance. Shopping from Turkish carpet-sellers, or in Hong Kong. Flying for peanuts. Airline food; "never eat anything that blinks first." Describing the theater event in Indonesia. And this one. In One Word. ALASKA. Just on and on and on, to the exculpatory "please note" appendage...oh my, I cried laughing!!! Simply delightful writing. If you've read it before, read it again. LOL! If you haven't, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
January 25, 2023
My year of reading more humor is going well . Erma Bombeck was so popular when I was growing up .
This is my first full length book of hers and it made me wonder why do people like to travel for their vacations when it is so much work . Erma is very hilarious and straight out what a joy to read !
This is my first full length book of hers and it made me wonder why do people like to travel for their vacations when it is so much work . Erma is very hilarious and straight out what a joy to read !
February 20, 2021
You know how sometimes a certain read is kind of disappointing so you browse social media instead and come across a book whose title is really eye catching and then you forget the 12 books you are currently reading and start reading that one instead?
That's how I started reading this hilarious giggle fest of a book that totally fulfills the promise hinted at by its title and it was a great decision to do so. Erma Bombeck's books all have whacky titles and are an extension of her humorous newspaper columns in the early 1970s which were very popular.
In this book, the author talks about the travails of travel, illustrating her points with examples from her own travels with family and for work. From differences in packing style between her husband and herself to differing preferences about what to do on a vacation, picking a date to start a family vacation, coping with driving in a foreign land, not knowing the language of a place, to descriptions of tour groups on buses and cruise ships she is incredibly funny and very very relatable!
When she talks about the dream of a romantic gondola ride in Venice transforming into the reality of everyone having to wear masks to counter the smell of rotting weeds or the extreme difficulty of the restroom problem for women in particular while traveling, it's like she is talking about us!
It also has the occasional reflections about family and kids and how travel changes over the years as they grow up and those are very nice to read too. It was written in the early 90's but though the times have changed so much, it is a perfect example that sometimes the more things change, the more they remain the same.
When you are in the mood to read something light and really funny, this is a good one to pick up.
Laughter is the best medicine.. this is a gem from the book..
"My husband and I do not look for the same things on these trips. He is focused, asks questions about the size of the bricks and the date the cathedral was restored. He maintains a diary of where he has been and what he has seen.
My observations include the IQs of women who wear heels on these excursions, how late the gift shop will remain open, and how do we know if Mary, the mother of God, really lived in that house? Did they find monogrammed towels marked BM for Blessed Mother?"
That's how I started reading this hilarious giggle fest of a book that totally fulfills the promise hinted at by its title and it was a great decision to do so. Erma Bombeck's books all have whacky titles and are an extension of her humorous newspaper columns in the early 1970s which were very popular.
In this book, the author talks about the travails of travel, illustrating her points with examples from her own travels with family and for work. From differences in packing style between her husband and herself to differing preferences about what to do on a vacation, picking a date to start a family vacation, coping with driving in a foreign land, not knowing the language of a place, to descriptions of tour groups on buses and cruise ships she is incredibly funny and very very relatable!
When she talks about the dream of a romantic gondola ride in Venice transforming into the reality of everyone having to wear masks to counter the smell of rotting weeds or the extreme difficulty of the restroom problem for women in particular while traveling, it's like she is talking about us!
It also has the occasional reflections about family and kids and how travel changes over the years as they grow up and those are very nice to read too. It was written in the early 90's but though the times have changed so much, it is a perfect example that sometimes the more things change, the more they remain the same.
When you are in the mood to read something light and really funny, this is a good one to pick up.
Laughter is the best medicine.. this is a gem from the book..
"My husband and I do not look for the same things on these trips. He is focused, asks questions about the size of the bricks and the date the cathedral was restored. He maintains a diary of where he has been and what he has seen.
My observations include the IQs of women who wear heels on these excursions, how late the gift shop will remain open, and how do we know if Mary, the mother of God, really lived in that house? Did they find monogrammed towels marked BM for Blessed Mother?"
Read
March 12, 2015Quotes
p. 71 (Cruising the Baltic)
"Look," I said, "if you think I'm gaining weight, just say so."
"Let me put it this way. If someone wants to show home movies, all you have to do is wear white slacks and bend over."
He slammed out of the stateroom.
I looked in the mirror. He was right. I was beginning to dress like the Statue of Liberty.
p. 152 (Rafting Down the Grand Canyon)
...My toes felt like they were coming through the end of my hiking boots. Surely the three kids would be saying by this time, "Our mother has stretch marks over 90% of her body thanks to us. We're a family. All of you people can go down the river if you want, but we're going back on the trail and rescue our mother who has sacrificed so much for us."
An hour passed before I sensed a vibration of sorts coming from the ground. It turned out to be a string of drag-in mules carrying supplies to the bottom of the canyon. I hitched a ride, thinking somewhere along the way I'd meet my family coming to search for me. Actually, my husband did get worried and brought water, but by this time I was on the back of a mule.
The kids were all on the raft. As I approached, I heard my daughter's mouth. "Mom's always late. She ruins everything."
P. 157 (Rafting Down the Grand Canyon)
... this was the end of a chapter in our lives and the beginning of a new one. The umbilical cord that had bound us together as a unit for nearly two decades was about to be severed. I realized for the first time it was as frightening for our teenagers to contemplate as it was for us as parents. They had been dealing with it with hostility. We had countered with one last rush of superiority.
p. 219 (Russia)
.....Once you have looked into the eyes of people of a foreign country, you realise you all want the same thing: food on your table, love in your marriage, healthy children, laughter, freedom to be. The religion, the ideology, and the government may be different, but the dreams are all the same.
p. 71 (Cruising the Baltic)
"Look," I said, "if you think I'm gaining weight, just say so."
"Let me put it this way. If someone wants to show home movies, all you have to do is wear white slacks and bend over."
He slammed out of the stateroom.
I looked in the mirror. He was right. I was beginning to dress like the Statue of Liberty.
p. 152 (Rafting Down the Grand Canyon)
...My toes felt like they were coming through the end of my hiking boots. Surely the three kids would be saying by this time, "Our mother has stretch marks over 90% of her body thanks to us. We're a family. All of you people can go down the river if you want, but we're going back on the trail and rescue our mother who has sacrificed so much for us."
An hour passed before I sensed a vibration of sorts coming from the ground. It turned out to be a string of drag-in mules carrying supplies to the bottom of the canyon. I hitched a ride, thinking somewhere along the way I'd meet my family coming to search for me. Actually, my husband did get worried and brought water, but by this time I was on the back of a mule.
The kids were all on the raft. As I approached, I heard my daughter's mouth. "Mom's always late. She ruins everything."
P. 157 (Rafting Down the Grand Canyon)
... this was the end of a chapter in our lives and the beginning of a new one. The umbilical cord that had bound us together as a unit for nearly two decades was about to be severed. I realized for the first time it was as frightening for our teenagers to contemplate as it was for us as parents. They had been dealing with it with hostility. We had countered with one last rush of superiority.
p. 219 (Russia)
.....Once you have looked into the eyes of people of a foreign country, you realise you all want the same thing: food on your table, love in your marriage, healthy children, laughter, freedom to be. The religion, the ideology, and the government may be different, but the dreams are all the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2015
My grandma very randomly bought me this book when I was about 12-14 years old or so. It wasn't anything I was particularly interested in but I read it and enjoyed it. I always thought it must have been something she had enjoyed reading and had just wanted to share with me because she knew I loved books. I definitely would have never picked it up on my own (especially not back when I was a kid) but once she gave it to me, I thought "what the heck," and gave it a shot.
It's a book by an older humour writer and I remember that I found it pretty funny at the time (even though it was probably meant for an older person). I don't remember much about it it but, coming across the title made me smile... though that's probably more about the memory of my grandma giving me this book out of the blue, rather than the book itself.
It's a book by an older humour writer and I remember that I found it pretty funny at the time (even though it was probably meant for an older person). I don't remember much about it it but, coming across the title made me smile... though that's probably more about the memory of my grandma giving me this book out of the blue, rather than the book itself.
January 21, 2012
I love Erma's books! While other kids were sneakily reading the latest issue of Batman or Archie & Veronica comic books between the pages of their schoolbooks during class I was trying not to get caught laughing too loudly at the pages of the latest book by humorist author Erma Bombeck. Its safe to say that I grew up with her books and her name, and stories, just like V.C. Andrews', another author I grew up reading, brings back a lot of good reading memories. Erma, and her writing, will be dearly missed. We lucky that she left behind a treasure trove of very funny writing in her wake for generations to enjoy.
August 29, 2007
A couple of laugh-out-loud passages (which are kind of embarrassing on the morning bus)
December 20, 2019
I used to like reading Erma Bombeck so many years ago. She is now late. I found this book at a library sale. A stern faced picture of her is on her book. I read it and will be giving it to others to read. So many enjoyed Erma's laugh out loud sayings. So funny, so true.
This book is about her trips all around the world, some on vacation, some for work. Trips with people she worked with, trips with her teenagers, trips with her husband, trips with parents, trips with her whole family members. Some trips were fun, others she didn't know what to think of, foreign countries, foreign foods, foreign ways, not being able to understand or be understood. She thought they all spoke English. She learned differently.
Forty one ports of call, some longer than others in which she went into more detail, others short and sweet. She comments on her different much is, how Americans are so lucky.
In one warm country she wrote about buying a pretty dress to wear to church, then found women going topless. How Erma Bombeck.
The family bought a trailer or RV thinking of all they fun they would have driving all around the States and Canada. The Rv was too tiny for a family of five. One best day was when they bought the trail, the other was when they sold it.
Erma Bombeck loves to shop, everywhere she went, she shopped. Mr Bombeck got very tired, decided to take a long nap. Mrs Bombeck NO. Sleep when there were stores that needed customers and te be explored. Sleep was a waste of time.
Mrs. Bombeck writes about going to Africa on a trip with a group of photographers, eyes glued to cameras, taking notes, carrying film, lenses,light meters, instead of watching the world around them. She went to old, long established countries, went through so many old churches, castles, saw many antiques. Artifacts had to be ancient to satisfy lovers of antiquity. She has seen so much, done so much, enjoyed life, and made people laugh. She has her own way of looking at life. I liked reading about her several trips to Russia.
This book is about her trips all around the world, some on vacation, some for work. Trips with people she worked with, trips with her teenagers, trips with her husband, trips with parents, trips with her whole family members. Some trips were fun, others she didn't know what to think of, foreign countries, foreign foods, foreign ways, not being able to understand or be understood. She thought they all spoke English. She learned differently.
Forty one ports of call, some longer than others in which she went into more detail, others short and sweet. She comments on her different much is, how Americans are so lucky.
In one warm country she wrote about buying a pretty dress to wear to church, then found women going topless. How Erma Bombeck.
The family bought a trailer or RV thinking of all they fun they would have driving all around the States and Canada. The Rv was too tiny for a family of five. One best day was when they bought the trail, the other was when they sold it.
Erma Bombeck loves to shop, everywhere she went, she shopped. Mr Bombeck got very tired, decided to take a long nap. Mrs Bombeck NO. Sleep when there were stores that needed customers and te be explored. Sleep was a waste of time.
Mrs. Bombeck writes about going to Africa on a trip with a group of photographers, eyes glued to cameras, taking notes, carrying film, lenses,light meters, instead of watching the world around them. She went to old, long established countries, went through so many old churches, castles, saw many antiques. Artifacts had to be ancient to satisfy lovers of antiquity. She has seen so much, done so much, enjoyed life, and made people laugh. She has her own way of looking at life. I liked reading about her several trips to Russia.
December 28, 2015
“Bombeck hits the bull's-eye with this wry meditation on the art of surviving one's long-dreamed-of and hard-earned exotic vacations. Huddled in a lumpy bed in Papua New Guinea, listening to a tribal war play itself out in the street outside her hotel room, Bombeck reflects on the privileges earned by a life of hard work, prudent financial management, and a taste for adventure. Over the years, not only have she and her husband (as well as, at the worst of times, her three reluctant adolescent kids) been blessed with the chance to drag 50-pound suitcases from airport terminal to taxi queue to hotel lobby to hotel room and back again (or else, when the luggage is lost in transit, to spend two weeks in Tahiti in three-piece suits), but they have splurged on bus tours that allotted 15 minutes to view the Book of Kells in Ireland and an hour and a half to tour a sweater factory; on a private car whose driver spoke English like an Italian Henry Kissinger with a lip full of Novocain; on a villa in which the staff spoke only Spanish and the guests were reduced to rubbing their tummies at the cook and saying, ``Yummy, yummy!''; and on a glamorous cruise through the fjords of Norway, where Bombeck and spouse ate 17 meals a day and outgrew their clothes, only to find half the crew camped out in the exercise room. Worldly wisdom gained by years of experience with Turkish bathrooms, Montezuma's revenge, and transporting native spears home on American airlines has impressed on Bombeck the basic commonality of all cultures and has inspired her to suggest that instead of stockpiling nuclear weapons we should aim our vacation slides at one another. Classic Bombeck, in which she does away with any notion of an empty-nest syndrome.”
It was just so much fun to laugh along with Erma and enjoy her book on travels! I thought I had read all her books years ago but found this one at the library and just laughed until I cry --- she was a GREAT lady!
It was just so much fun to laugh along with Erma and enjoy her book on travels! I thought I had read all her books years ago but found this one at the library and just laughed until I cry --- she was a GREAT lady!
October 5, 2023
3.5 stars
Funny stories about Erma's travels. Even though this was published about 30yrs ago, it's still relevant today. Very relatable to those who've ever traveled w/friends or family.
I mean, the stuff about bathrooms overseas is definitely still the norm. Do you realize how many countries charge to use the bathroom! Not to mention the ones where it's just a hole in the ground or the no paper.
"I'm here to tell you we have lived life in the fast lane and life in the slow lane, but until you've spent a few weeks in the wrong lane, you have nothing to talk about."
"For months after we returned home from Ireland, I had nightmares about the 'round-abouts'---the Irish's answer to a samurai cloverleaf. No wonder the country boasts such religious fervor. There are probably more instant conversions to the faith on a roundabout than on death row.
What it is is a circle with four lanes of traffic going in the same direction, with six or seven exits and entrances feeding into it. Once you enter the roundabout, cars zip in and out in front of you at blurring speed. Everyone in the car takes a vow of silence while you are entering and exiting the roundabout. We once spent a half day on one."
"At one time I amassed so much junk that when I went through customs the officer asked,
'How long have you been gone?'
'Three weeks,' I said.
'It's impossible to buy all this stuff in three weeks. Did you see any of the country?'
'What country?' I asked.
He waved me on. "
Funny stories about Erma's travels. Even though this was published about 30yrs ago, it's still relevant today. Very relatable to those who've ever traveled w/friends or family.
I mean, the stuff about bathrooms overseas is definitely still the norm. Do you realize how many countries charge to use the bathroom! Not to mention the ones where it's just a hole in the ground or the no paper.
"I'm here to tell you we have lived life in the fast lane and life in the slow lane, but until you've spent a few weeks in the wrong lane, you have nothing to talk about."
"For months after we returned home from Ireland, I had nightmares about the 'round-abouts'---the Irish's answer to a samurai cloverleaf. No wonder the country boasts such religious fervor. There are probably more instant conversions to the faith on a roundabout than on death row.
What it is is a circle with four lanes of traffic going in the same direction, with six or seven exits and entrances feeding into it. Once you enter the roundabout, cars zip in and out in front of you at blurring speed. Everyone in the car takes a vow of silence while you are entering and exiting the roundabout. We once spent a half day on one."
"At one time I amassed so much junk that when I went through customs the officer asked,
'How long have you been gone?'
'Three weeks,' I said.
'It's impossible to buy all this stuff in three weeks. Did you see any of the country?'
'What country?' I asked.
He waved me on. "
March 10, 2018
My all-time favorite Erma Bombeck book and one I refer back to time and time again when I'm about to embark on a journey or when I get a yen to travel. I think my favorite chapter is the one where she goes to Russia and the women, both Soviets and Capitalists sit down and chat about how things would be better everywhere if women ran the world. Her story about the somewhat suspicious-looking young men in Italy, where she has been warned of thieves, who wind up helping her and her husband out when they were hopelessly lost is also a great reminder of the many benefits of traveling including the ability to restore your faith in humanity. The men tell Bombeck and her husband to be careful, because there are thieves out there. A great reminder not to judge a book by it's cover (or in this case, a younger Italian man by his motorcycle). A brilliant and humorous travel guide.
August 31, 2012
I don't think I really laughed out loud at any point. This audiobook is read by Erma Bombeck herself and the way she delivers it is like every half sentence is a punchline. "Subtlety" is NOT her middle name. Also, I was kind of disgusted by the sheer amount of cool places she's been and by how bad of a traveller she seems to be.
The thing I'll remember most is that, by sheer coincidence, it's time for my passport to be renewed. I had my passport photo taken yesterday and I grimaced and groaned when I saw it. "Kinda rugged-looking", I said. Then I got back in my car and heard the end of the book where a customs agent says Erma's is a good likeness after she's been suffering with the flu in a war-torn land. Hope I don't have a similar experience!
The thing I'll remember most is that, by sheer coincidence, it's time for my passport to be renewed. I had my passport photo taken yesterday and I grimaced and groaned when I saw it. "Kinda rugged-looking", I said. Then I got back in my car and heard the end of the book where a customs agent says Erma's is a good likeness after she's been suffering with the flu in a war-torn land. Hope I don't have a similar experience!
January 21, 2018
I love Erma Bombeck. It has been a while since I have read one of her books. This is one of the few I had no read. I was not the best I have read written by her. I am not as young and thus her books are not as relavent. She wrote them a number of years ago and so many of the things that were funny at the time are not relavent today as technology has advanced and travel has changed so much. It was a great reminder of how far we have come technologically. It also helped me to remember to often try to look at things in a different way as I go through life. Try to look for the crazy, funny moments and see that there can be joy each day in life.
January 9, 2015
I'm such a fan of Erma Bombeck. Her humor just about knocks me over. This book highlights, and lowlights, some of her travel experiences. It's so relatable because no matter how much or where you travel, you experience common themes. Lost luggage, language translation difficulties, and on and on. I read this book about every 5 years and it never gets old. The book is out of print now but I have my Mom's copy. I miss Erma.
January 2, 2015
Erma is always a pleasure to read...!
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July 25, 2015I usually really enjoy Erma's books, but this one didn't move me as much as others. I'll still read her books, I highly respected her as an author of hilarious books!
July 24, 2025
The book feels nice at the beginning, but it tries too hard as you progress. It's the same tone, the same type of anecdotes. Maybe it was written for a different time, I pushed through to give it that much.
March 24, 2025
I'm on the fence on how to review this one of Erma's, a travelogue of her many adventures around the world. It's mostly the usual warmth and humor, but some of it was kind of prejudiced. I guess I can chalk it up to "1991 was a different time" but she sure took it out on Papua, New Guinea!
My favorite moment was during a testy game of Trivial Pursuit in a foreign country in which her husband couldn't answer "What did Erma Bombeck say the grass was always greener over?" I hope that's a true story.
It's kind of sad reading it now; I'm sure she thought she had a lot more time left, but she died five years later.
She seemed like a nice lady.
My favorite moment was during a testy game of Trivial Pursuit in a foreign country in which her husband couldn't answer "What did Erma Bombeck say the grass was always greener over?" I hope that's a true story.
It's kind of sad reading it now; I'm sure she thought she had a lot more time left, but she died five years later.
She seemed like a nice lady.
August 9, 2017
Wow! I didn’t realize Erma Bombeck, author of When You Look Like Your Passport Photo It's Time to Go Home, was a world traveler. She has been everywhere. Some places I didn’t even realize were tourist destinations, like Easter Island. And sometimes she took her extended family.
Aside from the classic Erma humor and treasured family anecdotes, Bombeck dives deep in a few instances. The main insight she offers readers and families is to give your children the world. Fill their lives with memories to treasure. I know that’s what I try to do when my family camps each summer. I recount our own personal treasured memories, along with some insight, on Camping with Kids. http://campingwithfivekids.blogspot.com
Bombeck says it this way, though:
“Parents think a lot about their legacy to their kids. …we decided to spend their [legacy] for them by showing them the world. Let them amass their own riches.
If we have given them a legacy at all, I hope it is a desire to see the world and meet some of the people with whom they share this planet in peace.”
Erma hopes that her children realize some similarities between people and cultures through all this travel. She hopes that they realize that all children giggle, all people believe “in something bigger than [themselves],” and all people have “a need to love and be loved back.”
Well said, Erma. When You Look Like Your Passport Photo It's Time to Go Home is a nice summer read. Enjoy!
Aside from the classic Erma humor and treasured family anecdotes, Bombeck dives deep in a few instances. The main insight she offers readers and families is to give your children the world. Fill their lives with memories to treasure. I know that’s what I try to do when my family camps each summer. I recount our own personal treasured memories, along with some insight, on Camping with Kids. http://campingwithfivekids.blogspot.com
Bombeck says it this way, though:
“Parents think a lot about their legacy to their kids. …we decided to spend their [legacy] for them by showing them the world. Let them amass their own riches.
If we have given them a legacy at all, I hope it is a desire to see the world and meet some of the people with whom they share this planet in peace.”
Erma hopes that her children realize some similarities between people and cultures through all this travel. She hopes that they realize that all children giggle, all people believe “in something bigger than [themselves],” and all people have “a need to love and be loved back.”
Well said, Erma. When You Look Like Your Passport Photo It's Time to Go Home is a nice summer read. Enjoy!
May 12, 2008
Erma Bombeck had a way of complaining from every angle, against her husband, her children, her house, her country, her culture, her species, and herself – without ever getting annoying. Hers was a good-natured complaining if such a thing is possible, just critical enough and about trivial enough matters that one could easily relax reading or hearing her. Today “social criticism” is much more popular in humor. It’s always been around, but that intense negativity targeted at our most dearly held values usually fails to provide the escapist value of Erma Bombeck’s sense of humor. In this collection she went over her travels, from the petty reasons for starting them to everything that went wrong in executing them, with a wit and sympathy the world could certainly use more of these days. Her narration is very conversational, like a warm radio host on a very long feature. This is mostly grandma-safe humor, though it cracks me up just the same. Listeners who seek biting and edgy comedy should look elsewhere.
April 16, 2014
This book is so full of humor, I found myself reading parts of it out loud to my husband, because I just HAD to share some of the more hilarious moments. Many of these were moments we could both relate to -- questioning why you never meet a white taxi driver, the irony of all of the fees we pay and the discomforts we put up with to get packed like sardines into a big tube with windows that travels at great speeds 30,000 feet in the air, etc. I also got a neat taste of the world through this book, seeing countries I know little about through Erma's lens. Perhaps most importantly, I learned a bit more about how to write like Erma Bombeck. I am learning, largely with her help, that humor is everywhere. All you have to do is look for it.
April 4, 2015
My grandmother gave me this book because she says I write like the author. After reading it I am immensely flattered by the comparison. Not only is this a hilarious collection of anecdotes from a lifetime of travels, but it's better than Valium in an actual travel crisis! I read this on a 30 day fly and drive with four kids. At one point, when a hotel shampoo bottle attacked by eye and shredded my contact lens and sent me slipping and sliding in mortal agony around the tiny bathroom while my teenage talked to me through the door about something monumentally important he was watching on the Disney channel, I found myself cracking up through the tears because this is exactly the situation bombeck would immortalize.
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May 23, 2012I have just re-read this wonderful guide to motherhood and it was like welcoming an old friend. many of the stories have become part of my life, "In time she turned quarrelsome, irritable and downright hostile toward Ethel. She announced to anyone who would listen that Ethel was stealing her blind." Somehow knowing that Erma Bombeck knew what I was going through, made it easier on me. and the universal language of "Motherese',reading about it made it sound sooooo... intelligent.
This is a wonderful book, read it, laugh and give your children a hug, they have made you resourceful and resilient!
This is a wonderful book, read it, laugh and give your children a hug, they have made you resourceful and resilient!
August 18, 2016
"Vacations are nothing more than a series of moments. These are special times that you remember in between all the exhaustion of getting from one place to another."
I did not remember Erma was a correspondent for Good Morning America. For her job, she traveled all over, including Russia, Ireland and Hong Kong. In her book she makes a GREAT POINT - - travel guides should discuss toilets! First, what do you call them - - are they loos, water closets or something else? In each area you need to know if you must carry tissue, are they unisex and do you need currency to use the "facilities"? These would have been valuable on some of my own travels!!
I did not remember Erma was a correspondent for Good Morning America. For her job, she traveled all over, including Russia, Ireland and Hong Kong. In her book she makes a GREAT POINT - - travel guides should discuss toilets! First, what do you call them - - are they loos, water closets or something else? In each area you need to know if you must carry tissue, are they unisex and do you need currency to use the "facilities"? These would have been valuable on some of my own travels!!
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