An Accidental Tourist

Summary

Bill Bryson was a frequent air traveller. He finds himself always uneasy during his air travels.
In this lesson the author describes some of his experiences during these travels. He says
that once he was going to England with his family. He had a carry-on bag with him. The
trouble started at the airport when he tried hard to open the zip of the bag to pull out his
frequent flyer program card but it would not open. He pulled it harder and it broke. All the
things in the bag were ejected like a fluttery cascade over an area about the size of a
tennis court.
Then he describes another experience. Once while seated in an aeroplane, he leaned over
to tie a shoelace. Just at the moment someone in the seat ahead of him threw his seat
back into full recline and he found himself pinned helplessly in the crash position. It was
only by clawing the leg of the man sitting next to him that he managed to get himself
freed. On another occasion he knocked a soft drink onto the lap of a lady twice.
He says that his worst experience took place on a flight was when he was writing
something in a note book and fell into conversation with an attractive young lady in the
next seat. He was sucking his pen one of the end. After about 20 minutes, when he went to
lavatory he discovered that the pen had leaked and that his mouth, chin, tongue, teeth and
gums were now navy blue and would remain so for several days.
Despite being a frequent flyer he never collected any air miles due to his carelessness.

Comprehension Questions

Short Answer Type Questions (in about 30 to 40 words)

1. What does Bill Bryson tell us about his habit of getting confused?
Bill Bryson says that he gets easily confused at the things which the other people do
without difficulty. His particular specialty is returning to the reception desks at hotels
two or three times a day to ask for the number of his room.

2. What happened at London Airport when the author was going to England on a long
journey with family?
When the author was going to England on a long journey, he got into an embarrassing
situation at London Airport. When he tried to open his carry-on bag to take out his
frequent flyer programme card, it would not open because its zip was jammed. When
he pulled it hard, it broke and all the contents of the bag were thrown out and
scattered on the ground.

3. How did Bryson drench his lady co-passenger twice?
During one of his trips, the writer knocked a soft drink on to the lap of a sweet lady
sitting beside him. The flight attendant came and cleaned her up. The attendant
brought him a replacement drink but unfortunately he knocked it onto the woman’s lap
again. The lady looked at him with a stupefied expression.

4. What two reasons does Bill Bryson give for the absence of air miles cards with hint?
He says that he is a frequent flyer. He must fly one lac miles a year. But he hardly has
any air miles collected. It is so because he forgets to ask for the air miles when he buys
a ticket. When he asks for them, the airline manages not to record them. Sometimes
the check-in-clerk informs him that he was entitled to them.

5. What is the ‘most outstanding thing’ that the writer, Bill Bryson, thinks he is not good
at? What does this reveal about Bryon’s traits?
The writer, Bill Bryson, thinks that the ‘most outstanding thing’ he is not good at is
living in the real world. He reveals that he is easily confused. The number of things that
other people do without any evident difficulty is pretty much beyond him.

6. What started the trouble for Bryson at Logan Airport in Boston?
At Logan Airport in Boston, Bryson remembered that he had recently joined the British
Airways’ frequent flyer programme. He also remembered that he had put the card in
the carry-on bag that was hanging around his neck.
The jammed zip of Bryson’s carry-on bag started trouble for him at the Logan Airport in
Boston. He tried to open it using force and as a result it gave way abruptly. All the
items of the bag spilled over and created a mess all over the floor.

7. How did the contents of Bryson’s bag spill away at Logan Airport? What was his
reaction to it?
The writer wanted to take out his frequent flyer programme card from his carry-on bag.
The zip of the bag was jammed. When he yanked at it all the contents in Bryson’s bag
spilled out when the side of the bag opened up abruptly. The coins tinkled as they
bounced noisily along the floor. The lid of the tobacco tin came off and the tobacco
was strewn around as the lidless tin rolled. Bryson was dumbstruck to see his carefully
sorted documents and belongings rolling away.

8. “My tobacco!” I cried in honor. Why does Bryson say so?
Bryson says so because tobacco was many times costlier in England, especially after the
recently passed budget. He was horrified at his monetary loss when he saw the tobacco
strewn around from the rolling lidless tin.

9. Why did Bryson’s hair go into panic mode?
Bryson’s hair went into panic mode because he was confused and unable to help
himself in controlling the situation that resulted after his carry-on bag was ripped open. All the contents of his bag were on the floor and his finger was bleeding.

10. What measures did the writer adopt when he travelled alone in order to avoid
catastrophes?
The writer, Bill Bryson, would not drink or lean over to tie his shoelaces and never put a
pen near his mouth when he travelled alone. He would just sit very quietly and control
his hands from accidentally spilling over things.

11. Why could Bryson not collect many frequent flyer miles?
Bryson could not get his frequent flyer miles because either he forgot to produce the
card when required or forgot to ask for air miles when he checked in. Sometimes, the
airline failed to record them or sometimes his name on the card and ticket did not
match.

12. Why was Bryson refused air miles when on a flight to Australia?
Bryson was refused air miles when on a flight to Australia because his frequent flyer
card was in the name W. Bryson, while the ticket was in the name of B. Bryson. This
mismatch in names made his claim to air miles invalid.

13. Why does Bryson not feel bad about flying to Bali first class?
Bryson does not feel bad about flying to Bali first class because he had decided, as a
precaution, not to eat anything when flying alone. The flight to Bali was a long one and
he knew he could never go that long without eating.

Long Answer type questions (in about 100-150 words )

1. How would you describe Bill Bryson as an accidental tourist? Give two instances from
the test.
Bill Bryson flew around frequently visiting places. He faced several accidents when he
travelled. So he is called an accidental tourist.
The two incidents from the text are:
(i) When the zip on his carry-on bag gives way all the contents and other documents
rain down in a fluttery cascade out of the bag. The coins bounce here and there. The
lidless tin of tobacco rolls crazily disgorging its contents. These things spread over an
area about the size of a tennis court.
(ii) During one of his air fights, the author spilled soft drink on to the lap of a sweet lady
sitting beside him. The flight attendant came and cleaned her up. The attendant
brought him a replacement drink and he knocked it over the woman again. The lady
looked at him with the stupefied expression.

2. Bring out the humour in the story ‘The Accidental Tourist’. 
‘The Accidental Tourist’ is a humorous account of the various accidents caused by Bill
Bryson, the writer during his travels. The writer is an ever confused and clumsy person
who recounts the mishaps, shares his experiences in a light-hearted manner. While
explaining how he littered the contents of his carry-on bag in his attempt to find his
flyer miles card, he refers to the contents as ‘a hundred carefully sorted documents’.
When he gashes his finger on the zip, he justifies his hysterics on seeing his own blood.
His getting himself pinned in a crash position while tying shoelaces is yet another funny
encounter. His worst experience was when he covered his mouth, chin, tongue, teeth
and gums in navy blue ink as a result of sucking thoughtfully on the end of his pen.
Further, the list of ‘important thoughts’ that he mentions were actually reminders to
buy socks and to clutch drinks carefully. His wife’s instruction to his children to open
lids of food for him adds to the tongue-in-cheek flavour of the story. His failure to get
flyer miles because his name on the card did not match his name on the ticket is yet
another comical episode. To top everything, his reason for not flying to Bali as he
cannot remain without food for that long is very amusing indeed.

3. How did Bill Bryson offend his lady co-passenger on a flight?
Once, Bryson knocked a soft drink onto the lap of a sweet little lady sitting beside him.
However, the flight attendant quickly cleaned her up and brought another drink for
him. But he was careless and clumsy as ever and instantly knocked over the
replacement as well on the poor woman. He wondered how he had done this but could
never figure out. He felt as if his limbs disobeyed him. The lady who had been drenched
twice was so offended that she gave Bryson a stunned expression and uttered some
curse. She was a nun and Bryson had never heard a nun using such a language in a
public place. Bryson’s gawky behaviour made even a nun lose her patience.

 4. What was Bryson’s worst experience while flying? Why?
Once on a fight, Bryson had been writing some important thoughts in a notebook (buy
socks, clutch drinks carefully) when he began to sucking thoughtfully on the end of his
pen as he did so. He entered into a conversation with an attractive lady in the next seat.
He tried to amuse her for almost twenty minutes with a scattering of urbane witty
remarks. However, when he retired to the lavatory, he discovered that that his pen had
leaked and his mouth, teeth, gums, tongue and chin were smeared with a striking navy
blue scrub-resistant ink. It was going to remain like that for several days.

5. What ordeal did Bryson have to face at Logan Airport in Boston?
Once at the Logan Airport in Boston he needed his frequent flyer card. He remembered
he had packed the card in his carry-on bag. To his ill-luck, the zip on the bag was
jammed. No amount of pulling and yanking at it with grunts and frown would budge it.
Harder pulls with more grunts caused the zip to give way and the side of the bag flew
open and out came newspaper cuttings, loose papers, magazines, passport, a 14-ounce
tin of pipe tobacco, English money and film. All these things were strewn over an area
the size of a tennis court, even as Bryson watched helpless and dumbstruck. The lidless
tobacco tin rolled crazily across the concourse spilling its contents as it went. Even as
Bryson was regretting and assessing his loss, he was shocked to discover that the zip
fiasco had caused one of his fingers to bleed. Lavish flow of blood from the wound
proved to be the last straw in Bryson’s ordeal at Logan Airport, Boston. He was not very
good around blood especially his own. He became hysterical, confused and panicked.

6. Laughing at one’s own follies helps reduce the gravity of situations that might
otherwise cause serious trouble. Discuss in light of the story ‘The Accidental Tourist’.
Bill Bryson was a careless and clumsy person who could not behave in public places as
per the expected code of conduct. He could spill soft drinks on co passengers, litter the
airport area with the contents of his carry-on bag, and create a mess while eating. In
the process he not only destroyed his belongings but also created trouble for others.
However, his ability to laugh at his own follies helps reduce the gravity of situations
that could have otherwise caused serious trouble. The extent to which he offends the
nun on whom he spills the drink twice could have led to grave penalty. The airlines
could have barred him because of the number of accidents he had caused on every
flight. It was Bryson’s faculty of mocking at his errors that sailed him through all the
difficulties he had landed himself in.

Answers to Text book questions

1. Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused”. What examples has he given to justify
this?
Bill Bryson supports his tendency to get confused easily by giving examples like his
failure to find a lavatory in a cinema. Instead, he ends up standing in the alley on the
wrong side of a self-locking door. Another example is about his returning to hotel
desks two or three times a day and enquiring about his room number.

OR

What happens when the zip on Bryson’s carry-on bag gives way?
Bryson’s side of the bag opened abruptly and its contents got scattered all over when
he pulled hard at its zip. Newspaper cuttings, loose papers, tobacco tin, magazines,
passport, English money, film – everything inside the bag spread over an area about
the size of a tennis court.

2. Why is Bryson’s finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?
Bryson’s finger is bleeding because he has gashed it on the zip of his carry-on bag
while attempting to open it. His wife’s reaction is of plain wonder, devoid of any anger
or exasperation. She couldn’t believe he did such clumsy things for a living.

3. How does Bill Bryson end up in a ‘crash position’ in the aircraft?
Once on an aeroplane, Bryson had leaned over to tie a shoelace. At this time the person
in the seat ahead of him threw back his seat into full recline, pinning Bryson helplessly
in a crash position.

4. Why are Bryson’s teeth and gums navy blue?
Bryson’s worst experience while on a flight was when his teeth and gums turned navy
blue. This happened because the end of the pen on which he had been sucking
thoughtfully, had leaked. The worst part was that he discovered this only after twenty
minutes of conversation with an attractive lady in the seat next to him.

5. Bill Bryson ‘ached to be suave’. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.
Bill Bryson was a person prone to accidents. Whenever he tried to be suave, he would
cause yet another accident. His unsuave ways included causing food and drink to fly on
others, getting his coat trapped while closing the car door, and smudging his light- coloured trousers as a result of sitting on various things throughout the day.

6. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids of the food for
daddy”?
Responding humorously to her husband’s accidental tendencies, Bryson’s wife tells her
children to take the lids of the food for their daddy. She knew from experience that Bill
was likely to topple the food and create a mess if he would be allowed to unpack it
himself.

7. What is the significance of the title?
The title is significant as it points directly to the many accidents caused by Bryson
during his travels. He admits that he always has catastrophes when he travels. He ends
up spilling drinks on co-passengers and lets lids or food pieces fly while having meals;
He cannot even unzip his bag, put his flyer card at an easily reachable place, and wield
his pen without covering his mouth in ink or tie his shoelaces properly. All his efforts to
be suave fail and every tour ends on a note of comical disaster. Still, he continues to
travel almost 100,000 miles a year. When he is on a tour with his family, his wife and
children do his little tasks to avoid accidents. When touring alone, he just sits still lest
he cause some unexpected mess.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q 1 Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow.

(a) The zip on the bag was jammed. So I pulled on it and yanked at it, with grunts and

frowns and increasing consternation. I kept this up for some minutes but it wouldn’t

budge, so I pulled harder and harder.

i. Which bag is being referred to in this extract?

The carry-on bag that was hanging around the writer’s neck when he reached

the Logan Airport in Boston on way to Europe along with his family is being

referred to here.

ii. Why did Bryson want to open the bag?

Bryson wanted to open the bag to take out his frequent flyer card and avail its

benefits.

iii. What happened when the writer pulled harder and harder at the zip?

When the writer pulled harder and harder at the zip, the bag gave way abruptly

and its entire contents spilled out over the area.

iv. Find the word that means –‘shift from position’

budge

(b) I would love, just once in my life, to rise from a dinner table without looking as if I

have just experienced an extremely localized seismic event, get in a car and close the

door without leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wear light-coloured trousers without

discovering at the end of the day that I have at various times sat on chewing gum, ice

cream, cough syrup and motor oil.

i. Who makes this wish and why?

Bill Bryson, the accidental tourist, makes this wish because he desires to behave

like other normal people whom he sees carrying out routine actions with ease

whereas he always faces catastrophes whenever he travels.

ii. What happens when the writer gets into a car?

When the writer gets into a car and closes the door, he finds that a part of the

coat that he is wearing remains outside.

iii. What does the writer find on his light-coloured trousers at the end of the day? What

does this show about his character?

The writer finds stains of chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil on

his light-coloured trousers at the end of the day. This shows that he is very

clumsy in his manners and very careless in using public places.

iv. Explain: ‘extremely localized seismic event’.

The phrase, in literal sense, means an earthquake that affects a very small area.

(c) Everyone I know – everyone – is forever flying off to Bali first class with their air miles. I

never get to collect anything. I must fly 100,000 miles a year, yet I have accumulated

only about 212 air miles divided between twenty-three airlines.

i. What does everyone do with the air miles they collect?

Everyone whom the writer knows utilize the air miles they collect to fly first class

to Bali.

ii. Why has Bryson accumulated only about 212 air miles?

Bryson has accumulated only about 212 air miles because he either forgets to

ask for the air miles when he checks in or the airlines fail to record them due to

the mismatch of names on his card and tickets.

iii. How do the above lines support the fact that Bryson flies a lot?

The above lines mention that Bryson flies 100,000 miles a year via twenty-three

airlines. This shows that he flies a lot.

iv. Find the antonym of ‘scatter’

collect

(d) Of course, this is only when I am flying with my family. When I am on my own, I don’t

eat, drink or lean over to tie my shoelaces, and never put a pen anywhere near my

mouth.

i. What is ‘this’ as mentioned by Bryson?

‘This’ here means the instruction given by Bryson’s wife to his children.

According to this instruction, his children would open the lids of food for Bryson

when travelling. They would put their hoods up when he was about to cut his

meat.

ii. Why doesn’t Bryson lean over to tie his shoelaces when he is on his own?

Bryson had once got trapped in a crash position while tying his shoelace on an

aeroplane. He doesn’t lean over to tie his shoelaces in order to avoid his earlier

mistake.

iii. Why wouldn’t Bryson eat or drink when travelling alone?

Bryson wouldn’t eat or drink when travelling alone because he was clumsy and

prone to accidents. While lifting a glass of soft drink or any other food item, he

would create a mess all over.

iv. Give the synonym for ‘lean over’

bend over

Q 2 Answer each of the following questions in about 30-40 words.

(a) Why does Bryson avoid putting a pen near his mouth?

Bryson had once put his pen in his mouth while talking to a charming female co- passenger. He discovered 20 minutes later that the pen had leaked and his entire

face was navy blue. He avoided a pen near his mouth after that to save himself

from further embarrassment.

(b) Why was Bryson refused air miles when on a flight to Australia?

Bryson was refused air miles when on a flight to Australia because his frequent

flyer card was in the name W. Bryson, while the ticket was in the name of B.

Bryson. This mismatch in names made his claim to air miles invalid.

(c) What measures did the writer adopt when he travelled alone in order to avoid catastrophes?

The writer, Bill Bryson, would not drink or lean over to tie his shoelaces and

never put a pen near his mouth when he travelled alone. He would just sit very

quietly and control his hands from accidentally spilling over things.

(d) What is the ‘most outstanding thing’ that the writer, Bill Bryson, thinks he is not good

at? What does this reveal about Bryon’s traits?

The writer, Bill Bryson, thinks that the ‘most outstanding thing’ he is not good at

is living in the real world. He reveals that he is easily confused. The number of

things that other people do without any evident difficulty is pretty much beyond

him.

Q 3 Answer each of the following questions in about 100-150 words.

(a) How did Bill Bryson offend his lady co-passenger on a flight?

Once, Bryson knocked a soft drink onto the lap of a sweet little lady sitting

beside him. However, the flight attendant quickly cleaned her up and brought

another drink for him. But he was careless and clumsy as ever and instantly

knocked over the replacement as well on the poor woman. He wondered how he

had done this but could never figure out. He felt as if his limbs disobeyed him.

The lady who had been drenched twice was so offended that she gave Bryson a

stunned expression and uttered some curse. She was a nun and Bryson had never

heard a nun using such a language in a public place. Bryson’s gawky behaviour

made even a nun lose her patience.

(b) What ordeal did Bryson have to face at Logan Airport in Boston?

At Logan Airport in Boston he needed his frequent flyer card. He remembered he

had packed the card in his carry-on bag. To his ill-luck, the zip on the bag was

jammed. No amount of pulling and yanking at it with grunts and frown would

budge it. Harder pulls with more grunts caused the zip to give way and the side

of the bag flew open and out came newspaper cuttings, loose papers, magazines,

passport, a 14-ounce tin of pipe tobacco, English money and film. All these

things were strewn over an area the size of a tennis court, even as Bryson

watched helpless and dumbstruck. The lidless tobacco tin rolled crazily across

the concourse spilling its contents as it went. Even as Bryson was regretting and assessing his loss, he was shocked to discover that the zip fiasco had caused one of his fingers to bleed. Lavish flow of blood from the wound proved to be the last straw in Bryson’s ordeal at Logan Airport, Boston. He was not very good around blood especially his own. He became hysterical, confused and panicked.