The Accidental Tourist
About the Author: Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is a well-known American-British travel writer and humorist. He was born on 8 December 1951 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Bryson is famous for writing travel memoirs filled with humour, observations, and real-life experiences from different countries.
Some of his notable works include Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, and Neither Here Nor There. His writing style reflects wit, comedy, and relatable situations, making even ordinary events entertaining.
Story Summary: The Accidental Tourist
The story "The Accidental Tourist" is a humorous account of the narrator, Bill Bryson, who describes how everything becomes troublesome whenever he travels. He admits that he is clumsy and easily confused, especially during trips.
His misadventures begin at the airport when he tries to find his frequent flyer card. As he pulls the zipper of his carry-on bag, it suddenly breaks open, scattering all his belongings — newspapers, documents, coins, tobacco, and passport — across the airport floor. He even injures his finger while trying to close the bag.
His wife watches this chaotic scene with amazement rather than anger and remarks: “I can’t believe you do this for a living.”
Bill recalls other travel disasters: getting stuck in the cramped airplane seat while tying his shoelace, spilling soft drinks twice on a woman passenger, and getting navy-blue ink stains over his mouth after chewing a leaking pen cap.
Although he wishes to appear confident and sophisticated, he always ends up in embarrassing situations. His wife and children even warn each other to protect themselves whenever he eats on flights.
He also shares his struggle to collect frequent flyer miles as he either forgets to ask or is told he is not eligible due to minor issues like a name mismatch.
The story ends humorously, showing that despite his efforts, he still remains an "accidental tourist" — someone who unintentionally creates chaos while traveling.
NCERT Question Answers
- Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused.” What examples has he given to justify this?
Ans. Bill Bryson forgets his hotel room number, gets locked out in strange places, and creates chaos while traveling. These examples show that he gets confused easily. - What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way?
Ans. The contents of his bag — papers, coins, money, passport, and tobacco — scatter everywhere in the airport, creating a mess. - Why is his finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?
Ans. His finger bleeds because he injures it while trying to force open the jammed zipper. His wife is shocked and amazed, not angry, and says she can’t believe he travels professionally. - How does Bill Bryson end up in a “crash position” in the aircraft?
Ans. While tying his shoelace, the person in front suddenly reclines his seat, trapping him in a folded and helpless position. - Why are his teeth and gums navy blue?
Ans. His pen leaks while he is chewing on it, causing ink to smear his mouth, gums, tongue and teeth. - Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.
Ans. No, he fails. He spills drinks, gets stuck in seats, spreads ink on himself, scatters luggage contents, and injures himself. These habits show he is clumsy rather than suave. - Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy”?
Ans. She says this because Bill often creates mess while eating. She wants to avoid another accident. - What is the significance of the title?
Ans. The title “The Accidental Tourist” highlights Bryson’s habit of causing accidents unintentionally while traveling. He doesn't mean to create trouble, but it happens naturally.
Extra Questions for Practice
Short Answer Questions
- What does the author imply when he says he wants to look suave?
- Describe the incident when Bill knocked the soft drink twice.
- Why did Bill Bryson fail to collect his frequent flyer miles?
- How does humour play an important role in the story?
Long Answer Question
Q. Describe how the story uses humour to highlight human imperfections.
Ans. The story uses humour to show that nobody is perfect. Bill Bryson narrates his travel experiences, which are full of mistakes. Instead of feeling embarrassed, he accepts them and laughs at himself. His clumsiness — spilling drinks, scattering luggage, getting stuck, and staining his face with ink — makes the story entertaining. The humour teaches that making mistakes is normal and we should take them positively.
Moral of the Story
Mistakes are part of life — instead of feeling embarrassed, we should learn to laugh at ourselves and improve.
Written & Compiled by: DHved Learning Team