Yes, to a certain extent Bill Bryson has succeeded because now he travels alone he neither eats nor drinks, neither ties shoelaces nor puts a pen anywhere near his mouth. But this is just temporary. He is his usual self- unsuave- when with his family or otherwise. He says that he would love to rise from the dining table without looking as if he had just experienced a seismic event or get into a car without leaving 14 inches of his coat outside, wear light colored clothes without staining them with chewing gum, ice cream or cough syrup. His other ‘unsuave’ ways have been described with reference to his journeys on the airplane.