Accidental travel is a
plot device used in
fantasy and
science fiction in which an ordinary person or a group of people accidentally find themselves outside of their normal place or time for no apparent reason. In Russian
fandom the trope is known under the term
"popadantsy", plural form for
"popadanets", a person who accidentally travels elsewhere/elsewhen. The Russian term bears ironical flavor, because
popadantsy has become a widespread cliche in
pulp science fiction. The accidental
time travel trope is known as
time slip. Other kinds of accidental travel include
space travel (e.g., through accidental
wormholes or other spatial irregularities), travel to an
alternative universe or into an
alternative history. A particular kind of effortless accidental travel is finding oneself elsewhere/elsewhen occupying someone's else mind.