Where No Means Yes and Yes Means No: 25 Fascinating Rules of Etiquette From Around the World
A “Putting On Special Clothes Room” at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, where visitors must cover up. (Photo: Wendy Perrin).
By Wendy Perrin
Always cover up in mosques in the Middle East. Never pick up food with your left hand in Africa. Don’t snap photos of locals without asking permission. This is some of the travel etiquette you may already know. But there are plenty of unusual customs around the world that you probably aren’t aware of. Here are a few fascinating rules for how not to be an ugly American, crowd-sourced from some of the most well-traveled people I know: my Facebook friends. Enjoy the whirlwind trip around the globe!
1. “In Bulgaria, shaking the head YES (up and down) means no, and shaking the head NO (sideways) means yes. Makes for some confusing question-and-answer sessions!”
—Kristen Gill
2. “In Turkey, shaking your head means, ‘I don’t understand. Say it again.’ To say ‘No,’ click your tongue and toss back your head. This is useful to know when you want to say ‘No’ to the avalanche of vendors who assault you in Istanbul. Shaking your head will only make it worse.”
—Inka Piegsa-quischotte
3. “In South Africa, ‘just now’ means sometime in the near future—not immediately! (‘Now now’ means immediately.)”
—Sunit Sanghrajka
4. “When the French say, ‘Thank you,’ it often means ‘No, thank you.’ You are expected to insist.”
—Benoit Gateau-Cumin
5. “In the United Kingdom, ‘What a delightful idea!’ means ‘No, not in a million years.’”
—Ileana von Hirsch
6. “If you like your friends, spit on them! The Masai tribe of East Africa greet each other by spitting on each other. When greeting an elder, they spit on the shaking hand before offering it.”
—Sunit Sanghrajka
7. “In the Arctic, with the Inuit people, always remove your gloves/mitts to shake hands.”
—Thomas Lennartz
Bill Gates was heavily criticized in South Korea for this hand-in-pocket handshake with President Park Geun-hye. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool)
8. “In South Korea (and I’m sure in other Asian countries), it is very rude to keep your hands in your pockets when speaking with someone, particularly in business transactions. Bill Gates was vilified recently for doing this.”
—Lisa Gill
9. “In France, when dining, keep your hands not in your lap but on the table. It’s the opposite of the USA, where you keep your hands off the table and in your lap.”
—Howard Lewis
Related: ‘I Can’t Do What?’ The Weirdest International Laws on the Books
10. “In France, when entertaining at home, you offer seconds of each course. Except the cheese course. Offering/accepting seconds of cheese is a major faux pas.”
11. When greeting a Parisian friend, a kiss on each cheek is customary. In Geneva, three kisses. In Brussels, four! The kissing order is L-R (Paris), L-R-L (Geneva), L-R-L-R (Brussels and the boonies). So you know…
—Bob Preston
Different countries kiss on the cheek differently. (Photo: Thinkstock)
12. “In Italy cappuccino is a morning drink. It is gauche to drink it in the afternoon or evening: Switch to espresso.”
—Angela Nickerson
13. “At pubs in Ireland, if you sit at a table, people will leave you alone and give you space. If you sit at the bar, you will have conversation and craic (pronounced crack)—meaning, a good time.”
—Jonathan Epstein
14. “Never pour yourself a drink in Japan. Serve the others and wait until they serve you.”
—Debbie Pappyn
WATCH: Proper Etiquette When Drinking Abroad
15. “Don’t tip or blow your nose in public in Japan.”
—Gary Leff
16. “Gift giving is very important in Japan. Be sure to take gifts with you. You never know when you might need one.”
—Angela Nickerson
17. “In Japan, the ritual of hot-springs bathing is not for the squeamish or shy. Most public hot springs are segregated by gender, and one has to follow the strict rules of spa-bathing culture. For the locals, it’s considered impolite and akin to doing your laundry if you enter the thermal hot springs in your bathing attire, even if you scrubbed yourself and soaped/shampooed vigorously. In Bhutan, Burma, or any Buddhist countries, one should always go around the temple/stupa/pagoda in a clockwise direction to earn merit and spin drum wheels in the same direction. In China, don’t stick your chopsticks in a rice bowl standing up vertically; in Chinese tradition that resembles incense-stick offerings for the departed.”
—Lorenzo Urra
Related: Travel Etiquette: How Not to Be Annoying on a Plane
18. “In Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma, do not touch adults on the head and do not use your feet to point at objects.”
—Sandy Ferguson
19. “In Asia when exchanging business cards, always exchange with both hands, study it for a moment, then nod. Of course, your cards should be in the language plus English.”
—Vivian Deuschl
When in Asia, pass your business card with both hands. (Photo: Thinkstock)
20. “Russia is the land of superstitions! No knives, scarves or clocks as presents. No shaking hands through a doorway. Never acknowledge a pregnancy (really – no showers, no nothing). No whistling in someone’s home. Always give an odd number of flowers.”
—Gwen Kozlowski
21. “When gifting flowers, check to be sure what flowers are no-no’s in various cultures around the world. Some flower types are not well received, as they represent death, and color matters.”
—Katey Hartwell
22. In India, always use only your right hand for eating, receiving, and giving things. The left hand is to be used for only personal things such as wiping after going to the bathroom and handling items that have touched the ground, such as your shoes.
—Sunit Sanghrajka
23. “When flagging down a taxi in Peru, extend your arm out level and wave downwards towards your body. Putting your open palm up like as a stop signal is considered very rude, and raising your arm skyward just looks fanatical.”
—Clark Kotula
Hail a cab the wrong way in Peru and you may never get picked up. (Photo: Thinkstock)
24. “If you are visiting a Himba village in Kaokoland, Namibia, never cross the imaginary line between the holy fire and the headman’s hut. This is a major insult and will make the visit more than a little unpleasant.”
—Chris Liebenberg
25. “It’s not a custom, exactly, but it’s a pet peeve of mine: Don’t expect everyone you see in a country to speak English!”
—Benét WIlson
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