19 Gestures to Be Careful With: Or “How NOT To Get Beaten Up While Travelling”

1. Gestures and Body Language Around the Worldand why it’s important to research a culture before you visit 19 Gestures to Be Careful With: Or “How NOT To Get Beaten Up While Travelling”

2. Thumbs Up • Considered offensive in countries such as Thailand, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. • In Thailand, it’s considered to be a childish gesture, very similar to sticking out your tongue. • In Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of Greece, it is understood as more of an obscene gesture, similar to saying “f&*k you.”

3. Peace Sign • When you make a peace sign with the palm facing inward, it can be taken as “up yours” in parts of the U.K., Australia, and other Commonwealth countries. • When in doubt, palm-outward peace signs seem to be suitable wherever you are in the world.

4. Talk to the Hand • Known as the “moutza” in Greece, putting your palm out (much like we would do to signal “stop”) is an extremely insulting gesture. • It’s believed to have its roots traced back to the Byzantine Empire, where prisoners were subject to having excrement and dirt smeared across their faces.

5. Okay • You may know it as the symbol for “a-OK,” but in countries such as Brazil and Germany this symbol means a$$hole. • The funniest example of this is when US President Nixon visited Brazil in the 1950′s. He got off the plane and gave that gesture to the welcoming crowd. • Also, in Turkey it’s meant to be a highly insulting gesture towards gay people.

6. Touching Someone’s Head • Touching or patting someone on the head is considered rude in parts of Asia. • In countries such as Thailand, Laos, and Sri Lanka it is particularly offensive because as Buddhists, they regard the head as the most sacred part of the body.

7. The Forearm Jerk • In France, it’s called the bras d’ honneur. It’s also highly advised against in other parts of Southern Europe and even some Latin countries such as Brazil, where they call it “banana.” • This gesture is the equivalent of giving someone the middle finger.

8. The ‘Fig’ • This seemingly harmless gesture is also the same as throwing up the middle finger in Turkey.

9. Beckoning • In the Phillipines, curling up your index finger so as to signal “come here” is considered to be very offensive. • In fact, in most Asian countries this gesture is usually only reserved for dogs.

10. Closed Fist • Solidarity, unity, victory? Maybe to some, but in Pakistan a closed fist can be taken as the equivalent of “up yours.”

11. Quick Handshake • A quick handshake in Fiji is considered rude and insincere. In fact, it’s not unusual in Fiji for you to remain holding hands with a person for the entirety of your conversation with them, especially when meeting for the first time. So no matter how uncomfortable it may be, don’t pull away.

12. Shaking/Nodding Your Head • In Bulgaria, shaking your head “yes” means “no” and vice versa. So if you ever find yourself in the Eastern European country, make sure to switch it up, or else you’ll confuse a lot of people

13. Staring • Direct eye contact can be considered very invasive in countries such as Japan. Eye contact should remain brief or it can be mistaken for aggression and lead to an uncomfortable situation.

14. Bull Horns • The “rock and roll” or “bull horns” hand signal loosely translates to “your wife is a whore” in Spain, where it’s known as the “corna”, and Italy. • When the gesture is directed at someone, you’re suggesting that they are a cuckold.

15. “Concha” • The shell, or “concha,” hand gesture is considered one of the crudest insults in many Latin countries. • In Chile, the gesture is reserved for the equivalent of raunchy “yo mamma” jokes

16. Eating With The Left Hand • In most societies, especially Western ones, it is common to use both hands to eat, like when you eat a burger or use a fork and knife simultaneously. • However, in Indian and most Middle Eastern cultures, the cardinal rule of dining is to use only the right hand. The wisdom is, you should use your left hand for “dirty” tasks, such as cleaning yourself in the bathroom.

17. Sole of the Shoe • In many Middle Eastern countries, the shoe is the lowest point of body, and dirty as well, so showing someone the sole is disrespectful.

18. Bite Your Thumb • In parts of India and Pakistan, making a fist and then flicking your thumb off your front teeth basically means “Screw you!”

19. Chin Flick • In France, Belgium, Tunisia and Northern Italy it means “Get lost!” or worse

20. Touching In General • The Middle East, Latin America, and southern Europe are considered “high-touch” cultures where physical touch is a big part of socialising. • In much of the Arab world, men hold hands and kiss each other in greeting, but would never do the same with a woman

21. Italian men embracing • Men holding hands in Saudi Arabia

22. I’m Canadian; don’t touch me • Most of Northern Europe and the Far East is classed as a “non-contact” culture, in which there’s very little physical contact in people’s daily interactions. • Even accidentally brushing someone’s arm is grounds for an apology.

23. Naturally, these different standards of contact can lead to misunderstanding. • An Argentinian may see a Scandinavian as cold and aloof, while the Scandinavian may see the Argentinian as pushy and presumptuous.

24. Kissing as a Greeting • Cheek kissing is very common in parts of Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Latin America • It is not as common in English-speaking Canada and the USA, Asia, and Northern Europe • However, there are some exceptions in North America such as Quebec and Louisiana • Depending on country and situation, the number of kisses is anywhere from 1-4

25. Counting Money https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g87HVlu55mQ 1:47

26. Researching the Culture of a Place Before You Go

27. A smart traveller is aware of the fact they are a foreigner and do not understand the cultural norms of their new surroundings. Even smarter travellers prepare themselves by taking steps to avoid disrespectful or offensive behavior.

28. No offence Many Australian aborigines take offence to being photographed, whereas Indians might be hurt if you don’t want to be photographed with them. A common greeting in France is kissing the cheek, but the Balinese and Thais view physical contact above the shoulders as disrespectful if they just met someone.

29. Holy Places • Take care when entering places of spiritual or religious significance. These places have very different rules on what is acceptable. • Entering a Mosque wearing shoes is offensive and the same goes in most Hindu temples. • In many places, foreigners are not even allowed to enter particular sites of significance, so take care to research these sites before visiting.

30. There are strict dress code rules at the Vatican, including women should cover their shoulders and legs, but Jennifer Aniston visited and wore a short little dress, oops

31. Clothes In certain cultures, there are strict rules regarding what clothing is appropriate and respectful. Countries including Saudi Arabia, Bhutan, North Korea and Sudan have fairly strict legal guidelines around what is acceptable or unacceptable for men and women to wear. For example, in Saudi Arabia women typically follow a strict dress code in public, which includes an abaya (a cloak) and niqab (a headscarf and veil). Women in Bhutan must wear kiras (an ankle-length dress) and the men are required to wear ghos (a knee-length wrap around garment). And Sudanese women who are caught wearing trousers in public can face fines and flogging.

33. Don’t disrespect the royal family Ripping, taping or writing on money is an offense punishable by jail or a fine in Thailand, because it’s considered an offense against the king. If you say something disparaging about the Thai king, you could go to jail for a few years

34. Bathrooms may not be what you expect It is common in South America, Europe and parts of Asia to pay to use the toilet. It is usually very cheap and you may need to pay to take in a toilet roll as well. Squat toilets are very common throughout Asia. They might just be a hole in the ground, or slightly elevated, and most often accompanied by a hose to wash with, and no toilet paper. Some places in Latin America and Asia won’t let you flush your toilet paper; you need to put it in the nearby bin In many places a bidet is very common instead of toilet paper Japan has toilets that are very advanced with little panels complete with seat warming functions to feminine spray and noises.

35. We have our own taboos in North America – Can you think of any? It is taboo to eat horse meat or dog meat It is taboo to ask a woman her age It is taboo to ask someone about their salary Don’t be overly friendly with someone else’s kid