There you are exploring a new country and doing what is natural to you. However, your host seems to be a little bit offended. They are looking at you like you are a little odd. I am assuming that you aren’t just naturally offensive and that you aren’

t aware what you have done. Later you discover that you have greatly insulted your host. You made an embarrassing cultural faux pas. Shame on you – if only you had done your research then you wouldn’t have made the mistake. The problem is that what means one thing in one culture can mean something completely different in another culture. Here are ten things that you may want to avoid doing when traveling to certain countries.

1. Thumbs Up

In western cultures, it is quite common to make the thumbs up signal to show that everything is good or that you are okay. Kind of like, “Hey, that’s great!” However, if you were in Iran and you did this same thing then you shouldn’t be surprised if you end up in a fight. You have just told someone to “sit on this!” Whoops!

2. I’m Okay

If you are a diver, you will be aware of the signal meaning that everything is okay. It is where your thumb meets your forefinger in a circle. If you are diving somewhere off the coast of Brazil though, everything may not be ‘okay’ for much longer. Your Brazilian captain of the boat that has taken you out to sea may be a little bit offended to be compared to a certain filthy area of your anatomy. Don’t be surprised to see him speeding off to shore, leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere.

3. Chopsticks

When I was touring around Japan I enjoyed the various rice bowls that you could get for a simple lunch. They are quite big to eat in one go and so while taking a rest from eating I would put the chopsticks upright in the rice as a place to keep them. I noticed myself getting a few evil glares from the other customers in the restaurant sometimes. Finally a friend told me that this is what is done at Japanese funerals – when chopsticks and rice are left by the bedside of the newly deceased in order to provide them a meal on the other side.

4. Beware the Left Hand

In western countries you often dig into your food with your hands. Do you give any thought to the hand you are using though? In most of India and the Middle East, your left hand is ‘left’ for bodily hygiene. It is important to remember to use the ‘right’ hand for eating and know that if you were to offer your left hand as a handshake, it would be quite insulting. If you are left handed and travelling around the Middle East, it especially pays to be aware of this.

5. Pat on the Head

You might pat your child on the head to say well done. Sometimes you may do this to your friends as some kind of joke or the same thing. In Buddhist countries, the head is actually considered sacred and to touch anyone’s head, including that of children, is considered a grave insult. I got this child in Thailand to take my photo and patted him on the head as a way of saying thanks. I was a little upset when he proceeded to kick me in the shins.

6. Putting Your Feet Up

There you are travelling around the Middle East and you feel absolutely exhausted. You sit down and put your feet up. Just what the doctor ordered. However, everyone around you seems a little bit upset. Whether on your other half’s lap, on the coffee table or just lounging on the sofa – putting your feet up in the west is simply a way to relax. If you were to do this, or more importantly, you were to show the sole of your foot, it would be considered unclean and a great insult in most Arab cultures. Especially, never throw your shoes, no matter how tempted you are.

7. Nodding Your Head

I was travelling around Greece and saw this beautiful girl standing at the bar. I thought I would try my luck and asked her if she was single and would like a date. Amazingly, she nodded her head and I couldn’t believe my luck. When I moved closer though, soon she was threatening to call the police. Instead of shaking their heads to say no, Greek people put their heads back a bit, raise their eyebrows and click their tongues. If only someone had told me this beforehand.

8. The V-sign

Japanese people enter into a restaurant and show how many people the table is for by displaying the number of fingers on their hand, facing forwards. I had a few Japanese friends come over to the UK and they couldn’t understand what happened when they went into a restaurant and asked for a table for two. However, the V-sign has a slightly different meaning for people in the UK and the waitress had been rather insulted. In fact it is the same in Australia and New Zealand as well, which someone forgot to tell George Bush when he visited in 1992.

9. Pointing

In the US, the same insult as the V-sign is simple raising your index finger. It is not the same around the world though. In Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia, you will find that simply pointing with your forefinger is likely to cause considerable offence. Just make sure to be careful not to point out the sights when travelling around these wonderful countries and don’t be surprised if no one replies when you point out the beautiful sights and ask them what it is.

10. Green Hats

Here is a story I love. A high ranking American official was travelling around China on business and as he went, he decided to give the locals baseball caps that were bright green in colour however he failed to notice that whilst the men refused to wear them the ladies all seemed to be in fits of giggles. Finally, a Chinese-American took the official aside and told him that “wearing a green hat”

is the Chinese symbol of a man whose wife is cheating on him. The American had even been proudly wearing one of these caps himself in an effort to teach them what to do with it.