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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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11 Travel Faux Pas to Avoid

Touching is too intimate in some Asian nations

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(Newser) – A great pleasure of this wide world of ours is the multiplicity of cultures and customs. That diversity can also get you into a heap of trouble. So, when traveling, here’s what not to do, and where not to do it, from Travel and Leisure.

  • Touching: Too intimate in Asia. And steer clear of that baby’s head in Thailand!
  • Eating with the left hand: a no-no in Africa. That hand’s for wiping.

  • Refusing a lei: akin to slapping a Hawaiian in the face.
  • Doffing shoes at the door: Do it in Asia. Don’t where it would be weird.
  • Not looking a German in the eye when toasting: ‘nuff said.
  • Talking: Don’t do it over dinner in some African nations. Or in a Finnish sauna.
For the complete list, click the link below.

Western tourists visit the Museum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Western tourists visit the Museum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.   (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
A foreign tourist sits near luggage at a bus station in Siliguri, in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.
A foreign tourist sits near luggage at a bus station in Siliguri, in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.   (AP Photo/Tamal Roy)
A Shinwari elder washes his hands before having lunch after a gathering in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
A Shinwari elder washes his hands before having lunch after a gathering in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.   (AP Photo/Farzana Wahidy)
A young Indian child in traditional garb.
A young Indian child in traditional garb.   (Shutterstock)
A girl dressed up as a cow explains the farmers' protest action to two Japanese tourists, as farmers from all over Belgium distribute meat, milk and apples to passers-by in the center of Brussels.
A girl dressed up as a cow explains the farmers' protest action to two Japanese tourists, as farmers from all over Belgium distribute meat, milk and apples to passers-by in the center of Brussels.   (AP Photo)
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