Travel etiquette: how to avoid offending the locals

Tipping point

While tipping is standard practice in Britain, with “discretionary” service charges added to the bill at most restaurants, gratuities are not gratefully received elsewhere. In Argentina, for example, tipping is technically illegal. As detailed in this infographic, supplied by the website Wego, you should also refrain from adding 10 per cent in Japan, Oman, Yemen and France (where it will already be included in the bill by law).

Dubai
Travellers to Dubai, and other Middle Eastern countries, cannot behave as they would in the Med. Drinking, or being drunk, is not permitted in public, rude gestures and swearing are likely to see you deported, and women are expected to cover up unless they’re at the beach. Public displays of affection are also frowned upon, and there have been several arrests for kissing in public.

Food for thought

As your grandma almost certainly told you – repeatedly – table manners are of utmost importance. Almost any sin will be forgiven if you know how to hold a knife correctly and don’t reach across your sibling’s plate in search of the salt shaker. But what is considered polite in Britain is not elsewhere.

A clean plate might’ve pleased your mother, for example, but it is considered dreadfully poor form in China, The Philippines and Thailand, as it suggests that the host has not offered you enough food. The Chinese will also think nothing of belching after a meal to demonstrate their satisfaction to the cook.

Toasting is of vital importance in Georgia, meanwhile. They even have tamadas or “toastmasters” at special occasions, or supras, who will introduce every toast. Toasting can last for hours, with strict etiquette dictating who can speak and when to drink.

This infographic, courtesy of the website restaurantchoice.co.uk, features more gastronomic tips.

Singapore
There are dozens of rules ready to catch out visitors to Singapore. Chewing gum is illegal, unless it’s nicotine gum and you have a doctor’s prescription. Public displays of affection are frowned upon. Smoking is also banned in most places. And neglecting to flush a toilet after use is technically punishable with a SD$150 fine.

Think before you drink

Alcohol is banned in many popular destinations, some of which may surprise you.

USA

Although prohibition was repealed 80 years ago, a number of counties remain “dry”, including half of those in Mississippi, 83 in Alaska, four in Florida, and many in Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and Kentucky.

And, despite being the location of the Jack Daniel’s distillery, Moore County in Tennessee is also dry. Bottles of the spirit cannot be bought locally, or even sampled on the premises.

India

Several Indian states have laws to prevent the sale and consumption of alcohol.

In Gujarat, holidaymakers must buy a 30-day permits, usually offered at their hotel, or at the state’s main airport – Ahmedabad.

Alcohol is banned entirely in the Lakshadweep islands, except at the Bangaram Island Resort, and in the far north-eastern states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland (although illicit brews are widely available).

Brunei

While the sale of alcohol is banned in Brunei, non-Muslim visitors can bring in up to two litres of spirits or twelve cans of beer every 48 hours. They must also buy a permit to drink. A number of shops can be found to cater for the demand over the border in Malaysia. Around 13,000 Britons visit Brunei each year.

Pakistan

Non-Muslims can buy alcohol in Pakistan, but only at four- and five-star hotels in major cities. A black market exists, but home brews have been blamed for hundreds of deaths.

Find out which other countries do not permit alcohol in our guide todestinations where you can’t drink.

Dress sense

Visitors to most Muslim countries are advised to cover up. In Saudi Arabia, for example, women should wear “conservative, loose-fitting clothes as well as a full length cloak (abaya) and a headscarf,” the Foreign Office states. “Men should not wear shorts in public.” In Egypt, Britons are advises to “dress modestly, especially in rural areas, mosques and souqs (markets). Women’s clothes should cover the legs and upper arms. Men should cover their chests.”

Visitors to all countries should avoid the following fashion faux-pas, however.

Cut-out swimsuits
The most unforgivable holiday fashion trend, according to a poll conducted by Sunshine.co.uk last year.

Socks with sandals
Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last 50 years, you’ve no excuse for this wardrobe disaster.

Speedos
Unless your a bronzed Italian. And don’t even think about the male thong. Unless you’re Peter Stringfellow.

Bumbags
The embarrassing dad’s favourite. No one doubts the practicality of the bum bag – it’s ideal for looking after the passports and spending money – but you’ll look like a fool.

Crocs
Stupid, ugly, rubber sandals. Practical and cute on the feet of a toddler. Tragic on their parents.

For more holiday fashion faux pas, see our complete guide.

Japan

As mentioned above, noodle slurping (see “table manners”) is perfectly acceptable. But tipping (see “tipping point”) is not. Shoe removal is expected when entering a home or a temple. And don’t be surprised to find “toilet slippers” in your host’s bathroom. If you see a funeral hearse, you should hide your thumbs (“thumb” translates as “parent-finger” so concealing it is a superstitious way of protected your mother and father). On receipt of a gift, it is traditional custom to hesitate to open the gift until invited to do so. In the past the Japanese haven’t opened gifts in the presence of the gift giver. It is important to open the gift carefully as ripping the paper is considered rude. Japanese people traditionally avoid saying the word “no” directly. Instead they will ignore the question, say “hmmm”, or reject a proposal in a far more roundabout manner.

Strange laws

Richard Happer’s The Law is an Ass uncovers 250 obscure laws ready to catch out the unwary traveller. Here are a few of the most unusual:

– You must plan your movements very carefully in Switzerland. Flushing the toilet after 10pm in an apartment building is illegal there. The Government curiously considered noise pollution to be more anti-social than olfactory pollution. Not sure we agree with them on that one. Anyway, whether you relieve yourself and leave the flat humming, or you just wait until morning, the choice is completely yours.

– If you’re one of those spirited sorts who relaxes by re-enacting battles, you might want to think twice about taking a Caribbean holiday – it’s against the law to wear camouflage clothing in Trinidad and Tobago and St Lucia. Apparently this is to prevent people from imitating military and other officials, and you could be detained and have your kit confiscated. That is, of course, if they can find you.

– If you fancy a spot of eternal life, forget the Holy Grail: just go and live in the remote Arctic town of Longyearbyen, where dying is against the law. Actually, this is because it was found that bodies didn’t decompose in the permafrost. The graveyard stopped accepting newcomers 70 years ago; so if you fall gravely ill there now, you will be hastily dispatched by plane to the mainland, where you can end your days without getting arrested.

– The people of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia simply love the durian fruit, which looks a little like a cross between a pineapple and a porcupine. However, many local authorities have completely banned the consumption of this delicacy from buses, subways, hotels and airports. Is this yet another outrageous infringement of civil liberties? Well, since the durian is said to smell like a mixture of “pig-droppings, turpentine and onions”, maybe not, on this occasion.

Find out about more strange laws by reading our complete guide.