Category "cultural-awareness"

What is considered impolite in Central/South American area

In every culture some actions are considered polite, others rude. For example one should not use left hand when interacting with others in India and Arab countr

What to wear in Egypt to blend in?

I plan on going to Egypt around Christmas and I have always hated the thought of being a tourist. I want to blend in and experience what it is like to be there

Why are there "Welcome to Texas" signs, but similar signs don't exist for other states?

Why does Texas have "Welcome To Texas" sign in Texas border ? But "Welcome to Virginia" or "Welcome to Washington" or "Welcome to Maryland" signs aren't there?

Native to the land USA? [closed]

What is the local culture of USA, like in South Africa, we have isiXhosa's and isiZulu's etc... So what are native culture groups around North

What is the etiquette for declining money from a Japanese friend?

My son's best friend is here from Japan. His parents paid for his plane ticket and sent $1,000 cash. We would like to return the money to them - his stay and ex

How conservatively should a man dress in Kuala Lumpur?

Muslim countries and developing countries often have a more conservative dress sense than big cities in Australia where I live. Often this means it's disrespec

Is it permitted to ask questions of female sex workers in Thailand to be familiar with their real life as a tourist?

As a female traveler I will be in Thailand for around 2 months in mid November to have fun and complete my professional diving lessons. I would like to be famil

Are there countries where I shouldn't offer to shake hands with people of the opposite sex? [closed]

I've known for a while that some people avoid shaking hands with people of the opposite sex. I don't know whether it's purely based on religio

Laptop/mobile device in countries with Sharia

I'm traveling to Iran and i need to bring my laptop. For western standards I do not have anything illegal on my hard drive but since I'm not familiar with the

Are Americans popular in the Philippines? [closed]

I know that the U.S. and Philippines have a long history together. We were allies in WW2. But these days, what is the average Filipino perce

How should one tip in Manila?

Tipping is done and perceived differently all around the world. I don't really have much money at all, but I still feel it's necessary to tip well according to

Is it culturally acceptable for an American to visit the memorials in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

The title says it all. Is it culturally acceptable (to the Japanese) for an American to visit the memorials to the victims of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and

Travelling as unmarried couple in Dubai

I'd wish to visit Dubai with my girlfriend, but after reading this travel advice and this question on sex and couples in Dubai I started to get a little worried

Dealing with nodding or shaking of head confusion

I have recently discovered the hard way that nodding of the head for yes, shaking of the head for no is not quite as universal as I had originally thought. Some

How does one respectfully greet someone in Japan?

Every country has different cultural greetings. I was wondering if handshaking is ok in Japan? Or do they have their own cultural greeting. I'm not talking abou

Is it inappropriate to record the call to prayer?

I am currently on holiday in Marrakech, Morocco, and have found that the frequent calls to prayer from mosques throughout the day are quite a core part of life

Dress code for tech business training in California [closed]

I am a male software engineer that works for a small technology firm. Next week (mid October) I will be heading to California (Bay area) to tr

What I need to know when going to typical (traditional) wedding ceremony in Philippines?

I'm going with my girlfriend in December for the wedding ceremony and party in Philippines. They're catholic. It's much different from EU weddings? Are there an

Precautions and Customs to observe when traveling in Morocco

What precautions should my husband and I take and/or customs should we follow while traveling in Morocco. We are not Muslim and are unsure of this country's lev

Cards, dices, poker chips, board games, etc. in Thailand

I've read that cards have actually been outlawed a while ago in Thailand to crack down gambling. I know that it's illegal to own poker chips as that's classifie