“Good Afternoon”“Oh, Hi. Could I ...”“Good AFTERNOON”“Oh, um ... Good Afternoon. Could I please find out ...”We certainly have our ways here in Bermuda. One of those ways includes our traditional greetings, which will require a ‘good' followed by the appropriate time of day.Should this social norm be ignored or brushed aside (“Oh, hi” is not going to cut it) it seems an affront and you are certainly getting nothing done without it.Other taboos? Sure there might be some turned heads, but walking around our capital, Hamilton, in bathing suits.....it's just not appropriate. Yes, our businessmen might show a bit of calf in their shorts, but tourists in their swimsuits? Wrong.Another taboo? Questioning the sacred Cup Match! Yes, another taboo. Are you American? Then you understand Thanksgiving ... same thing.And people say Bermuda doesn't have its own culture.The problem is, other countries have their own traditions and taboos that are completely different from ours. Sure, you could argue that when you visit these countries you're a tourist and you should be given a pass.My question to you is: “Good Afternoon, do we, as Bermudians, give our tourists a pass?”“Uh ...”“I SAID, Good Afternoon!”So you get my point. Now what travel etiquette should you know before you travel? How about shaking your head? Tip one is that in many countries including Bulgaria, Sri Lanka, Albania, Macedonia and India shaking your head from left to right means “Yes” or an agreement, while up and down means “No” or disagreeing.Tip two: in Iran raising your head and eyebrows is considered a “no”! Eyebrows raised here might indicate surprise or even a form of agreement, it's not in Iran!Tip three is: while you might put your feet up on your coffee table or lie down on your couch with your feet over your head, that's a massive insult in many Asian countries. Yep, the soles of your feet are considered the lowest and dirtiest part of the body.And so tip four is: your feet should never be above the head or be used to point, touch etc ... (fair enough, really) in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, well most Asian countries and even Egypt. Of course on the other end, the head, then, is the container of the soul so you should never touch the head or point to the head of another person in Cambodia and other Asian countries.You should also be careful in how you call someone over, or point out a direction. Tip five: in Indonesia, India, Japan and China it is considered vulgar and inappropriate to use your index finger to beckon someone over and you should never use the index finger to point. Instead in China put you palm downwards and make a scratching motion to call someone over and also use the entire palm to point to a particular direction. In India use your chin, whole hand or thumb to point.Then there is trying to pay a compliment in another culture. Well tip six is, our thumbs-up and “OK” signs we make with our hands, (ie a thumb up and our thumb and index finger touching) are fine to use in France (except you will be communicating zero not “OK”), but in other countries these signs are considered vulgar. In Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Argentina, Peru or Iran you might just start a bar fight not start good international relations.Tip seven is: if you're visiting Britain do NOT make the V sign with your index and middle fingers and show the back of your hand. You will have, again, just started a bar fight. Instead turn the palm toward whomever you are speaking to and ask for two beers.Speaking of hands, tip eight is that your left hand is considered unclean (for reasons I cannot go into here. Let's just say toilet paper is sometimes difficult to find) in India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria. So never use your left hand to eat or receive objects.Countries also managed to differ dramatically on the size of their ... gestures! While tip nine is not to get offended in Italy, it is be careful in Japan with how loud and aggressive you are with gestures. When I sailed across the Atlantic on the Italian Naval Ship, Amerigo Vespucci, I thought the crew were always furious I mean it was close quarters. But nope, instead it is customary in Italy to speak loudly and make large hand gestures. In Japan, on the other hand, facial expressions are kept in check. A mere frown could be interpreted as a disagreement. So be careful!!Which leads to tip ten and: in many countries raising your voice to disagree with what is happening is disgracing not only yourself, but also the person you are speaking to ie you will not get anywhere! Thailand is one country where this is the case. Another? Bali. No matter how much I tried, arguing was a waste of time. Smile, nod and move on. They will never change their minds.Want some more advice on a country you are going to? Visit: www.expats-moving-and-relocation-guide.com and visit my blog www.robynswanderings.com and until next week I say as-salaamu ‘alaykum.