
Here in this article you will find out “Top 10 Surprising Ways To Offend People In Other Countries” which you do not wanna do while traveling overseas.
If you’re planning on traveling abroad, you should be aware that cultures can vary dramatically in different regions. What may seem commonplace in your homeland can land you in the middle of a fist fight or even earn you a decade in a Middle Eastern slave labor camp if you’re not careful. To give you an idea of what we mean, take a look at the top ten surprising ways to offend people in other countries.
Top 10 Surprising Ways To Offend People
10. No Head Pats
In Buddhist countries, it is highly offensive to pat someone on the head as the head is seen as the seat of the soul. Although in hindsight, it is generally highly offensive to pat someone on the head anywhere that you go.
9. Late For Dinner
In Argentina, it is considered an insult to show up on time for a dinner date, as you may come off as greedy. This is especially true for women who are meeting their male counterpart at a restaurant. Therefore, it is best to be casually late. If you must show up early, you may want to hide out somewhere until you see that your date has arrived.
8. Be Polite
In Japan, it is considered to be highly offensive to put a person’s business card in your back pocket or throw it down on a desk, as the exchange of business cards in Japan is meant to be an honorable practice. Instead, you should hold onto the card until the encounter is over, place the card in your shirt pocket, or purposely insert the card into your wallet. In any case, be sure to say thank you and show your appreciation and interest in the gesture.
7. Keep Your Fingers To Yourself
In the Philippines, beckoning someone with a curled finger is considered to mean that you are referencing a person as a dog and is a detainable offense. In fact, you may even have your finger broken off as punishment for the crime. While that fact alone should be enough to deter you from visiting the Philippines at all, you should be careful to keep your fingers to yourself if you do decide to visit.
6. No Smiling In Korea
In Korea, the mere act of smiling at a stranger is considered to be a very rude offense, as Koreans take this gesture to mean that you believe them to be stupid.Smiling at a stranger in Korea is equivalent to the way you might smile at an infant. This faux pas should also be avoided in any “Korea Town” that you may stumble upon anywhere else in the world.
5. Aye OK
While in the United States, placing your thumb and forefinger together in the shape of an “O” is a reference to things being “okay”, this gesture in Russia carries sexual connotations and is the equivalent of calling someone a vagina. Although you wouldn’t want to make this mistake anywhere in the world, Russia should be at the top of your list of places to not offend people you don’t know.
4. Keep Your Nose Clean

In Japan, it is considered disgusting to blow your nose in public. In fact, the Japanese word for “snot” is literally “nose shit”. Therefore, it is best to excuse yourself to the restroom, blow your nose in private, and wash your hands immediately before returning to your group.
3. Drinking Rules

When visiting Great Britain or Australia, you should keep in mind that it is considered good behavior for each person at a table to take turns in buying a round for the group. Be careful to not buy too many rounds or else you’ll seem like a show-off whilst also not buying too few rounds or else you’ll seem rude and cheap.
2. Keep Your Peace Sign To Yourself

In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, a peace sign with your palm outward is equivalent to flicking someone off. If you must flash your peace signs, be sure that the back of your hand is facing the recipient. A peace sign with the back of your hand facing the recipient is observed as a true peace sign. While most people would probably recognize either hand sign as an attempt to make peace, especially when they realize that you’re a foreigner, it would still be best to follow the local customs so that you don’t accidentally offend someone who doesn’t put two and two together.
1. Eating With Your Left Hand

In certain parts of the world, where lack of water means basic hygiene is not considered a routine habit, it is commonplace that the left hand is reserved for “bathroom activities”. Using left hand for eating is one of the Surprising Ways To Offend People here. Therefore, you should always eat with your right hand and never touch communal food with your left hand when visiting the Middle East, India, or Africa.
This is all about the Top Ten Most Surprising Ways to Offend People in Other Countries. So Take Care, Check this kind of ways to offend people in other countries well and Have a Good Day !
Mostly good, but you’ve got the hand facing the wrong way with the British peace sign thing, trust me. The palm SHOULD face the recipient; the back of the hand/fingernails towards them is the “rude” version. I know because the same gesture is used here in Australia and also because there’s an episode of The Goodies (classic English comedy show) where they’re in a race with a car that has hands for indicators and it does the two fingers with the palm inwards thing to flip people off, which I recall got uproarious laughter from the studio audience. Palm outwards = peace, palm inwards = “Screw you”, basically. Other than that, a great list. 🙂
Robert’s right about the peace sign. Palm out for peace. See Winston Churchill do the same sign for Victory. See the Sex pistols do it the other way round to be offensive. Back of the hand out – that’s F*** Off. Palm out – that’s peace. You WILL get your nose bloodied if you get it wrong!