4 surefire ways to offend people in other countries

Read up on these dos and don’ts before flying abroad.

Mar 16, 2016
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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Image via Complex Original

When people travel abroad, they usually want to blend in with the locals, but sometimes cultural misunderstandings get in the way of that. 

Tourists can offend people without realizing it due to ignorance of a country's culture. That's why Redditor Draculix asked the Internet, "What's extremely offensive in your country that tourists might not know about beforehand?"

Here are four things you should definitely avoid in any of the following countries:

1. Bothering the Queen's Guard in the UK

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It might seem like a funny antic to tease the Queen's Guard standing outside royal residences in the UK, but just because they can't react doesn't mean you're not being annoying AF.

"They're not decoration," Redditor shufflebottom reminded everyone. "They're serving soldiers. Have a good gawp but leave them be."

The Queen's Guard does in fact consist of trained soldiers, according to the UK army's website. 

Another reason to leave them alone?

"I saw one video of a guy teasing a guard and that guy got a total beat down," said nopingonthat. Perhaps they were referring to this:

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2. Stepping on money in Thailand

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According to one Redditor, stepping on money in Thailand is a major no-no.

"If you step on money, you'll be thrown in jail," KakatteKoi said."It has the king's face on it and disrespecting him in any way (like stepping on his image or saying you hate him) will get you a one-way ticket to a not very nice prison."

It actually is illegal to step on money, known as baht, in Thailand, according to USA Today. In addition, Thai people take affronts to the royal family very seriously. According to the Associated Press, they even call the king "dad" and celebrate his birthday like Father's Day.

KakatteKoi added that you also shouldn't touch people on the head or point your feet toward a Buddha statue while touring Thailand. 

3. Showing the bottom of your feet in the Middle East

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"When I lived in the Middle East, showing the bottom of your feet (like when your legs are crossed) was offensive," said Permexpat. "Saw expats do it all the time, though."

"Which ties into how throwing your shoes at someone is such an insult in the Middle East," Redditor frachris87 explained. "The foot is the 'lowest' part of your body, and you're throwing something that spends most of its time touching your feet."

According to The Telegraph, showing the sole of your shoe and hitting someone with a shoe are both considered insults in Arab culture, which is why a man named Muntadar al-Zeidi decided to throw his shoe at George W. Bush. A mosaic of the former President's face was even constructed on the floor of a Baghdad hotel so that visitors could insult him just by walking.

4. Making the 'okay' hand gesture in Brazil

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The hand gesture some Americans make to say "okay" has a totally different meaning in Brazil, according to Ich_Liegen. Specifically, it means: "Shove it up your ass."

According to the book Faith Entrepreneurs, former President Ronald Reagan made this mistake after he got off a plane in Brazil and accidentally insulted the crowd instead of telling them everything was all right. 

A few other Redditors suggested avoiding this signal in Turkey as well, saying it symbolizes homosexuality there. 

All these misunderstandings just go to show that before you you should read up on local customs before visiting a foreign country. Otherwise, your attempt to make friends could very well backfire.

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