Travel etiquette: Dos and don'ts around the world

Starting this year, 2019, unmarried couples can share a hotel room in Uzbekistan. Until now, it was considered an incitement to immorality. The decree repealing the old regulation is one of the measures aimed at encouraging international tourism to the Central Asian country.

Good food is part of the French way of life. It is not surprising then that table manners are very important here. Slurping and eating noisily are frowned upon, it is not acceptable to eat chicken with your fingers and larger leaves of lettuce should be careful folded with your knife and fork. You are also not expected to eat everything on your plate, but rather leave a morsel of food behind.

Germans are regarded of as being very punctual. A meeting at 3 p.m. actually means 3 p.m. exactly. Should someone arrive 5 minutes late, then they are expected to at least apologize, but even better call to announce their delay. To avoid being late Germans have been known to even sprint or run to an appointment.

On this island of hot springs you need to be sure to adhere to the public swimming pool rules. As soon as you enter the foyer you have to take off your shoes. Before going into the pool you need to shower - naked! You are to wash yourself thoroughly with soap, particularly your head and your genital area. Icelandic people get very upset if you fail to do this.

Facial expressions and gestures have different meanings in different cultures. So beware! Thumbs up means "everything is great" in most places, but in Middle Eastern countries it is a very obscene and insulting gesture. In Turkey this gesture, if you move your hand up and down, is an open invitation for homosexual practices.

Alcohol in the Emirates is no laughing matter. Drinking in public is a punishable offence. It is safer to have a drink in a hotel. Also carefully select your clothes and do not wear anything revealing. Local men, despite hot temperatures, never wear shorts. Women are never to be touched, even when saying hello, there should be no physical contact like shaking hands.

In India when you eat you need to always use only your right hand. The same goes for shaking hands or even if merely pointing at something. The left hand is regarded as unclean here, and only to be used for bodily hygiene.

Never visit anyone without a gift! Do not bring flowers though, as these are only ever given in case of a death. It is better to gift something to drink or eat from your home country. Another thing: do not be surprised, for Chinese people it is polite unwrap gifts after the guests have left.

Everything has to be kept clean here! A breach of this rule is not seen as a blunder but rather a punishable offence. So do not litter streets! Do not eat, drink or smoke in train stations or on public transport. It is prohibited to spit gum on the street. Should you feel tempted to leave behind your mark in the form of graffiti think again - here sprayers who are caught are punished by beatings.

In the United States you must never forget to give a tip. Most service personnel depend on it for their livelihoods. In restaurants you should leave a tip of ten to twenty percent of the amount on the bill. Taxi drivers tend to expect 15 percent of the fare.

What should you be aware of in Africa? In Ethiopia it is a sign of affection to feed one another. To avoid appearing rude it's best to allow yourself to be fed. Even if you do not know all the customs of a country there is one safe way of going about traveling: always be respectful of foreign cultures and try, whenever possible, to fit in.