Behave Yourself!: The Essential Guide To International Etiquette

by Michael Powell, Unknown Author

Learn how to walk the walk and talk the talk with this easy-to-use guide for those traveling abroad.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Self Help, Cultural, Reference, Business

Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Sara Winston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read. International etiquette tailor to 45 global locations. Here are the most memorable trivias,

In Austria, people are expected to remove their shoes when entering someone's houses. In this case, many women prefer to bring their own slippers as it is more dignified than wandering around in nylons or socks.

In Bulgaria, be sure you have your carte statistique, or border control card, with you. You can't check into a hotel without it.

In Croatia, it is illegal to sleep inside your car.

In Egypt, adding salt to your plate implies the food isn't palatable.

In Italy, don't use a spoon when eating pasta.

In New Zealand, if you rent a car on North Island, you can't take it to the South Island.

In Singapore, chewing gum is illegal and it is not allowed to be brought into the country.

Interesting trivias, great photos, a relaxing and fun read. Highly recommended.

[Bea Elwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become, until he goes abroad." -Mark Twain

Cultural customs and society norms change from community to community and its important to have some knowledge of the differences between yourself and the people you plan to visit especially internationally - you wouldn't want to give the thumbs-up sign to an Austrailian unless you really did mean "up yours".

Although I liked the book I think someone needs to develop the app for this since you're not very likely to remember what you read (there are 45 countries listed in just this one book) although I guess you could just rip out the two pages you needed for which ever country you did visit...

[Marjorie Elwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly, the number of people I must have offended during my travels is huge....

This is an interesting and helpful guide to manners and cultural norms around the world. There is far too much to take in at one go, but one take-away is that it's rude in many of the countries mentioned to keep your hands in your pockets.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little read. Even though I probably won't visit all the places in the book, I found it very interesting to see how many things are so different in other countries. Even the little details in how to present a business card or how you shake hands normally would cause offence somewhere else.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only wish is that it had been longer...!

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick way to expose yourself to the contrast and similarities of cultures....if only from a tourist point of view. My kids loved it, too.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, brief guide to cultural norms and faux pas around the world. I only really read about China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the US, then browsed the rest. A well-designed and colorful read!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to have for quick reference when world traveling.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book of international etiquette!