Customs, cultures and behaviours differ greatly from city to city and country to country. Luckily, we’ve devised a dos and don’ts travel etiquette guide to ensure you get it right…
To ensure you don’t end up offending a nation during your next holiday, etiquette specialist & image consultant, Balsam Al Khalil, who recently released Travel Etiquette: a Guide for the Modern Traveller, offers some useful tips:
Don’t
- Leave everything till the last minute and therefore start panicking & getting hassled.
- Over pack as you’ll probably shop on your holiday and end up paying for any extra weight on your return.
- Tear up covered magazines in the Duty Free area.
- Don’t keep your mobile on during the take off and landing of the plane.
- Don’t stand up immediately after landing as there is a taxing period before the complete stop.
- Don’t block the way of the fellow passengers at any stage of the trip.
Dos:
- Check the weather, customs and culture of the country of destination.
- Keep it light & simple: organise your packing according to colour codes and don’t pack many pieces in different unmatched colours.
- Keep shoes to a minimum and pack comfortable ones for the day, keeping one pair of high-heels for the evening (preferably in nude or black colour).
- Pack fashionable and light accessories, as many as you can to build up your travel wardrobe by adding them to your original pieces.
- Leave precious accessories behind. Opt for fake jewellery instead – anything you would be less upset over if stolen or misplaced.
- Opt for travel edition toiletries instead of carrying the large edition.
- Keep your travel documents separate in a special safe travel purse.
- Stand in the queue and wait for your turn to be served without overriding other passengers and moving from one line to another.
- Have your passport and ticket ready as well as any loyalty card handy. This will guarantee a speedy check in. Follow this when boarding, too.
- Stand on the side while tidying yourself, without blocking the way.
- Stand on the correct side (mostly the right side) while walking or taking the escalators.
- Proceed to your correct seat, one boarded, and ask for any change (if needed) after the boarding process is completed.
- Place your bags above your seat and get your hand bag after the seat belt sign is switched off.
- Enjoy the onboard entertainment facilities instead of bothering the fellow passenger with non sense conversations.
- Keep the seat belt on until advised otherwise.
- Declare any goods (if need be).
Written by Balsam Al Khalil, author of Travel Etiquette book: A Guide for the Modern Traveler, a pocket guide for the well-heeled jet setter, filled with travel tips, ideas, dos and don’ts both for adults and children 
