55 American Customs That Won't Fly Overseas

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Using your left hand is a major no-no in many parts of the world, especially in India, where it is thought to be unclean and disrespectful. In reality, though, this taboo isn't relegated to just India—Africa, Sri Lanka, and even countries throughout the Middle East also consider it a major faux pas. It's almost as if someone is willing to take the risk of offending others by using their left hand—almost like they're purposely slapping them in the face!

Using Your Left Hand

Although this may not apply everywhere, it's important to note that being aware of cultural etiquette is essential for having smooth relations with other regions.

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Did you know...

  • Jet lag is worse when you're traveling from west to east. That's because the changes in time zones become not only more physically apparent on your body, but they are also more culturally apparent. If restaurants close at 10pm on the East Coast, you'll just be getting hungry since it will feel like 7pm on your West Coast-adjusted body.
  • The longest flight in the world is between Singapore and Newark, New Jersey. Depending on which way you're flying, it takes around 18.5 hours to complete the 9,534 miles of the journey. The flight is so long that it doesn't even have an economy class. Only first-class and business-class arrangements are offered.
  • Even though it is spread across five time zones, the entire country of China is set to Beijing time. Having a single time zone in the United States would certainly make things easier. Currently, the USA is spread across six, but a single time zone would make things a little wonky in Alaska and Hawai'i.
  • There are over 61,000 people on a plane in the air over the U.S. at any given moment. That makes sense because the U.S. has one third of all the airports in the world. Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world with over 100 million total passengers every year since 2015.
  • Minnesota might say that it's the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," but Canada has it beat. The country as a whole has over three million lakes. That means Canada has 60% of the world's total number of lakes within its borders. It must seem like paradise for people who like to fish or boat!