A friend of mine suggested that I write about the different social mores of foreign cultures. She wanted to know about things they could expect to see while traveling—as a way to prepare her kids. These things could happen in our own country, too. The differences we noticed while traveling include:

men and women greet each other by kissing on both cheeks (sometimes three times total)- in Greece, especially and other places in Europe.

people dressed in costumes; we once saw a woman in a Gothic cape walking her boyfriend on a leash around his neck. He was only wearing shorts and boots. (Zurich)

more tolerance

public restrooms are not all clean and do not keep toilet paper stocked

hygeine differences

nude beaches

random nudity: a man walking naked on a major street in the middle of the day (Barcelona)

public urination (India)

families seated in the back of restaurants in one country we went to (Scotland)

wardrobe modesty :women have to cover shoulders in India, for example, and wear conservative clothes to visit the temples. In Morocco and Turkey I also observed this dress code, however, it did not seem strictly enforced anywhere. I did it out of respect and courtesy.

in Greece, men or grown boys were given pants to wear to enter religious places and women were given long skirts. It’s best to travel with these items while visiting these places.