If you ever travel the world and discover that one of the locals may be your one true love, then usually the next step is to ask them out. Dating etiquette and taboos, however, are not the same for everyone. Some ways people flirt home that is considered cute or even romantic may actually cause an overseas scene.
1. Public displays of affection
Recall how the kids caught hugging and kissing in the hallway got into trouble in high school? That’s the standard on the streets with varying degrees of severity in some nations.
It can be considered highly offensive in countries like Japan or Korea. It may be extremely controversial in other cases. Some people learned this the hard way by being arrested while in Saudi Arabia or other Arabic countries for kissing in public.
2. No public displays of affection
If you think a bunch of PDA laws are in place to help you get through in the social circles of each state, you’re wrong. There are plenty of cultures where people, even when dealing with friends, are meant to be publicly affectionate. In many countries in Central and South America, where people frequently greet each other with cheek-kissing, not being too affectionate in public can make you feel cold and emotionless.
3. Splitting the bill
In general, splitting a bill in the west is a perfect compromise. Men are historically expected to pay for women, but many think that this is offensive because it means that women are unable to take care of themselves. That said, even if women pay fine for their date, they are often seen to profit from it.
Nonetheless, sharing the bill in South Korea is seen as rude as this is something people do with the family. Typically, it is assumed that anyone who makes more money should pay, which ensures that women are perfectly socially acceptable to pay for their boyfriends.
4. Bringing a date to weddings and parties
Wedding guests enter a battleground in the United States. It’s a social faux pas to attend without a date and the fastest way to get your friends and family to contact the nearest matchmaker.
However, in the UK, it’s best to go to these big life-events without a date as that’s where individuals go to mix. Some invitations to marry even require the attendance of unmarried guests alone. After all, weddings are the social event of the season in some cultures!
5. Kissing
You may think we’ve covered this with our PDA section already, but it’s pretty complicated actually. Various types of PDA each come with their own forms of etiquette in some cultures. It is safer to hug your date in some European countries such as Germany or Poland; hugging is usually reserved for more serious relationships.
