Travel Etiquette I would have never known....

[gramma dishes]

Be careful to check what the local obscene gestures are.

You really don't to wave at a Greek or make the OK gesture to a German. If ordering two of something in the UK, don't make a V sign with your palm facing towards you.

Could you be a little more explanatory (without triggering ten thousand site censors)?  I would think nothing of waving to a Greek I recognized, the 'okay' gesture to someone whether I knew him/her to be German or not, and why not the "V" sign to indicate 'two please'?

[Cat-Fu]

Be careful to check what the local obscene gestures are.

You really don't to wave at a Greek or make the OK gesture to a German. If ordering two of something in the UK, don't make a V sign with your palm facing towards you.

Could you be a little more explanatory (without triggering ten thousand site censors)?  I would think nothing of waving to a Greek I recognized, the 'okay' gesture to someone whether I knew him/her to be German or not, and why not the "V" sign to indicate 'two please'?

Moutza is a wave-like gesture, so it's best to avoid it in Greece. The ok hand gesture means a-hole (or the other f word) in Germany (and a couple other countries, too, I think). The V sign is basically flipping someone off in the UK. Also, making a fist with your thumb between your index and middle fingers is flipping someone off!

I am totally fascinated by swear gestures, does it show?

[gramma dishes]

Be careful to check what the local obscene gestures are.

You really don't to wave at a Greek or make the OK gesture to a German. If ordering two of something in the UK, don't make a V sign with your palm facing towards you.

Could you be a little more explanatory (without triggering ten thousand site censors)?  I would think nothing of waving to a Greek I recognized, the 'okay' gesture to someone whether I knew him/her to be German or not, and why not the "V" sign to indicate 'two please'?

Moutza is a wave-like gesture, so it's best to avoid it in Greece. The ok hand gesture means a-hole (or the other f word) in Germany (and a couple other countries, too, I think). The V sign is basically flipping someone off in the UK. Also, making a fist with your thumb between your index and middle fingers is also flipping someone off!

I am totally fascinated by swear gestures, does it show?

That's absolutely fascinating!  I can't help but wonder how many people I've inadvertently offended over the years?   

[Dalek]

Be careful to check what the local obscene gestures are.

You really don't to wave at a Greek or make the OK gesture to a German. If ordering two of something in the UK, don't make a V sign with your palm facing towards you.

Could you be a little more explanatory (without triggering ten thousand site censors)?  I would think nothing of waving to a Greek I recognized, the 'okay' gesture to someone whether I knew him/her to be German or not, and why not the "V" sign to indicate 'two please'?

Moutza is a wave-like gesture, so it's best to avoid it in Greece. The ok hand gesture means a-hole (or the other f word) in Germany (and a couple other countries, too, I think). The V sign is basically flipping someone off in the UK. Also, making a fist with your thumb between your index and middle fingers is also flipping someone off!

I am totally fascinated by swear gestures, does it show?

I believe George H. W. Bush once made that mistake. 

[RingTailedLemur]

When I was in Canada a man who sold me train tickets indicated "two" with a palm-in V-sign.  I was really shocked for a moment!

[Auntie Mame]

I lived in Eastern Europe for a while and (thankfully was warned about this) when you buy flowers for someone always make sure it's an odd number.  Even number flowers are only given at funerals.

Oh, and if you are introducing a friend of the opposite gender, make sure to refer to them a "colleague", the male and female derivatives of the word firend mean the same as boyfriend and girlfriend when the person is the opposite gender, the words mean friend when the person is of the same gender (yeah, I know, it confused me too).  Every male I knew suddenly became my "colleague" or people would have thought I was a strumpet with multiple boyfriends 

Woo boy, the intricate rules on greeting people in the Hungarian language took me months to figure out.