25 Mistakes Travelers Make in Asia (and How to Avoid Them)

From more costly mistakes like assuming you don't need a visa to embarrassing (and offensive) improper chopstick placement, here’s exactly what you need to know when traveling in Asia.

25 Mistakes Travelers Make in Asia (and How to Avoid Them)

Asia has always been a common destination for travelers — but unfortunately, the faux pas we commit on a daily basis are just as common. Every Asian country has some of those “unwritten rules” that most tourists aren’t even aware of, but with a little forethought, it’s easy to ensure you come across as a guest of the country you're visiting, rather than another bumbling tourist.

Whether you’re heading to Japan, Thailand or somewhere a little more remote, we’ve rounded up some of the most common mistakes that travelers make while traveling through Asia — and exactly how to avoid them. From more costly mistakes like assuming your passport grants you entry into every country to embarrassing (and offensive) improper chopstick placement, here’s exactly what you need to know to be as respectful as possible while traveling around this amazing continent.

Assuming You Don’t Need a Visa

An American passport is very strong, and visas are not usually required, but they are in Thailand and Vietnam. Same goes for other common, strong passports.

Vietnam in particular requires a “visa on arrival” feature, but you must get permission to enter first.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

“We arrived at the Chiang Mai airport, destined for Vietnam but were denied boarding,” explains Norm Bour, founder of Travel Younger.

“We had a choice to stay there or return to Bangkok and get our facts straight, which is what we did. Lesson learned: Know the visa rules before flying somewhere you cannot get into!”

Not Having Proof of Onward/Exit Tickets

“I have come across quite many American travelers who don't know about onward tickets or simply ignore that angle when it comes to travel and visas,” explains Deb Pati, travel expert and founder of The Visa Project.

“An onward ticket is proof that you would be leaving before your visa expires. It can be asked by Immigration when you enter and by the airlines when you board. And it is often a requirement if you are applying for a tourist visa.”

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

While not every country in Asia requires proof of onward tickets, it’s quite common in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. You won’t want to be in a situation where an airline will refuse boarding or worse.

If you want to ensure your border crossing goes as smoothly as possible, just make sure you don’t buy a one-way ticket.

Being Careless With Dirty Laundry

“Burmese are very superstitious and believe that a man can’t touch a woman’s underwear because they believe that touching a lady's underwear will ‘sap them of their power,’” explains Matej Halouska, founder of Czech the World.

“We have learned this the hard way. We wanted to wash our clothes in one of the hostels in Mrauk-U, Myanmar. So, we bought a bag of our clothes. The lady (hostel owner) pointed to her husband and told us that he will take it. And then it happened. The man and woman started a very loud Burmese conversation. We didn’t understand a word. Her husband threw the laundry bag back to us. And the angry women started pointing to us.”

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

Halouska realized, after a round of Googling, that there are very strict beliefs around men touching women’s underwear — it has even been used as a political statement in certain parts of Myanmar.

In other words, keep your dirty laundry to yourself!

Assuming You Won’t Need to Use Chopsticks

“You won't find spoons and forks in many Asian restaurants unless you’re in certain countries like Thailand or the Philippines,” explains Torben Lonne Diver, co-founder of DIVEIN.

Chopsticks become second nature once you’ve gotten used to them, but there’s admittedly a learning curve to overcome.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

If you’re worried about making a fool out of yourself trying to navigate using chopsticks in a fancy restaurant, consider purchasing a set before your trip and using them at home for a couple of weeks in lieu of a fork.

Not only will it make you more confident, but your waiter will also appreciate not having to scramble to find a fork for you.

Tipping After a Meal or for a Service

This a major no-no in Japan especially, but you should always check the guidelines on tipping for whatever country you’re visiting around the world.

“Tipping after a meal or for a service is considered to be an extremely disrespectful act, as Japanese people take pride in doing their job well without any incentives,” explains Diver.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

Instead of leaving a cash tip for your waiter or service provider in Japan, consider simply saying “arigato gozaimasu,” a simple, polite way of saying thank you.

Blowing Your Nose in Public

“In Japan, China, Korea and almost every other Asian country, blowing your nose in public is seen as both gross and disrespectful,” says Diver.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

If you absolutely need to blow your nose, find a secluded place to do so.

Chewing Gum in Singapore

“Rather than frowned upon, chewing gum in Singapore is actually illegal,” explains Diver.

“Furthermore, you could be fined up to $500 if you spit it out in public.”

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

You won’t even be able to buy chewing gum anywhere in Singapore — a policy that was put in place in the 1990s. Since 2004, an exception has been made specifically for therapeutic, dental and nicotine chewing gum, but it must be purchased from a doctor or a registered pharmacist.

We recommend simply not packing any gum to bring with you on a trip to this country.

Wearing Outdoor Shoes Indoors

Wearing your outdoor shoes indoors or at certain unsuspecting places is probably one of the worst things you can do in Japan.

As a tourist, you're unlikely to go to a Japanese house, but shoes have to come off at some restaurants (more expensive ones and traditional inns), temples, shrines, onsens and historical places.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

“Just one step into a no shoe area will earn the generally mild-mannered Japanese scorn,” explains Chris P. King, founder of Food Tours Japan. “The Japanese have mastered the art of slipping effortlessly from shoes to slippers without their shoeless feet touching the ground. In contrast, you'll often see foreigners fumbling around with their shoeless feet on the floor.”

King also urges travelers to be aware of the fact that you’ll have to swap your slippers for toilet slippers when going to relieve yourself. “On many occasions, I've walked out of the toilet with the toilet slippers on. The only thing worse than wearing your outdoor shoes inside is walking inside with the toilet slippers on!”

Taking Photos of Anything Military-Related

“Don’t take photos of anything military-related in Vietnam,” urges Marco Sison, founder of Nomadic FIRE.

“Seriously err on the side of caution here, as photos of the military can draw a significant fine.”

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

This ban includes anything related to the military.

While there are typically signs posted when photos aren’t allowed, if you have any doubt, just don’t do it. That Instagram shot just isn’t worth it.

Window Shopping in the Early Morning

According to Sison, window shopping in the morning can easily set up Vietnamese business owners for a day of bad luck if you’re not planning on buying anything.

“Vendors in Vietnam are superstitious. The first customer of the day can bring them good luck if they buy or bad luck for the rest of the day if the vendor doesn't make a sale,” says Sison.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

Hmmm, what can you do to avoid this one?

Simply avoid shopping in the morning. You don’t want to be responsible for ruining a hard-working shopkeeper's day!

Touching a Monk — Even as a Gesture of Kindness

Women need to be extra careful around Monks in Vietnam.

According to Sison, it’s a very big cultural taboo for a woman to touch a monk.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

If a woman does need to hand something to a monk, it’s considered to be more appropriate to hand the item over to a man and have the man then hand it directly to the monk.

Sorry, ladies!

Accepting Ridiculously Generous Gifts in Iran

In Iran, there is something known as Taarof — an excessive form of generosity that is not expected to be accepted. Often people will offer you the use of their car, to stay the night, to pay for meals and other services.

This is even more difficult to fathom as a visitor, as Persian people are very generous, so many of these offers are real.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

“As a rule of thumb, you should decline three times, and if they still offer, it is a genuine offer and not Taarof. However, the more ridiculous the offer the more times the person offering will offer as they feel safe it will not be accepted,” explains Elise Wortley, founder of Untamed Borders Ltd.

“This allows everyone to offer to be generous even if they do not have the means to be.”

Assuming the Weekend Is Saturday and Sunday

“An Asia-specific faux pas that I’ve done is assuming that the weekend in Asia is on Saturday and Sunday,” says Kathleen Porter Kristiansen, lawyer and founder of Tripe Passport.

“It actually varies by country due to what religion is dominant.”

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

While the weekend is Saturday and Sunday in most countries in Asia, it is actually Friday and Saturday in Muslim countries such as the Maldives.

“We realized this the hard way when trying to extend our visas in the Maldives, and the office shut on a Friday!” adds Kristiansen.

Eating Your Entire Meal With a Fork

According to Ronan Mahony, founder of Thai Food Paradise, one thing people often overlook with eating etiquette in Thailand is that you should eat food with your spoon, not your fork.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

“You typically get both a spoon and a fork when you order food in Thailand. The fork is for pushing food onto the spoon, and the spoon is for putting the food in your mouth,” Mahony explains.

Being Noisy on Public Transportation

In most East Asian countries, especially Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, being noisy, or sometimes even talking at all, is frowned down upon on trains, buses and city metros.

In China, there are even dedicated quiet train cars on the high-speed rail.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

“Many Asians like to catch some shut-eye or just zone out in peace while commuting. If you must chat with your travel partner, keep it to a near-whisper,” says Nick Kembel, founder of Spiritual Travels and a Taiwan resident. “If listening to music on headphones, keep it respectfully low, and if you answer a phone call, you can adopt the local method of using the other hand to cup around your mouth while speaking softly.”

Kembel also notes that in some East Asian countries, it is also considered impolite to put your feet up on the seat, as feet are regarded as dirty, and you could disturb other passengers.

Bringing Up Death

Death is a taboo topic in several Asian cultures.

Because many Asians believe in ghosts, spirits or haunted places, they feel uncomfortable around cemeteries or places where someone is known to have died.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

It's best to simply avoid the subject as much as possible.

“You may also notice that the hospitals, hotels or other buildings don't have a fourth floor. This is because of tetraphobia, fear of the number four,” explains Kembel. “‘Four’ sounds like the word for death in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese languages.”

Sticking Your Chopsticks Vertically Into Rice

Surprisingly related to the topic of death, it is also considered to be very rude to stick your chopsticks in your rice between bites.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

“It is improper to place chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice because it looks similar to sticks of incense burned for the deceased,” explains Kembel.

Instead, sit your chopsticks on your napkin or balance them horizontally across your bowl.

Eating or Giving Money With the Left Hand

In many countries in Asia, the left hand is considered dirty because it's the one they would traditionally clean themselves with after going to the bathroom.

So, when you're sitting there touching your food or paying for something with your left hand, that's all they can see.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

“I'm a left-hander myself, so I know how hard this one can be,” shares Becky Carruthers, founder of Becky Carruthers Creative and a Tibet resident.

“Be respectful, and just use your right [hand]. I've even had shopkeepers refuse to take my money if I've presented it with my left hand, but then be fine with it once I put that same money into my right.”

Touching Children, or Anyone, on the Head

The top of the head is considered to be a sacred part of the body, and as such, it's considered rude to touch anyone here.

They might not tell you off, but it will certainly make them uncomfortable.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

In the same vein, hats should always be taken off when visiting temples or holy places to show respect to the deities living there.

Pointing the Soles of Your Feet Toward Buddha

“The soles of your feet are considered the dirtiest part of your body, and it's extremely offensive to point this part of you toward any statue or image of the Buddha,” says Carruthers.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

That means you better get used to sitting either cross-legged or with your knees bent and your feet pointing behind you if you’re visiting temples.

Publicly Displaying Too Much Affection

“Public displays of affection can be very endearing, especially for happy couples on a dream trip, but, in Thai society, this form of affection is meant to be private and shared only with your loved one,” explains Craig Zapatka, co-founder of elsewhere.io.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

Make sure to keep all PDA to a PG level — not only to be respectful but also to stay out of trouble.

Being Careless With Your Tattoos

“Many travelers take to getting a Hindu God tattooed on their travels, but in India, it's disrespectful to get it below the waist,” explains Manisha Singh, founder of The Sole Speaks.

“If one already has it, it's best to keep it covered. Some travelers in the past have also gotten into trouble with locals for having religious tattoos on the calf and feet.”

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

In Japan, on the other hand, travelers should be mindful of heading to the spa or onsen with visible tattoos.

Most onsens have a strict no-tattoo policy and will either require you to cover your tattoos with bandages or won’t permit you entry at all.

Calling Strangers by Their First Name

“While in most corporations in India, the culture is first-name addressing, but in everyday life outside work, it's rude to call elders with their name,” explains Singh.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

Singh explains that it’s customary to call elders Uncle or Aunty, but Sir or Ma'am works as well.

Walking While Eating or Drinking in Japan

While it’s completely normal practice to grab a coffee or snack to-go while walking through the city streets, it’s considered to be very rude and even sloppy in Japan.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

That being said, if you want to take advantage of the abundance of vending machines in the streets, stopping for a quick beverage next to the vending machine is considered acceptable.

Just make sure to finish it and dispose of it before you go on your merry way.

Mishandling Business Cards

Like in North America, many professionals throughout Asia keep business cards on hand to pass out to prospective clients or contacts.

But exactly how you give and accept business cards can have different meanings in Asian cultures.

How to Avoid This Faux Pas

You should always accept a business card with two hands and treat it with respect.

Leaving a business card on a restaurant table or stuffing it into your jeans pocket is considered to be quite rude.