Because of language barriers, we travelers sometimes have to use our hands to help get our point across. The article Etiquette 101: Hand Gestures reveals which gestures will do just that…and which are sure to offend the person your communicating with. We don’t want that to happen, so keep on reading…

In the future, Two JetSet Divas plan to occasionally highlight gestures from a specific country (the good, the bad, and the ugly) or the meanings around the world for gestures we use here in the U.S.




We’ll start with some common gestures:

Thumbs Up

America - Generally means “Cool” or “That’s good!”. Tilt the hand a little and it could mean “hitchhiking”.
Nigeria, Greece, Southern Italy, and parts of Russia and the Middle East - Considered an obscene gesture.
Austria, France, Germany - Means the number one.
Japan - Means the number five. So, you might think you said “That’s good” and end up ordering five more!




Okay

America - Generally means “A-OK”.
France - Means “zero” or “nothing”.
Denmark and Italy - Could mean an insult.
Brazil, Paraguay, Guatemala - Obscene gesture.

Peace sign

America - Generally means “peace”. If reversed (palm in), the gesture can mean “peace out” or “I’m gone”.
U.K. and Australia - If reversed (palm in), gesture is considered obscene.






Here’s a nice, yet complex chart of gestures from the Conde Nast article. The next time you trek around the globe, make sure you use your hands wisely.

source: Global Business Etiquette

While making my weekly trip to the grocery store, I came across this very creative wine bottle displayed at the front of the wine section. The jetsetter in me immediately loved the boarding pass label and the airline luggage tag around the cork. It was a combination of two of my favorite things…travel and wine. Boarding Pass is an Australian Shiraz that could be a cute gift idea for frequent fliers and wine aficionados alike.

If you prefer a real taste of Australia, Qantas Airlines is offering several web deals such as:
AussieWeek Special to Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane (LA, San Fran, or Honolulu departures) from $998
Qantas Aussie AirPass (includes direct flights from New York) from $1099
Canadian Aussie AirPass (Vancouver departure) from C$1199


Hey…either ‘Boarding Pass’ sounds good to me!