Every nation has its own unique set of cultural dos and don’ts. Before I visit any country, I always make a point of researching a few basic techniques before setting foot on their soil. In some countries, this may not be so esteemed, but in others such as China or Japan, negligence of some basic rules can raise eyebrows. In Europe I feel that Germany is no exception to this.
Being comfortable and knowledgeable about the customs, etiquette, and to some extent the laws prevalent in this region, will help prevent embarrassment and blunders. I think it is an excellent idea to do some home-work and research thoroughly all the information possible so that everything can be handled tactfully. Germany is the third largest economy in the world and a powerful platform for international business.
Greeting Etiquette
When introduced to a person, just shake hands and keep at arms length. Moreover, maintain direct eye contact. It is considered impolite if you do not do so. Maintaining eye contact as long as the person is talking to you is good manners, depending on what sort of situation you are in, if it is romantic or business. When introduced to a group of people, wait for the dinner host to introduce you and shake hands with everybody; women, men and even children, also try and refer to them by name. Only remarkably close friends and family members greet each other with a hug or kiss on the cheek.
When talking in the German language, you address the older generation by the word ‘Sie’. Only friends refer to each other as ‘du’ as it is used as an informal tone, and ‘sei’ signifies respect of an older person. You can start off by leaning these few elementary things and then learn other more serious stuff.
Avoid greeting people with ‘how are you’, unless you want to spend the next thirty minutes listening to their personal problems, and some of the locals can open up to you, especially if you are in the pub having a pint. Early morning greetings like, ‘good morning’ in German, like ‘Guten tag’ will suffice for any office-workers. Try to keep the conversation neutral and objective, especially for a first time meeting. Also, unless you’re proficient inthe German language, make sure to take your pocket phrase bookeverywhere you go, that is unless you have the budget to hire a professional translation agency to follow you around everywhere!
By Kirsty S
This photos of the article really catch my eyes! Beautiful Photo indeed! And the etiquette while traveling article really help people like me who happy go lucky one while traveling. At least I won’t got smack down by the older citizen after reading this. Thank’s for writing this article
Enjoyed your post. Have made countless mistakes in my own travels – hopefully not irreparable damage ! Great advice
Wish I had known about the “keeping at arm’s distance length” when greeting others … my first trip to Germany was to visit a good friend of mine who had been an exchange student at my high school – I was so excited to get to know her family that I hugged all of them! Haha one who knows these rules of German etiquette (which I now understand) would certainly understand the kind of responses I got! Anyways, made for a funny (at times) experience, and some family members were happy to greet me with a hello hug.
Take care!
I should have looked up greetings before traveling, but since that was my first flight out of my home country, I’ve learned my lesson.
Thanks for sharing! And thanks for liking my posts as well!
Yes it’s actually funny how different all of our rules are at first . . . and how it all boils down to the same insecurities and hopes in the end. good thing about German sincerity: once you made it “in”to the circle, you can be sure to have found real friends who don’t put up a fassade but are honest and loyal to you.
ich liebe Deutchland. hope i typed it right