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Introduction
Have you ever noticed that greetings look very different depending on where you are in the world? It wasn’t until I started travelling for work in 2022 that I really began to observe and reflect on those cultural nuances. Nobody taught me any of this before I headed off on my travels. I had to pick it up as I went.
Travelling for work has allowed me to get to know a culture on a much deeper level than travelling as a tourist. You’re embedded in a place rather than just passing through it, and a cultural misstep carries a little more weight in that context. Some of the first things I picked up on were greetings and small gestures – things I wish I had known beforehand so I could have gotten them right from the start. Hopefully they help you do exactly that, whether you’ve never been to some of these places or you’re just new to business travel.
Handshakes
In Canada and the U.S., a handshake is the default greeting, though post-pandemic, even that has become less automatic. I usually wait for the other person’s cue now rather than assume.
I had that same habit when I first travelled to the Middle East in October 2022. What I didn’t know was that in much of the region, it’s not culturally appropriate for a man to initiate a handshake with a woman. The woman must extend her hand first, and if she doesn’t, no handshake happens. It took a few days and an explanation from a colleague before I understood that. Once I did, I started offering my hand first, and the response was always friendly and warm. (Check out my post about what it’s like to travel solo in the Middle East as a woman).
Business Trip in September 2023 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Two Hands
During that same trip, I noticed something else that may seem small on the surface, but is quite meaningful once you’re aware of it. In much of the Middle East, it’s customary to give and receive things with both hands: handing over your passport, accepting a key card, exchanging business cards. Two hands, every time.
I remember noticing it first while checking into the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut. Something about the exchange felt slightly off, like I was being unintentionally dismissive, though I couldn’t immediately put my finger on why. I was doing what I always do: one hand, moving quickly, already onto the next thing. Once I understood the custom, I made a conscious effort to slow down and be present in those small moments. The interactions felt so much warmer for it. It’s a simple thing, but it reframes an exchange as something worth paying attention to.
The same applies in parts of Asia. When I travelled to China and Japan, the custom was equally present, particularly when exchanging business cards.
Business Trip in November 2023 – Beijing, China
Kiss on the Cheek
After several years of work trips through the Middle East and Asia, I had my first work trip to Brazil. The difference in greetings was striking.
Where greetings in the Middle East tend to be more reserved and men never initiate contact with a woman, Latin American culture is the opposite. At the first event I attended in Brazil, I was meeting everyone for the first time, and every single person greeted me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Warmth and affection aren’t something you earn over time in that region; they’re just given, from the very first hello. It’s why I love Latin American culture so much. It was such a beautiful contrast to what I had grown used to.
Business Trip in March 2026 – São Paulo, Brazil
Takeaway
Every region I’ve travelled to has its own way of doing things, and greetings are often the first place I notice that. In the Middle East, a woman always extends her hand first, and you give and receive things with two hands. In Asia, that same two-handed exchange applies, especially with business cards. In Latin America, expect a hug and a kiss on the cheek from the moment you meet someone, even a stranger.
None of these are things anyone really taught me before my first trips, and getting them wrong in a professional context feels a lot more uncomfortable than getting them wrong as a tourist. I hope knowing them ahead of time makes your experience a little warmer from the very first hello.
