V isn't always for Victory: Are you a savvy traveler?
Matt Rourke/AP/File
Nearly 47 million Americans headed out of the country in 2012, be it merely over the border to Canada or Mexico or to destinations further afield, according to the US Commerce Department's Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. All of that international travel provides plenty of opportunity to deepen cross-cultural understanding, but it can also lead to humorous – or serious – misunderstandings as well.
So before you head to passport control, take our quiz to make sure you've got the travel smarts to act diplomatically in cultures around the world.
1. You find yourself hitchhiking in Almaty, Kazakhstan. What would be the best way to ensure that passing drivers actually stop to give you a ride?
The safest thing to do is to move your hand up and down, like patting a dog.
The safest thing to do is to move your hand up and down, like patting a dog.
The safest thing to do is to move your hand up and down, like patting a dog.
The safest thing to do is to move your hand up and down, like patting a dog.
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Clenched fist with a thumb sticking up or horizontally |
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Hand extended overhead, facing backward, pinky finger, with your pointer finger and thumb outstretched |
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Both arms waving overhead vigorously |
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One hand outstretched, palm open and facing downward |
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