12 Things NOT to do in Portugal

12 things not to do in Portugal [Music] hey everybody this is Dave in Portugal here and today we're going to talk about the 12 things not to do if you don't want to look like a total goon I have spent the last year traveling around Portugal and I had no idea of any of the etiquette here but I have picked up on a couple things since being here and today I'm going to share that with you without further Ado let's get into it now the Portuguese people are pretty forgiving and welcome to Foreigners for the most part but these 12 things might get you a little bit of the side eye number one do not speak Spanish to Portuguese people now it's totally understandable if Spanish is your first language as if you don't know how to speak any other languages especially Portuguese you might have to speak Spanish to be able to communicate which is totally fine but if you're from the United States and Spanish isn't a language that you're fluent in or even your first language it's better to just speak English instead of saying gracias say Obrigado for a man or obrigada as a woman learning a little bit of Portuguese can go a long way and it will definitely be appreciated number two speaking of languages don't expect people to speak English now a lot of younger people in Portugal have been speaking English and taught English since their young days in school but that doesn't mean that everyone does speak English there's a lot of people from Brazil in Portugal and a lot of them don't speak English so don't expect everybody in Portugal to speak English because the older generations and more rural areas typically do not speak English so once again learn a little bit of Portuguese and it will go a long way and they will respect you for the effort give it a go Portuguese is a very hard language but you can learn some very simple terms like bong Dia and easy things like good morning and different things that just uh make the situation better number three do not get impatient with people coming from the United States it can seem like Portugal is a little bit slower in some processes definitely not driving however it is important that the processes are different and you are in a different country to slow things down and enjoy the moment because Portugal is very beautiful and the food is amazing have some wine have some espresso enjoy your day and slow things down a little bit don't get impatient when things aren't going your way it is important to have patience in Portugal or you will just be setting yourself up for failure number four don't eat with your hands Portugal has an etiquette with the fork in knife culture I have seen them eating pizza I have even seen them eating burgers and french fries with a fork and a knife now things like bread or olives that are typical are totally different but Portugal is a very fork and knife culture and so you might get some weird stairs if you are picking up your food to eat it french fries or pizza or certain stuff that you know typically they do not pick up their food to eat number five do not drive down one ways in parking lots so in America in most parking lots it's kind of a free-for-all and there's two wide Lanes where you can drive either way in Portugal there are two lane parking lots however to conserve space in the bigger cities or even some of the smaller cities there's a lot of one ways directing you into the parking lot and out of the parking lot a good thing to look for is said which means exit and that is the sign you look for if you are trying to exit and get out of the parking lot just make sure not to turn down the wrong way because it can cause a massive headache and confusion and you might get in an accident so avoid it number six do not make u-turns unless it's specifically designates so I would personally not attempt to make a U-turn in Portugal every time that I have tried to make one it has not ended well in America the streets are very wide and it's easy to flip a UE and turn around and go fast the other direction in Portugal the roads are a bit smaller and making a U-turn on a normal Road does not seem like a good idea there was just not enough space to flip around and get through fast enough and you will probably met by an angry driver wondering why you're in his lane or worse you might have an accident so avoid it all together and do not make u-turns unless it specifically says there is an area to make them the correct thing to do here is to keep driving until you go around a roundabout which will spit you out onto the direction that you want to go in do not stay in the fast lane on the highway in Portugal the fast lane is only meant for passing so if you are driving in Portugal on the highway make sure to use the left lane only when you are passing or going very fast if you stay in the left lane chances are somebody will come up behind you at a very abrupt pace and tailgate you until you get back over I wish this was a lot in other countries as it is great because I hate when people are going very slow in the fast lane on the highway it's a very effective way and I think it's a great rule it is also against the law here to stay in the left lane while not passing so make sure if you are in the left lane you are only passing and getting back over number eight this one goes for the men do not approach Portuguese women in public foreign gesture if you're asking for directions or something you may get a strange stare as why is this person talking to me this is a stranger I do not know them stranger danger maybe if you're in a bar and a girl starts talking to you this is a great time to start talking to a Portuguese girl I don't care if you're freaking Don Juan man just don't do it avoid the awkwardness for yourself and everybody number nine this one should be in every culture around the world and most of it is do not disrespect elderly women in Portugal elderly women are the real bosses of the entire country and they are held with the utmost respect if an elderly woman is in line behind you offer to let them in front of you if they only have a couple of items and if you're on Transportation offer them your seat number 10 do not forget it your tennis shoes with good traction Lisbon and Porto are very steep cities and the roads here are made of stones which can be very very slippery even when they're not wet but it also rains a lot in Porto in Lisbon which can make this even more a hazard so make sure that when you come to Portugal think about tennis shoes not high heels something that has good traction number 11 don't drink like you do in your home country the Portuguese have mastered the art of drinking all day without getting sloppy Portugal is not a cruise ship or a place to just get completely drunk and act a fool yes the alcohol is much more affordable than the United States and it is easy to overdo it but have some respect and don't be that guy nobody likes that guy and lastly number 12 do not expect everywhere to take a credit card now most places in Portugal even rural places take International credit and debit cards it's easy to see by the multibunkle logo when you show up to a restaurant but not all restaurants and vendors accept a credit card it's easy just to ask do you guys accept multibanko which basically means that they will take International credit cards or debit cards of your choice okay those were the 12 things not to do in Portugal hopefully when you come to visit visit Portugal you will be able to have a little bit more etiquette and respect for their culture when visiting if you want to see more videos about Portugal I'll be posting a video weekly on this YouTube make sure to hit like and that subscribe button and we'll see you next time this is Dave in Portugal Obrigado [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Dave in Portugal

Views: 170,321

Keywords: Move To Portugal, d7 Visa, What not to do in Portugal, Portugal etiquette, Tourism in Portugal, Lisbon Portugal, Dave in Portugal, Don't Do This in Portugal

Id: oUxcpXNPAzA

Length: 9min 35sec (575 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 06 2022