One of the most interesting aspects of travelling abroad has to be the different cultures that you come across and if we are perceptive to sharing other cultures it can be a deeply rewarding experience. From the moment you take your flights to get there, try immersing yourself in the culture of the local people and really try to experience the country from a different level.
There are many cultural experiences that I have been lucky enough to experience, both good and bad – but both contributing in their own way to my understanding of the country and people.
The good experiences have included visits to people's home in the Middle East where I have sat eating dinner with their family or just watched children's cartoons in Arabic with the kids of the house.
Language can be a barrier especially in the extended families where the older people may not speak English, yet there is a common language of smiles and gestures of appreciation.
It can, of course, be a minefield if you do not know the local culture very well such as eating with the wrong hand or taking a drink at the wrong time but generally people of different nationalities are very forgiving and if you show a willingness to embrace their culture then they forgive the odd mistake.