Different countries have different customs.

A hand gesture can be harmless in one country, but be highly offensive in another.

In order to help you avoid any faux pas on your next trip, we looked at a Quora thread and did some of our own research to see what's considered to be rude in other countries.

 Take a look at the guide below to see what we found.

SEE ALSO:  How to dress like a local in 25 cities around the world

FOLLOW US: BI Travel is on Twitter!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Beautiful drone video of epic trip across South America

Business Insider is hiring a full-time editor to launch a new section targeting c-suite executives and featuring profiles, Q&As, trends, how to's, and more. 

The editor will conduct interviews, write stories, build a network of contributors, and send newsletters to help senior executives be smarter and better at their jobs.

The ideal candidate will be inspired by the challenge of growing readership, finding the right mix of stories, defining the section's voice, and eventually building a team.

Candidates will also have:

• Insatiable curiosity
• A strong voice and the ability to write with authority
• Interest in digital media and how readers consume news on the web
• Previous writing and editing experience
• At least a Bachelor's degree
• Copy-editing skills, light HTML and Photoshop experience, and knowledge of social media are also useful

APPLY HERE with a résumé and cover letter if this sounds like the job for you.

Please note that this position requires that you work in our Manhattan office. Business Insider offers competitive compensation packages complete with benefits. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's How Much Mark Cuban Sleeps To Be On Top Of His Game

Whether it's to show off the fancy heart-shaped milk swirl sitting on top of their latte, or to point out the mistake the barista made in spelling their name, people enjoy using coffee as the subject of their Instagrams.

Tokyo-based illustrator Adrian Hogan doesn't just Instagram coffee cups though, he makes them into art and then posts videos of them to his account.

According to CNN, Hogan — an Australia native — came to Japan five years ago to teach English. He then went back to Australia to study fine art and returned to Japan in 2013.

After being invited to paint on coffee cups at his friend Mariya Suzuki's solo exhibition "Coffee People," Hogan continued to sketch on cups, drawing scenes from Tokyo's busy streets.

Hogan posts these coffee cups sketches to his Instagram account in an intriguing way. He films his hand holding and rotating the cup, with the scene he just sketched as a background. The result is an impressive visual that shows just how closely Hogan's sketches mimic the reality of Tokyo street life.

The illustrator draws everything from parks to busy street corners.

Here are some of Hogan's most recent videos.

SEE ALSO: 46 stunning Instagram photos that will inspire you to travel the world

FOLLOW US: BI Travel is on Twitter!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: You'll want to travel to Turkey after watching this incredible video

This Father's Day, you don't have to break the bank to show dad how much you care.

From personalized accessories to thoughtful books to a classic bottle of bourbon, we rounded up budget-friendly gifts that every dad will love — all under $50.

His flight will be ultra-relaxing after an old fashioned — or two.

Price: $24

Give dad the first-class treatment — even if he's flying economy — with this carry-on cocktail kit. Complete with bitters, cane sugar, and a stirring spoon, he'll have everything he needs for a proper old fashioned. Just add alcohol.

Get it here »

Coasters made from vintage records add a fun touch to his home.

Price: $16.70 

Perfect for any music lover, these coasters made from vintage records will fill dad with a rush of nostalgia every time he sets down his drink. Not to mention they're also incredibly practical.

Get it here »

A Roku puts all his favorite shows in one place.

Price: $49.99

Dad will love having all his favorite shows in one place with a Roku. The device offers hundreds of free channels, allows users to stream services like Netflix and Hulu through their TV, and connects to Google Play and Amazon instant video, making it easy to rent any title.  

Get it here »

If you're looking for more Instagram followers, cheating your way to photo-app fame is not the way to do it. 

I should know. I just tried.

Last week, I was persuaded by several friends to register my Instagram handle at a site called "Instaswell." As someone who often struggles to break into double-digit likes on Instagram, I was excited to give it a try.

For the record, when I first started using Instaswell, I followed 361 people and had 331 followers.

Instaswell, as its clever name suggests, promised to grow my Instagram following significantly.

I knew opening up my account to a site like this could mean acquiring some spam in my feed, but now there's so much spam that I haven't seen any of my friends' actual Instagram updates in days.

I totally regret my decision.

Here's how it works.

Step 1. Choosing appropriate hashtags to find my target audience. 

I added 40 different tags to try to accurately reflect the sort of content I post on the app, like #spring, #friends, and #NYC. Instaswell automatically suggested a dozen hashtags designed to drive up my following, such as #like4like and #followme. (#Instaswell is an automatic tag.)

The idea behind choosing hashtags was for Instaswell to find similar users to auto-like and auto-follow for me (and in turn, those same accounts would auto-like and auto-follow me back.)

This was all free, but Instaswell informed me that for a mere twenty bucks each month, Instaswell could make me somewhat of a "VIP;" exposing my Instagram to over 105,000 users a month.

I opted out. (There's also a $10 and $15 monthly option, for those looking to cheat the system on a budget!) If you don't want to pay for Instaswell, the site will still generate new users and "likes" for you — up to fifty each a day.

Step 2. If you register, they will come (and follow you on Instagram.)

Almost immediately, Instaswell starts showing me the Instagram accounts its following and "liking" on my behalf based on the interests I listed through hashtags. These are mutual, which meant my account started showing up on other Instaswell users' lists.

"Simulating human behavior. Swell is coming in 19 hours, and 27 minutes," the site reads after I get my first bump of followers.

"Swells," as they're called, come every 24 hours and can sometimes take the entire day to start populating your Instagram account with new followers.

You press a "play" button to begin each of the "Swells," so while you're an active Instaswell user, you're very much in charge of when the site uses your Instagram account to do its job. So there's a plus.

I was excited to get tons of new followers, but during my first "Swell," I only got eight new followers. In my second, only six new people followed.

I got a bunch of "likes," too. But numbers were what I wanted. 

Still, fourteen new followers was something, and if they shared the same interests as me, maybe I was opening up my Instagram world to a whole new crop of interesting people who loved #spring and #NYC as much as I do.

Not so much.

As I scrolled through my feed, I noticed a few things. The first thing I figured out was that Instaswell had followed fifty new people on my behalf. I only got fifteen new followers, but now I was following fifty. And to make matters worse? Those accounts were mostly spam.

Take a look. This one was just called ____cash.

Turns out, the pre-generated Instaswell hashtags connected me with accounts not using Instagram to post interesting content, but rather with accounts only interested in gaining followers. I guess I can understand that (I was trying to get new followers too!) but ugh, too much spam.

Instead of cityscapes and knolled lifestyle pictures, all I can see are dozens of images where Instagram users request followers, simply for the sake of having a high number of followers.

Instead of seeing the photos my friends and other users I had deliberately decided to follow, I was seeing posts like this: 

Lesson learned: Quality over quantity.

Since I started using Instaswell last week, I have only gained 16 new Instagram followers. Two of them are people I know (and they didn't find me through Instaswell.)

But I am now following over 100 new users and that number only continues to grow. And unfortunately, the number of spam posts in my feed is growing right along with it. 

I have to change my Instagram password, and I'm no longer actively starting "Swells."

So look, if you want to bump up your Instagram interactions from a purely numbers perspective, Instaswell might work for you.

However, if you're interested in interacting with real people and content, you're going to have to find alternative methods to do so. Unfortunately, that might mean spending some quality time, just you and your Instagram feed, finding interesting people and places to follow.

Moral of the story? Don't leave it up to a bot to do the work for you (and definitely don't pay for one.)

As for me, before I can even begin to venture into the depths of Instagram, I'll be going through the painstaking process of individually unfollowing all the accounts Instaswell followed on my behalf. 

SEE ALSO: This woman’s Instagram of perfectly arranged fruit totally blew up after celebrities became obsessed with it

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Tinder is now pulling your Instagram photos into your profile

The top engineering schools in the country are hotspots for big-name companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook to recruit fresh, new talent.

We're asking you to tell us which schools those are.

Last year you voted that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the best undergraduate engineering program, but has the answer changed?

We've assembled a big list of schools from engineers, industry professionals, and entrepreneurs that work at some of the most popular technology companies out there.

Please take a couple of minutes to answer the questions in the survey below, and soon we'll reveal the list of the best engineering schools in America.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best medical schools in America

SOCIALIZE: Follow Business Insider on Twitter!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: These engineers are bringing the 90s back with light-up shoes for adults

According to Sweetgreen cofounder Jonathan Neman: "Healthy is the new luxury; it's the new cool." Capitalizing on this trend by offering locally sourced, fresh, and affordable ingredients, this salad chain is sweeping the nation.

Produced by Alana Kakoyiannis. Additional Camera by Graham Flanagan and Alex Kuzoian.

Follow BI Video: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

"The Summit," a documenatry that chronicles the deadliest day in K2's history, is now available to stream on Netflix. 

The film, directed by Nick Ryan, attempts to piece together what happend on a single day in 2008, when 11 climbers perished on the second-highest mountain in the world. 

The incident became a major news story that summer, although the details of what happened on that day — and why so many people lost their lives — are still murky.

The movie relies on interviews from survivors and uses footage from the actual climb as well as reenactments filmed in the Alps.

We've compiled a shortened version of the story, told using screenshots from the trailer, but recommend checking out the full documentary. 

Located on the western edge of the Himalayas, K2 is found at the center of the Karakoram Mountain range in northern Pakistan.

K2 is slightly shorter than Everest, but more dangerous to mountaineers because it is more difficult to climb and has notoriously bad weather since it is farther north.

Of the roughly 300 climbers who have reached the top of K2, more than one-quarter of them died on the way down.

Looks and power are not the only things that consumers look for in their tech products, which is why Pebble's new smartwatch stands out. Even though the Apple Watch is better overall, it still can't stack up to the Pebble Time in these 5 categories.  

Produced by Corey Protin

Follow BI Video: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

Insights from

It takes a lot to power The City That Never Sleeps. In partnership with GE, TransCanada’s Ravenswood power plant has improved its efficiency and reliability so that it can be more responsive to the city's ever growing needs. The results? An increase in overall output by 5% — enough to power 10,000 New York City households. Suddenly, a 5% difference doesn't seem so tiny.

 

See how your city can be on the cutting edge »

Two major projects have kicked off  in New York City and Chicago, part of a broader global trend toward using high technology — the latest in sensors and infinitesimal tracking and measuring devices — to create "smart cities."

The projected savings of these global initiatives: $20 billion by 2020. 

Last spring, NYU's Center for Urban Science and Progress predicted New York City's Hudson Yards neighborhood — in the far west 30s of Manhattan — would become the nation's first "quantified community." The 17 million square feet of commercial and residential land, currently in Phase 1 development, will track data on air quality, pedestrian traffic, energy production and consumption, and the health and activity levels of workers and residents. There will be a school, hotel and 14 acres of public space along with an on-site power plant and central waste-management system. Phase 2 will begin next year, with the community completed by the mid-2020s.

Hudson Yards, which is being developed by Related and Oxford Properties, is the largest and most ambitious private real estate development in the US. A project of similar scope has not been seen in New York City since Rockefeller Center was built in the 1930s. 

Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Array of Things (AoT) project, launched last summer in partnership with the city, has set out to "smarten" Chicago by placing sensors everywhere. "Our objective here is to publish (free and open) environmental data about the city," says Charlie Catlitt, who heads up the AoT project. The project is led by researchers from the Urban Center for Computation and Data of the Computation Institute, which is a joint initiative of Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago. 

Similar initiatives exist around the globe. In Songdo, South Korea, sensors track roads, water, waste and electricity and buildings have computerized access and automatic climate controls. India is smarter, too. Lavasa is a city with 12,500 acres of smart land that will see smart metering, efficient parking and traffic management, a cashless retail experience and a technology supported transportation system.  

In his book "Smart Cities," Anthony M. Townsend defines such cities as "places where information technology is wielded to address problems old and new ... smart cities can adapt on the fly, by pulling readings from vast arrays of sensors, feeding that data into software that can see the big picture, and taking action."

Produced by Sam Rega

Follow BI Video: On Facebook

SEE ALSO: How 'big data' is solving the problem of $200 billion of wasted energy

Join the conversation about this story »

We've come a long way since the days of "I Love Lucy" when the idea of sex on TV was so taboo that even married couples were shown sleeping in separate beds.

Since then, our ideas about sex have opened up a lot — we've become far more accepting of everything from sex before marriage to sex between same-sex couples, and those trends have picked up pace since the 1970s.

But in a few areas, like sex outside of marriage, we've actually grown a tad less accepting.

At least that's according to a recent study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior which looked at data from a huge sample of Americans included in the General Social Survey (GSS).

Here are its biggest findings:

We've grown more accepting of sex before marriage

In the early 70s, just 29% of Americans (35% of men and 23% of women) thought it was okay to have sex before your wedding day. To be more exact, when given options on a scale of 1-4, with 1 being "always wrong," and 4 being "not wrong at all," less than a third of people would choose "not wrong at all."

About a decade later, this percentage grew to around 42%, where it stayed through the 90s. In the 2000s, it rose to nearly half (49%), and in the 2010s it hit 55% (59% of men and 52% of women).

We've grown more accepting of gay and lesbian sex

Acceptance of sex between gays and lesbians has tripled since the 70s, with the most growth happening amongst young people. Just over 1 in every 5 young people who were between 18 and 29 in the 1970s said sex between people of the same gender was "not wrong at all." By the 90s, this percentage rose to 26%. By the 2010s, more than half of Millennials (56%) approve of sex between same-sex partners.

and...

We're reporting having more sexual partners

In the 1980s, people said they had an average of 7 sex partners since age 18 (roughly 11 for men and 4 for women). In the 2010s that number rose to 11 (roughly 18 for men and 6 for women).

We're reporting having more casual sex

Just about 35% of 18-29 year olds in the late 1980s said they had sex with a casual date (44% of men and 19% of women). Yet nearly half (45%) of Millennials in the 2010s (55% of men and 31% of women) said they'd had sex with a casual date.

These increases don't necessarily mean we're simply having more casual sex or sex partners, and could also be a result of people being more comfortable about admitting they've had more casual sex or sex partners in the first place.

but...

We've grown less accepting of sex outside of marriage

In the 70s, about 81% of people said they were accepting of sex between two people who were married to other people. That figure declined to 67% in the 90s and by the 2010s fell a bit more to 65%.

NOW READ: It turns out it's scientifically possible to have twins who have different dads — and this woman just did it

SEE ALSO: Here's how common open relationships really are

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Spontaneous sex is a myth — here's how a 'sex schedule' could save your relationship

Googler Haw-Bin Chai desperately needed to remodel his apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

The space was cramped and dull, and since it's in a building that dates to 1929, it was difficult to adapt the apartment to his needs.

Chai, a software engineer on a technical infrastructure team at Google, found out about Homepolish through an internal email chain.

He decided to purchase 55 hours of design time with Homepolish's Kevin Clark. It ended up making a world of difference.

"I found that I was spending a lot more time in my apartment," Chai told to Business Insider. "I come straight home after work a lot more, whereas before I would go somewhere to read or go to the park."

Chai's apartment dates to 1929 and had a rather strange layout when he moved into the space a year ago. The Homepolish team decided to knock down a few walls — including one where the kitchen island stands now — to open up the space.

Suddenly, the whole apartment felt much bigger and more functional. They added a touch of nature with a small herb garden on one wall.

The kitchen tiles were custom made and shipped from Morocco.

When I spoke with Scott Keyes, he was on a 10-hour layover in Dallas kicking back in the Centurion Lounge, where American Express has provided its members with free food and drinks, high-speed Wi-Fi, free spa services, and even its own shower suite.

“It’s just a day in the office in here essentially,” the 28-year-old Keyes told Business Insider. “I’ve got a nice work space, food, drinks, some Wi-Fi. This is like this whole other world.”

Keyes, a reporter for Think Progress, gained access to the lounge as a perk from one of his 25 credit cards. The card, an American Express Platinum, typically has an annual fee of $450, but Keyes managed to get it waived for the first year by taking advantage of an online deal. After that, he’ll either try to get the next year’s fee waived as well, or he’ll simply downgrade the card to something that doesn't carry a fee. 

This is nothing new for Keyes, who told us that he uses his massive collection of credit cards to gain points, frequent flyer miles, and plenty of other member perks all the time. He then turns around and uses those perks on vacations like his upcoming trip that will take him20,000 miles on 21 flights— all for free.

This isn't luck. Keyes is somewhat of an expert on traveling for little to no cost, not unlike extreme couponers who put incredible amounts of time, energy, and thought into making sure they never pay a penny more than they have to when making purchases.

After jealous friends kept asking him how he does it, Keyes decided to write his e-books “How To Fly For Free” and “How To Find Cheap Flights.” He even made an email list to send friends updates on any amazing travel deals he comes across on Twitter or his RSS feed. 

The epic world trip spans 13 countries — Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad, St. Lucia, Grenada, Germany, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Lithuania, and Finland — over the next two months. Total airfare is 136,500 frequent flyer miles plus a few small taxes, such as ‘airport use’ fees, that are all under $20 per flight.

Aside from those taxes, Keyes will be paying exactly $0 for his trip, including his hotel stays (he used credit card reward points that he had saved up for exactly this purpose). 

He told Business Insider that it took around 10 to 15 hours to plan his itinerary, including finding flights that will use his miles, choosing between airlines, and avoiding “fuel surcharges” at all costs.

Keyes had been living and working for the past year in Oaxaca, Mexico, but now that he’s returning to the US, he realized it was the perfect opportunity to spend some time traveling before jumping back into a full-time job. 

“It’s tough when you have a job and you have to ask your boss for time off,” Keyes told Business Insider. “You only have a limited time off and then you spend a lot of that traveling. I figured while I’m in a position where I don’t have a 9-to-5, I might as well take advantage.”

This is not the first time Keyes has gone on an incredibly cheap getaway for next to nothing. He has flown to Milan for $130, gone to Galapagos for $45, and visited Norway and Belgium for around $350 instead of the typical $1,000.

“It’s not necessarily easy or intuitive for beginners,” he told Business Insider about finding bargain flights. “But the good news is that because if you do a little bit of leg work — learn how to get a few miles and how to use them well — you can start to travel really, really well.”

Keyes has a few methods to procure his frequent flyer miles, including opening new credit cards that award miles or points, letting airlines know when there’s a problem with his flight, and not being afraid to get bumped if a flight is full.

He also uses Award Wallet and a detailed spreadsheet to keep organized so he never misuses his credit cards or loses track of his points and miles. In fact, since he started accruing cards, Keyes insists his credit score has actually increased just by virtue of handling his credit responsibly.

And when it comes to finding cheap trips, Keyes has an RSS reader and Twitter list chock-full of blogs and websites like Airfarewatchdog and The Flight Deal that he skims to see if there are any “mistake fees” or cheap flights available.

The key, he said, is flexibility.

“If your ultimate goal is to be able to find as cheap a flight as possible and go somewhere cool for not much money then starting with an open, blank slate and going wherever there’s a cheap flight right now is going to be your best bet,” he told us.

Since starting his frequent-flyer-mile journey, Keyes has been to 30 countries — this next trip will make that count 42 — and flown 354,000 miles or roughly 14.3 times around the earth.  

“The moon is only 250,000 miles away,” Keyes laughed. “I’ve only got 150,000 more to go until I can get back from the moon."

As for his upcoming trip, Keyes said he’s most excited to visit a “beer spa” in Prague. 

“I don’t quite understand it because I don’t speak Czech, but my understanding from pictures is that you just go and soak in beer,” he told us. “And who can complain about that?"

SEE ALSO: After taking a flight on Emirates, I never want to fly a domestic airline again

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We can guess your name based on what state you live in

OpenTable just released its list of the top 100 al fresco dining restaurants in America.

To determine the list, OpenTable analyzed the reviews from over five million diners who had eaten at over 20,000 restaurants in all 50 states.

The list is in no particular ranking and features restaurants from 15 states.

California has the most winning restaurants (a total of 45), Florida has 18, and Hawaii has 17.

Other states in the list include Arizona, Nevada, South and North Carolina, Minnesota and Illinois.

Take a look at the list below and start making your reservations.

208 Rodeo – Beverly Hills, California

Alexander’s – Naples, Florida

Angel Stadium-Diamond Club Patio – Anaheim, California

Areal Restaurant – Santa Monica, California

Auberge du Soleil – Rutherford, California

BALEENnaples – Naples, Florida

Beachcomber Café-Crystal Cove – Newport Coast, California

Bella Vista at Four Seasons Resort-The Biltmore – Santa Barbara, California

Bistro 60 – La Quinta, California

Bistro at Bacara Resort – Goleta, California

Blue Dragon Restaurant – Kamuela, Hawaii

Bridge House Tavern – Chicago, Illinois

Brooks’ Bar & Deck at Edgewood Tahoe – Stateline, Nevada

Brown’s Beach House-The Fairmont Orchid – Kohala Coast, Hawaii

Café Malaga – McKinney, Texas

Caffe Riace – Palo Alto, California

California Market at Carmel Highlands – Carmel, California

CanoeHouse – Kohala Coast, Hawaii

Carbon Beach Club Restaurant at Malibu Beach Inn – Malibu, California

Cavatina at Sunset Marquis – West Hollywood, California

Coast – Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Cobalt Restaurant and Lounge-Vero Beach Hotel and Spa – Vero Beach, Florida

Copley’s on Palm Canyon – Palm Springs, California

Corks at Russian River Vineyards – Forestville, California

Deck 84 – Delray Beach, California

Duke’s Beach House Maui – Lahaina, Hawaii

El Chorro – Paradise Valley, Arizona

El Encanto Dining Room – Santa Barbara, California

El Techo de Lolinda – San Francisco, California

Escena Lounge & Grill – Palm Springs, Florida

Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante Maui – Wailea, Hawaii

Focacceria Ristorante – Liberty Corner, New Jersey

Frida’s – Lahaina, Hawaii

Fuego-Maya Hotel – Long Beach, California

Gannon’s – Wailea, Hawaii

Geoffrey’s Restaurant – Malibu, California

George’s Ocean Terrace – La Jolla, California

GG’s Waterfront Bar & Grill – Hollywood, Florida

Granada Bistro – San Luis Obispo, California

Home Restaurant-Los Feliz – Los Angeles, California

Hula Grill-Kaanapali – Lahaina, Hawaii

Island Lava Java Bistro – Kailua, Hawaii

JB’s On The Beach – Deerfield Beach, Florida

JRDN Restaurant – San Diego, California

Kaluz Restaurant – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Kamuela Provision Co. – Waikoloa, Hawaii

L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek – Sedona, Arizona

Laishley Crab House – Punta Gorda, Florida

Las Campanas – Riverside, California

Latitudes – Key West, Florida

Lava Lava Beach Club – Waikoloa, Hawaii

Lavender Bistro – La Quinta, California

Le Vallauris – Palm Springs, California

Lido Restaurant & Bayside Grill-The Standard Hotel – Miami, Florida

Lon’s at The Hermosa – Paradise Valley, Arizona

Marche Bacchus – Las Vegas, Nevada

Mesquite Grill @ Tonto Verde – Rio Verde, Arizona

MiraMare – Naples, Florida

Mission Rock Resort – San Francisco, California

Mitch’s on El Paseo Prime Seafood – Palm Desert, California

Momed – Atwater Village, California

The Oar Steak and Seafood Grill – Patchogue, New York

Oasis – Kapaa, Hawaii

Oceans 234 – Deerfield Beach, Florida

Ola at Turtle Bay – Kahuku, Hawaii

Old Angler’s Inn – Potomac, Maryland

Pacific’O – Lahaina, Hawaii

Passerelle Bistro – Greenville, South Carolina

The Patio at Las Sendas – Mesa, Arizona

Plantation Gardens – Koloa, Hawaii

Portico Restaurant – Richmond, Virginia

Poseidon – Del Mar, California

The Ranch House – Ojai, California

Red Fish Grill – Miami, Florida

The Restaurant at Ponte – Temecula, California

Restaurant Michael Schwartz – Miami Beach, Florida

Rustic, Francis’s Favorites – Geyserville, California

Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai – Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

SEA180 Coastal Tavern – Imperial Beach, California

Sheerwater Restaurant at the Hotel Del Coronado – Coronado, California

Shooter’s Waterfront – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Social Eatery & Bar – Sarasota, Florida

Solbar-Solage – Calistoga, California

Spencer’s Restaurant – Palm Springs, California

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido, California

Sundy House – Delray Beach, Florida

Sunset Terrace-Omni Grove Park Inn – Asheville, North Carolina

Tidal – San Diego, California

Tom Hams Lighthouse – San Diego, California

Tommy Bahama’s Restaurant & Bar – Naples, Florida

Tommy Bahama’s Restaurant & Bar – Palm Desert, California

Tonto Bar & Grill – Cave Creek, Arizona

The Turtle Club – Naples, Florida

‘Ulu Ocean Grill and Sushi Lounge – Kaupulehu, Hawaii

The Upton – Scottsdale, Arizona

Veranda Fireside Lounge & Restaurant – San Diego, California

The Veranda Restaurant – Fallbrook, California

Wilshire – Santa Monica, California

Wyebrook Farm Market & Café – Honey Brook, Pennsylvania

ZZest Market & Café – Rochester, Minnesota

SEE ALSO: The 25 best restaurants on the planet

Follow us! Business Insider is on Instagram

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Hugh Hefner's son reveals what it was like growing up in the Playboy Mansion

Social media is a fickle beast. It’s tough to toe the line between over-sharing, bragging, and boring, and nowhere is this line more blurred than when traveling.

This dilemma is at the heart of a recent study in Psychological Science, which contends that while your experiences may be epic, no one wants to hear about them.

Even worse, force feeding your followers with Facebook posts and Instagram uploads might have negative social repercussions for you. People around you get annoyed, and in turn you’ll feel isolated.

The study shows that while you’re posting pics of yourself sandboarding in Peru or hiking through Joshua Tree, others see it as bragging. Relationships generally center on the things people have in common, the study asserts, and recounting amazing experiences that others weren’t a part of is thus alienating.

“At worst, people may be envious and resentful of those who have had an extraordinary experience, and at best, they may find themselves with little to talk about,” it states.

On the upside, you’re officially not alone in groaning audibly while hate-liking someone else’s hot dog legs. Wanting incredible experiences is human, and so is being a jealous jerk.

But is there a way to #humblebrag efficiently? We’ve found a few dos and don'ts so that you can brag about your vacation without alienating everyone.

1. Don’t post gratuitous photos that add no value

Posting pictures of your standard, beige hotel room the second you checked in just to show people that you’re on vacation is a no-no. In the very least wait until you can get some poolside pics.

2. Do post pics that make people want to go there

On the other hand, posting incredible images of stunning views and landscapes that make people want to pack their bags and join you are not just acceptable, but encouraged. It’s hard not to like a beautiful sunset, no matter how jealous it makes you.

3. Don’t post too many pictures

The days of inviting people over to your home to accost them with slideshows of your latest trip to Fort Lauderdale are thankfully over, as are the days of multiple Facebook albums labeled “Fort Lauderdale parts 1 through 7.” No one wants to see 29 pictures of the same beach or every single meal you've eaten in the last five days.

4. Curate your pictures

Be selective with the images you post — pull back the curtain on your vacation with some tasteful, enticing snaps, but be mindful of TMI.

5. Don’t post pictures of food

Unless you’re a professional food photographer, pictures of food will 99% of the time look crappy, under lit, and unappetizing, even if Nobu himself plated your meal.

6. Don’t make it about yourself

No one wants to hear how you found yourself mid-downward dog in Bali.

7. Do make it about the people and the place

Instead, people want to hear about the locals and the culture that make where you are unique.

8. Don’t post inspirational quotes

Please, for the love of god, don’t spew platitudes you found online or on your doctor’s wall calendar. Inspirational quotes are a worse cliché than a photo of you pinching the top of the Taj Mahal, and guaranteed to alienate all of your followers.

9. Don’t list your experiences like you’re going through a checklist

Ask yourself whether you’re doing something for the experience of it, or for its Instagrammability. There’s nothing worse than rattling down activities and sounding like a brochure for your destination.

10. Don’t bog people down with the minutiae

A picture of the Colosseum? Cool. An update on what you had for lunch before it? Not.

11. Don’t check into every single place every single time

We don’t need to know every time you return to your hotel. Plus, if you're constantly updating your social media accounts, and doing so immediately after said events, you’re obviously not living in the moment or properly enjoying your trip, and quite possibly just straight up showing off. Don't be that guy.

SEE ALSO: The 25 most popular tourist attractions in the world

Follow us! Business Insider is on Instagram

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: You'll want to travel to Turkey after watching this incredible video

While making a list of 43 things you can do with a can of coke, I stumbled upon a recipe for something called “Dirty Diet Coke.”

The drink included Diet Coke, half and half, coconut syrup, and lime. It was ridiculously easy to make, and back in 2013, Pinterest bloggers were raving about it.

But it sounded disgusting.

So Business Insider decided to make our own and see what all the fuss was about. 

The recipe is very, very easy. You’ll need a tablespoon and a knife in addition to your ingredients.

Let’s get started. First, quarter the lime.

Squeeze the juice of the lime slice into the glass.

Add your Diet Coke.

Add one or two tablespoons of coconut syrup. I added two and it was very coconut-y, so if you don’t like that flavor, add less.

Add one to two tablespoons of half and half. Adding this really grossed me out, but I persevered. 

This was the ultimate end product that we garnished with another lime wedge. It looked like fizzy coffee, or as one of my testers said, “it looks like a swamp.”

“Is that iced coffee and a lime?” asked another tester before they tasted it.

I was also skeptical, but ultimately it tasted good. Even really, really good. It reminded me of how I would imagine a coconut Diet Coke might taste with an aftertaste akin to a mudslide thanks to the half and half.

“I was viscerally angry about the recipe at first because the combination of synthetic sugar in Diet Coke, real sugar in coconut syrup, and pointless dairy in the half and half seemed so completely devoid of nutrition,” said one taste tester. “I thought it would be way too sweet, but it was actually really refreshing and not too sugary.”

"I think it’s delicious,” another Business Insider tester said. “I would buy it.”

But the general consensus is with the half and half calories and amount of sugar in this drink, no one would want to make their own Dirty Diet Coke on a regular basis.

Unless, that is, it included alcohol.

“Hand it to me in a coconut with about three shots of rum, a paper umbrella and a fancy name, and I'd probably buy it at a poolside bar,” added a tester.

Verdict: Out of six testers, everyone loved it. Thanks Pinterest.

SEE ALSO: Lawn maintenance, bug repellent, and 41 other bizarre things you can do with a can of Coke

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A Japanese lifestyle guru explains how to organize your home once — and then never again

For the novice, like me, whiskey* can be intimidating even before you take a sip.

How long do I sniff before I drink? How come all I smell is alcohol? Why is my nasal passage on fire? 

The answer: I am (was) unschooled in the proper art of "nosing a whiskey." 

Thankfully, it's not as complicated as it sounds. It's literally as easy as 1-2-3, or so I was taught by Ross Graham, master of Scotch at Pernod Ricard USA, during a recent "Women and Whiskey" gathering at Marc Forgione's impeccable Tribeca steakhouse, American Cut. On that night, we drank sampled three bottles of Glenlivet, the 12-year, 15-year, and 18-year. 

Here's what I learned: 

First off, why nose a whiskey at all? The reason is either a) you're tasting a new whiskey and you want to explore its notes, or b) you just want to, and you do what you want. 

Now for a warning: Whiskey ranges from 40-50% alcohol (sometimes more), and it can burn the inside of your nose if you're not careful. Keeping your lips parted as you sniff will save you from the sting.  

In general, when you nose a whiskey using the techniques below, you're looking for three types of notes — fruit, sweetness, and grain. There's also smoke and spice, but you'll get those right away, just by having your nose near the spirit.  

To identify fruit notes, hold the glass to your chin with the rim touching the bottom of your lower lip and inhale. Whiskeys matured in American oak barrels may have melon, citrus, or orchard fruit notes, while those aged in European oak are more likely to be redolent of apricot, orange peel, or peaches.

To identify sweet notes, tip the glass toward you slightly, dip your nose in, and inhale. You're likely to smell caramel, toffee, vanilla, honey, maple, or creamy and nutty traces.  

To identify grain notes, hold the far rim off the glass to your nose and inhale. You may get corn, wheat, barley, or just a general malty, bread-y essence. 

Granted, as you graduate from novice to enthusiast, there are far more nosing nuances to be explored, but for the newcomer, these tips are a great way to get your nose in the game. 

*Note the inclusion of the E in "whiskey," as these tips apply to nosing all whiskeys. However, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Scotch whisky (that is, ANY whisky made in Scotland) is always spelled without the E. 

SEE ALSO: Why American whiskey is taking over the world

DON'T FORGET: Business Insider is on Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What Makes Vintage Whiskeys Worth Thousands Of Dollars

At the end of January 2011, I got a stamp in my passport at Incheon Airport outside of Seoul, South Korea.

Freshly 24, I had just spent a year teaching English in the Korean capital.

Next stop: Beijing, on the way to Lanzhou, an industrial town in the center of China, where I'd celebrate the Spring Festival with my friend and his family.

It was the start of the Big Trip.

Though I didn't set out with a firm itinerary, the journey ended up being a month in China, then a little under six months in Nepal and India. From there I flew to Frankfurt, where I spent three months couchsurfing, hitchhiking, and otherwise tramping across Europe.

It was a trip that changed my life. 

Here are a few of the American habits that I had to lose to make it all the way. 

1. Needing a comfortable bed to sleep in

Growing up in relative wealth in the upper Midwest, I slept in queen beds through high school and into college, not downgrading to a full until I got to Seoul.

Then I found myself on the road — sleeping on trains, in chairs at bus stations, on floors, and in a variety of tiny beds. Since I'm six-three, the five-foot beds that I sometimes folded myself in in Asia were quite the sleeping area.

On one memorable occasion, my sister and I were trekking up to Tilicho Lake on the Annapurna Circuit, which sits at a reported 16,237 feet above sea level. Needless to say, it was freezing cold out, and the walls of the room of the hostel-y base camp that we were staying in didn't quite meet the roof, leaving a six-inch gap that allowed snow to blow into our room. My sibling and I had to survival-cuddle through the night.

It was nuts.

After all that madness, I developed such a tolerance for suboptimal slumber that I can pass out just about anywhere.

2. Needing space

My hometown in Illinois has about 150,000 people. My college town, also in Illinois, has 90,000.

Then I got to Seoul, metro population of 10 million. Traveled to Tokyo: 13 million. Shanghai: 14 million. New Delhi: 10 million. Istanbul: 14 million. London: 8 million.

From spending time in all those megacities, I grew much more comfortable with standing cheek to jowl with people on subway cars, crammed shoulder to shoulder on public buses. And there's nothing quite like train stations in Delhi to teach a deferential Midwestern boy to assert himself in a crowd — when lines aren't a part of a country's culture, it's up to the would-be ticket buyer to get face time with the teller. 

A good skill when you live in New York.

3. Needing air-conditioning

Air-conditioning is an American invention. Historians argue that it's the reason the South and the Southwest are inhabited with the density they are today— would 2 million people live in Houston and 1.4 million live in San Antonio if they had to sweat through Texan summers? Probably not. 

But when you're backpacking through Asia and Europe, air-conditioning is not nearly the constant that it is here in the US. I remember being loopy with heat in Amritsar, India, the home of the Golden Temple and the center of the Sikh Faith. This was in the dead of the Indian summer, and the temp had to be near 100 degrees F during the day. I almost died. (Not really, but it felt like it.)

I came to tolerate and even enjoy the heat. Subsequent yoga classes have taught me that the summer is when our bodies are at their loosest, and there's something about that loss of tension that's quite enjoyable. Plus, when you're without air-conditioning in the place you're staying, you get more acclimated to the heat.  

While people might think it's crazy, in the three summers I've had in New York, I haven't had an air-conditioner. I just rely on fans when it gets hot out. 

4. Needing to avoid strangers

I grew up with a lot of Stranger Danger: "Don't talk to anyone you don't know, kids," my 8-year-old self was told, "or they'll rob and/or kidnap you."

Coupled with an introvert streak, one too many games of "Magic: the Gathering" in my early youth, and the fact that I went to college with my best friends from ninth grade, talking to strangers was super intimidating for me in my early 20s.

Then I got out into the world. Started hosting couchsurfers. Had to befriend my fellow teachers in Seoul to not suffer from unbearable isolation in a foreign country. Hung out with different varieties of weirdos who frequent the world's supply of hostels. Started doing lots of hitchhiking, making conversation in my (charmingly?) broken German.

Now talking to strangers doesn't make my heart jump into my throat and my stomach fall to my feet. And aside from people I've worked with, it's how I've made just about all my friends in New York. 

5. Needing to convince everybody of my viewpoint

Perhaps I am exceptionally annoying, but 16 years of American education taught me that I needed to prove myself to my peers and my teachers by way of making a case for my point of view all the time. And unfortunately for my friends and the girls I dated growing up, being right was a favored pastime within my social life as well. 

But with all that time abroad, I learned a little bit more about when to defer and when to simply hold my tongue. A backpacker buddy and I once got a ride from Prague to Brussels with a guy from Egypt who had a keen interest in religious politics, at one point declaring that "Israel was a cancer in the Arab world that needed to be removed." The angry atheist that I was at age 21 would have wanted to make the case for secular pluralism, but the backpacker I was at age 23 knew it better to let that hate speech slide.

Sometimes you just need to get a ride.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I just ate at a McDonald’s in Spain, and it was so much better than in America

We found the best pizza restaurants in each state. Here are the best pizza places in the Midwest.

Produced by Devan Joseph. Special thanks to Emmie Martin& Lauren Browning.

Follow BI Video: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

Inspired by The Fine Bros, we gave kids an old cassette/CD boom box to see if they could put a cassette tape inside of it. They had a little trouble.

Produced by Sam Rega and Caroline Moss

Follow BI Video:On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »