Whenever traveling, there are always little “differences” that catch my eye. Things people do that are not the same as the area in which one lives. In Maine, it was the way people great each other with a wave.

I am used to waving to people by sticking my arm up and waving my hand back and forth, a little or a lot, depending on the occassion. In Maine, I noticed that people would always wave (as we drove by them walking alongside the road), however, there was no back and forth movement of the hand with the Maine wave. No, the Maine wave was simply sticking the arm straight up and then back down again, no movement what so ever.

At first, I thought it was just one person’s way of waving, but this style of waving quickly became a pattern. I then realized that when in Maine, one needs to take up the Maine style of waving. So, for the rest of the trip, I waved like I was born in Maine.

I commented on this style of wave to my niece, who lives in Maine, and she confirmed that this was the way to wave. She felt it would be too forward to wave by moving the hand back and forth. That type of wave would definitely be reserved for someone one knew quite well. It just was not done.

So, if planning a trip to Maine, give the old Maine wave a try. If planning a trip elsewhere, be on the lookout for how the locals do things. It is interesting how different the simplest thing, such as a wave, can vary from state to state.

As always, Happy Travels.

(photo: istock by Getty Images)