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The words “time” and “punctuality” have different meanings and associations in different regions of the world. An American businessman who shows up on time for a meeting in Ghana is likely to find himself tapping his foot for at least half an hour, but travelers who arrive two minutes late to catch a Swiss train will almost certainly miss their ride. Climate, culture, religion, economics, philosophy – all these elements play roles in how a region or nation develops its approach to time and punctuality.

Most of our readers are totally accustomed to the North American way of dealing with time management – but the more you travel, the more you’ll realize just how much variation there actually is when it comes to punctuality. One way of broadly distinguishing regional approaches to time is to break the world down into “monochronic” versus “polychronic” cultures. Monochronic cultures – like Germany, Switzerland and the US – are task-oriented and chronological, and tend to be more preoccupied with punctuality. Polychronic cultures, on the other hand, are oriented towards personal relationships with friends, family. In these cultures, following a schedule is far less important than the business of maintaining relationships, so they are, in general, less concerned with punctuality.

As you gain experience in various regions of the world, you will learn which cultures approach time in a way that’s different from your own. Just remember to be flexible when dealing with different cultural approaches to time. You may think that your host culture’s approach to schedules makes no sense at all, but within their culture, it’s completely logical. Keep an open mind and a flexible schedule until you get to know the time culture in your host country.

Check out this classic BBC clip for a few fun facts on punctuality around the world: