A new study released by the U.K.’s Aberystwyth University (you get a degree if you can learn how to spell it) is shaking up the way US travelers are now exchanging greetings. The fist-bump, popularized by President Obama, has now been shown to reduce exposure to bacterial disease by 90% when compared to the
common handshake.
As we travel around a world where Ebola is, once again, a realistic concern and spreading, it makes perfect sense for Americans to quickly adapt to fist-bump protocol both here and especially during travels abroad. It is a quickly learned habit and it is the medical equivalent of using a strong dose of Purell immediately after touching an infectious person.
During travels abroad, most tourists are exposed to a wide range of hand-carried bacteria because of our dependency on the handshake as a demonstration of our humanity. But now, based on the evidence pouring in, the better travel consultants are strongly advising their clients not to shake hands during their travels. Teaching others to “fist-bump” is also a great way to greet locals with an interest toward looking after your own and their health interests. This is now a roaring trend and the handshake will soon become a vestige of times past when we knew little about transmission of germs.
