There are three ways to have a good birthday.

Here's a cool thing. When you're sick, or allergic, or something flies up your nose, and you spasm and expel mucus, it's polite for anyone around you, including complete strangers, to call attention to it. In English-speaking countries they say "Bless you," in most of Europe they say "Health."

In almost every culture, the polite response is "Thank you." As in "Thank you for calling attention to my embarrassing bodily function." As in "Thank you for making me thank you while I'm probably still dealing with how something inside me is now outside me." As in, "Thank you for alerting me that for the next three months, I'll be having impromptu two-line conversations with strangers, because my body thinks flowers want to kill it."

You've probably heard of SmartGate as a faster way to get through customs, but it only works when you're coming back into Australia of course. Luckily, Australia isn't the only country that has a program aimed at making customs go more quickly — some European countries do, too.

Greetings vary quite a bit depending on the culture, and if you're travelling, you don't want to be caught off guard. The New York Times has a useful guide to common greetings in different countries.

Hollywood actor Johnny Depp and his wife Amber Heard made headlines across the globe last week when their bizarre, hilarious and totally excruciating apology video to the Australian government was leaked online. While smuggling living animals into the country is an obvious no-no, our strict biosecurity legislation covers much, much more: everything from noodles to dirty shoes can land expats and tourists in hot water.