Originally Posted by MissJ

I think this is just one of those things that can be really uncomfortable, but you have to learn to deal with it because what is normal to us, is abnormal in other cultures. I definitely will also do the luggage trick and put my bag behind me to create a little bit of space but not be awkward myself by now leaving a gap that everyone in that culture will be bothered by. My other half can be a lot more mouthy about these things and I always have to give him a primer before we go to countries with huge culture differences and explain that he has to not be an ugly American and just relax. Believe me, a person I don't know breathing on my arm is really weird, but you do what you can and get on with your trip. It's not worth getting worked up about something where the other person is just following their cultural norms. I book first (on planes and trains) in places were space is not regarded the same and try to make it comfortable for my standards. It's best to try to self-comfort than to be rude.

The only time I really cannot just relax and be okay with it is elevators. I get extremely claustrophobic if there are a lot of people in one. If I'm in a place where I am generally taller than a lot of the locals, I can just look up the whole time and manage, but in some places I've actually had to wait a bit of time until the crowd died down. I've got a lot of weird looks at a few attractions where huge groups got on and I just stand there shaking my head while they motion for me to get on each time the elevator comes up. Just smile and wait and don't worry about it. Much better than passing out (yes, it happened).