In some parts of the world, if you’re on time, you’re late. In others, the opposite is true. The way we think of time can be broadly divided into two categories: monochronic (strict) and polychronic (flexible). Anyone who’s been to countries like Switzerland and the Netherlands knows they belong to the former camp, whereas other corners of the globe prefer the latter. Here are three regions where it’s culturally acceptable — or even preferable — to be late. 

Southern Europe

There’s a good deal of overlap between countries that eat dinner late at night and countries that take a more laid-back approach to time in general. If you spent a semester abroad or met with locals while vacationing in this region, you’ve already experienced this firsthand. Showing up late is neither uncommon nor impolite in a country like Spain, where the midafternoon is reserved for siestas and anyone running late could theoretically still be waking up from a nap. It’s similar in Italy, where you can show up for social events well after the listed start time and still be considered on time.

Greece takes this even further, with some joking that GMT stands not for Greenwich Mean Time but for Greek Maybe Time. Though punctuality is still expected in a professional setting, locals are much more relaxed when it comes to just about everything else.

The Middle East

In Egypt, being late isn’t just expected — it’s a sign of how Egyptian you truly are. If you show up an hour “late” to a party, you might still be the first person there. It’s simply how “Egyptian time” works, and it can be quite an adjustment for travelers. The same can be said of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Jordan, where listed appointment times are sometimes seen as suggestions rather than strict guidelines.

Parts of Africa

There’s a reason why “African time” has its own Wikipedia page. It’s even the title of a 2014 documentary exploring the effects, both positive and negative, of tardiness in African culture. “There are consequences whenever you are late,” one interviewee says in the film, acknowledging that she herself just arrived late. The movie also explores the divide between African immigrants and their children born in America, whose differing attitudes toward punctuality can create something of a generation gap.

Unlike in other parts of the world where tardiness is a mere cultural quirk, the concept of African time has been written about in academic papers and newspaper articles examining its implications. “One of the main reasons for the continuing underdevelopment of our country is our nonchalant attitude to time and the need for punctuality in all aspects of life,” begins one such editorial in the Ghanaian newspaper The Chronicle, which argues that the problem “afflicts all members of our society.”

In 2007, Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo even endorsed an event called “Punctuality Night,” whose slogan was “‘African time’ is killing Africa — let’s fight it.” A $60,000 villa was awarded to a legal adviser described as “unusually good at being punctual,” which sounds like good motivation for anyone to start arriving on time.

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