talking loudly in a foreign language should be avoided, as it creates a clear barrier between locals and visitors, a sense of 'us' and 'them' - which runs contrary to the philosophy of cultural sharing and learning that should underpin these visits.

understanding a bit about carioca culture in general is advised - for instance, soccer is very important in rio de janeiro, thus avoiding to wear t-shirts of adversaries soccer teams is always appreciated and a polite gesture.

ideally, visitors should learn a few basic words in portuguese before going into a visit, such as 'bom dia,' meaning good-day, 'oi,' meaning 'hi,' and most importantly 'obrigado' (for men) and 'obrigada' (for women), meaning 'thank you' - all words that should be used whenever possible to show gratitude to the hospitality.