Question: I figure driving etiquette falls under travel etiquette. Last night, I was on a two-lane road that was reduced to one lane due to construction. Despite many signs saying, "Use both lanes to merge point," everybody was moving over well before, so there was one lane of bumper-to-bumper traffic and one completely empty lane.

I stayed in the empty lane and passed most of the people who had merged early, but some guy moved over from the bumper-to-bumper lane and stayed in exactly the same place in the empty lane just to prevent me from getting all the way down to the merge point. I was later told, "That's just the way people drive around here." Isn't it rude to take it upon yourself to regulate traffic flow in a way that contradicts posted signs?

Answer: If local custom is to move over half a mile away from the merge point, that's fine -- if someone wants to do that, then sit in traffic. That's his prerogative. It is absolutely not OK, though, for someone to take it upon himself to prevent other drivers from following clear instructions on the road signs. In fact, it's completely obnoxious! I don't blame you one bit for being angry.

Question: My mother-in-law likes to drink a cappuccino after dinner. She's going to Italy with some friends, and I told her that she'll get funny looks if she tries to order one there. She doesn't believe me, because, in her words, Italians invented cappuccino. Can you tell her I'm right?

Answer: You're right -- in Italy, cappuccino is a breakfast drink. Let's say you're a waiter at a nice restaurant here in the U.S.A. that makes fantastic blueberry pancakes for Sunday brunch. Someone comes in on a Friday night and wants to order them for dinner. That'd seem weird to you, right? Well, that's exactly how odd it seems to an Italian waiter if you order a cappuccino after dinner. Real cappuccino in Italy is fabulous, but to avoid getting funny looks, enjoy it before 11 a.m.

Question: Should one roll or carry one's carry-on bag down the aisle of a plane?

Answer: It depends on your carry-on and how coordinated you are. Big carry-on bags that barely fit in the overhead also barely fit down the airplane aisle. Sure, wheels can save your back, but they often don't roll straight, and if you're dragging your bag behind you, you might not realize you're hitting people.

I turn my wheeled bag sideways (so it's narrower) and carry it by the top handle, because I can control it better that way. If you have a bag that rolls flat on four wheels and is a breeze to maneuver, though, go ahead and roll it.

First Published: July 25, 2010, 4:00 a.m.