I don't think some of these rules are that weird. I think they're weird if they apply to friends hanging out in each other's towns but I can see the reasoning behind most of them if it's just a random trade. Not talking to villagers, for example, means that the trade will be much quicker because the host doesn't have to wait while the visitor talks to everyone around (plus villagers tend to mention visitors afterwards so not everyone might want that, I personally don't mind it but I can see why people wouldn't like it). Not going in certain directions or not straying off paths means it's easier for the host to follow you and check on what you're doing, I wouldn't be surprised if it's largely a safety thing due to people having bad experiences with guests who steal hybrids, cut down trees, dig holes everywhere and so on.
Really, I don't care what people's town rules are if I'm just going there for a quick trade. I'm just more interested in going straight to the point, trading, then leaving. If I want to explore their town I'll just ask politely. Most of the time you can just check on interesting towns without stepping on any toes by visiting dream towns.
I don't have many rules in my town but if you're trading with me, then I expect you to not destroy everything and just follow me to the house of the villager you're getting or the shop you're going to. It just saves my time and the other person's time too.