What\u2019s the worst thing you\u2019ve ever done on vacation? Austin Rulfs says he\u2019s still embarrassed about his recent visit to a Balinese temple. He was wearing a T-shirt and tattered shorts. The locals stared at him with disapproval.<\/p>\n
\u201cI underestimated how strict they are about respecting sacred areas,\u201d says Rulfs, a financial consultant from Adelaide, Australia. <\/p>\n
With summer vacation season just ahead, how about you? <\/p>\n
Travelers do all kinds of things on vacation that they later regret. A recent survey found that like Rulfs, almost one-third of tourists (32 percent) have done something similar, like posing inappropriately with a statue. And 42 percent admit to breaking the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cBreaking the law in other countries carries important consequences,\u201d says Alex Thompson, CEO of Legaroo, a company that offers international legal assistance plans to travelers. \u201cYou can\u2019t defend yourself by claiming that you\u2019re a foreigner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, the list of tourist misdeeds is long. You can see visitors spray-painting tourist attractions in the Canary Islands, mocking local customs in Dubai and carving their initials into the side of Japanese shrines. Their shenanigans go far beyond an occasional faux pas. It\u2019s often criminal behavior \u2014 some of it so unspeakably bizarre that I can\u2019t even write about it.<\/p>\n
Are more tourists breaking the law on vacation?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s just say tourists haven\u2019t been on their best behavior lately. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been an increase in poor behavior,\u201d says Charlie Neville, the marketing director for Jayway Travel. \u201cMany regret their actions when they realize the harm caused, like swimming in Venice\u2019s canals or damaging historic landmarks. The worst part is often when tourists don\u2019t care they\u2019re the strangers there, acting entitled and demanding, especially in groups.\u201d <\/p>\n
Breaking local laws is not hard. Matt Little was driving in Florence when he inadvertently entered a \u200b\u200bZona Traffico Limitato, one of Italy\u2019s infamous restricted traffic zones. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was blissfully unaware that the area was off-limits to most vehicles,\u201d he recalls. A few weeks later, he got an $80 fine in the mail.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t help but regret not having done my homework on the local driving regulations,\u201d says Little, who runs a lighting company.<\/p>\n
Not all lawbreaking results in fines, says Alex Andreichuk, the CEO of Altezza Travel, a tour operator based in Tanzania.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome tourists engage in behaviors that may seem more innocent, such as sitting on monuments or changing clothes in public spaces,\u201d he says. \u201cThese acts reflect a lack of social and cultural education.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s surprising how often people use the \u201cI\u2019m a tourist!\u201d excuse, and when that doesn\u2019t work, it\u2019s, \u201cI demand to speak with the embassy.\u201d (FYI, the embassy can\u2019t break you out of jail. It will send you a list of overpriced attorneys and contact your family. But you\u2019ll need to talk to someone like Thompson over at Legaroo if you want help.) <\/p>\n
There\u2019s a reason why tourists are doing unspeakably terrible things when they travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people bring a sense of entitlement along with them on their vacations,\u201d explains Nick Leighton, host of the etiquette podcast Were You Raised By Wolves? \u201cThis can often be an attitude of, \u2018I\u2019m paying for this, so I can do whatever I want,\u2019 and this can lead to all sorts of inappropriate behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts say the pandemic made the problem worse, because many people felt they had nothing to lose after that. The evidence, says Leighton, is in the gift shops frequented by tourists \u2014 you know, the ones with the off-color T-shirts and coffee mugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wonder, \u2018Who buys these things?,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cWell, the nature of being away from home can make even the most levelheaded and sane person lose all sense of judgment and reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve broken a few laws, too, but they\u2019re minor. When I lived in Dublin, I did a lot of jaywalking. If you\u2019ve been to Dublin, you probably know why. (Fines reportedly range from about $800 for a first offense to three months in prison for repeat offenders.) In my defense, the traffic lights are a little wacky and in some cases, there isn\u2019t enough time to cross the street even if you wait for a green light. <\/p>\n
But still, I probably shouldn\u2019t have done that. Sorry.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to violate rules and customs when you\u2019re out of the country. Heck, it\u2019s even easy when you stay in your own country.<\/p>\n
Your loud music at the beach could violate local noise ordinances. The trash you leave behind could break waste management laws. And that new string bikini you can\u2019t wait to try out just might be a violation of decency laws.<\/p>\n
And if I have to tell you that carving your initials into the side of a shrine or spray-painting a monument is wrong, there\u2019s not much this column can do to fix that.<\/p>\n
John Gobbels, chief operating officer of Medjet, says you have to understand the law, and the legal process in whatever country you\u2019re visiting. For example, chewing gum in Singapore is against the law. Bringing a satellite device into India can get you into trouble. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou may think a law is stupid or not serious, but it is a law and being arrested in a foreign country may not be what you expect,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
A medical evacuation membership like Medjet can offer legal support, but at the very least, carry a phone number for the nearest embassy, just in case. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy advice for anyone thinking of breaking the law,\u201d says Lisa Mirza Grotts, author of the book A Traveler\u2019s Passport to Etiquette in a Post-Pandemic World: \u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s also a takeaway. No matter how careful you are, you might accidentally break a rule when you\u2019re away. It\u2019s bound to happen sooner or later. <\/p>\n
My best advice: Know how to apologize. Learn how to do it in the native language, whether it\u2019s a \u201cd\u00e9sol\u00e9\u201d in Paris or a \u201csumimasen\u201d in Kyoto. A sincere apology is often enough to get you out of a tight spot. <\/p>\n
If you\u2019re on vacation somewhere and are thinking of doing something illegal \u2014 or that could be illegal \u2014 take a moment. Do you really want to end up as an anecdote in one of my stories? <\/p>\n
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at chris@elliott.org.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, breaking the law while on vacation can have serious consequences. It\u2019s essential to be aware of local laws and customs to avoid any trouble. Remember, it\u2019s always better to be safe than sorry, and a little knowledge can go a long way in ensuring a smooth and enjoyable trip.<\/p>\n
Here are some frequently asked questions about breaking the law while on vacation:<\/p>\n
Q: What are some common laws that tourists break while on vacation?<\/p>\n
A: Some common laws that tourists break while on vacation include local noise ordinances, waste management laws<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Confession Time: What’s the Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done on Vacation? What\u2019s the worst thing you\u2019ve ever done on vacation? Austin Rulfs says he\u2019s still embarrassed about his recent visit to a Balinese temple. He was wearing a T-shirt and tattered shorts. The locals stared at him with disapproval. \u201cI underestimated how strict they are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":7007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7006","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/KCZQKCXYLVFCZGNTNWKKSLXOYM.jpg?auth=2dc60161c69d2627a481a282b4cdb1c2b2e62dc1ee0b2d92c15e6d3d494b5813&height=630&width=1200&smart=true&quality=80","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7006"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7006"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7008,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7006\/revisions\/7008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}