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How to… get into trouble abroad

There’s a big, wide world to explore out there… and a host of laws that could get you into unexpected trouble.

27/05/12 7,060 Views 13 Comments

TRAVELLING AND MEETING people from different cultures may be a passion of yours – but what kinds of activities should you avoid if you want to stay on the right side of the law when abroad?

There are a host of weird and wonderful laws out there – here are eight that you’re unlikely to anticipate:

How to… get into trouble abroad
1 / 9

  • Kissing on railways

    Shake off your 1940s cinematic fantasies of being embraced by your beloved in a mist of steam and train whistles - not only are railways station exceedingly unromantic in reality, it's illegal to kiss on the French railways. Image: Alan Cleaver/Flickr/Creative Commons

  • Dying

    Please do not be so rude as to die in LeLavabdou, France, without first having secured a cemetery plot - as the law forbids it. Similarly, forget about dying in England's Houses of Parliament. Not cool. Image: kevin dooley/Flickr/Creative Commons

  • Wearing a mask

    If you're protesting in Germany, forget about covering your face. The same anti-mask sentiment is applied in Cannes, France, but - bizarrely - only if the mask resembles Jerry Lewis. Image: exfordy/Flickr/Creative Commons

  • Taking a photo

    Suppress your inner photographer: taking pictures of government buildings, airports, bridges, or military installations can get you into hot water in many countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, you must obtain permission before taking photos of churches or synagogues. If you take a photograph of any military installation, establishment or site of strategic importance in Russia you are likely to have your film or camera confiscated, be detained for questioning or possibly arrested. Image: Stacie Stacie Stacie/Flickr/Creative Commons

  • Gathering

    Foreigners in countries like China are advised not take part in political gatherings or attend underground religious services - moves that can be perceived as breaking Chinese law. Do it and take the risk of arrest or detention. Image: Moscow street protest, by Sergey Ponomarev/AP/Press Association Images

  • Taking drugs

    It - of course - should go without saying that activities like drug-trafficking or carrying class-A narcotics will likely to get you into hot water legally (as well as being rather bad moves on a personal level) but what about common medicines? It's worth checking out the local laws before you go, as some over-the-counter and prescription drugs that are common in Ireland are illegal elsewhere. For example, in Japan, being in possession of painkillers containing codeine or certain menthol-inhalers is illegal. Japan's strict drug laws mean that you can be even arrested for simply testing positive for illegal substance - even if you're not carrying drugs and didn't ingest them while in the country. Image: woodleywonderworks/Flickr/Creative Commons

  • Feeding the birds

    Don't tell Julie Andrews, but feeding the pigeons in Venice, Italy, could see you picking up a fine of hundreds of euro. The reason behind it? Pigeon droppings defacing local buildings. Fair enough. Image: Ktoine/Flickr/Creative Commons

  • Going commando

    In Thailand, walking out of the house without your unmentionables is illegal. (How the authorities establish this without breaking a host of other laws, we do not know.) Image: Marianna_Lentini/Flickr/Creative Commons

  • Falling asleep

    In South Dakota, USA, it's illegal to take a nap in a cheese factory. Image: _gee_/Flickr/Creative Commons
  • Shake off your 1940s cinematic fantasies of being embraced by your beloved in a mist of steam and train whistles - not only are railways station exceedingly unromantic in reality, it's illegal to kiss on the French railways. Image: Alan Cleaver/Flickr/Creative Commons
  • Please do not be so rude as to die in LeLavabdou, France, without first having secured a cemetery plot - as the law forbids it. Similarly, forget about dying in England's Houses of Parliament. Not cool. Image: kevin dooley/Flickr/Creative Commons
  • If you're protesting in Germany, forget about covering your face. The same anti-mask sentiment is applied in Cannes, France, but - bizarrely - only if the mask resembles Jerry Lewis. Image: exfordy/Flickr/Creative Commons
  • Suppress your inner photographer: taking pictures of government buildings, airports, bridges, or military installations can get you into hot water in many countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, you must obtain permission before taking photos of churches or synagogues. If you take a photograph of any military installation, establishment or site of strategic importance in Russia you are likely to have your film or camera confiscated, be detained for questioning or possibly arrested. Image: Stacie Stacie Stacie/Flickr/Creative Commons
  • Foreigners in countries like China are advised not take part in political gatherings or attend underground religious services - moves that can be perceived as breaking Chinese law. Do it and take the risk of arrest or detention. Image: Moscow street protest, by Sergey Ponomarev/AP/Press Association Images
  • It - of course - should go without saying that activities like drug-trafficking or carrying class-A narcotics will likely to get you into hot water legally (as well as being rather bad moves on a personal level) but what about common medicines? It's worth checking out the local laws before you go, as some over-the-counter and prescription drugs that are common in Ireland are illegal elsewhere. For example, in Japan, being in possession of painkillers containing codeine or certain menthol-inhalers is illegal. Japan's strict drug laws mean that you can be even arrested for simply testing positive for illegal substance - even if you're not carrying drugs and didn't ingest them while in the country. Image: woodleywonderworks/Flickr/Creative Commons
  • Don't tell Julie Andrews, but feeding the pigeons in Venice, Italy, could see you picking up a fine of hundreds of euro. The reason behind it? Pigeon droppings defacing local buildings. Fair enough. Image: Ktoine/Flickr/Creative Commons
  • In Thailand, walking out of the house without your unmentionables is illegal. (How the authorities establish this without breaking a host of other laws, we do not know.) Image: Marianna_Lentini/Flickr/Creative Commons
  • In South Dakota, USA, it's illegal to take a nap in a cheese factory. Image: _gee_/Flickr/Creative Commons

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Jennifer Wade
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