{"id":15384,"date":"2022-02-17T12:36:16","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T12:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/?p=15384"},"modified":"2022-02-17T12:47:53","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T12:47:53","slug":"the-worlds-weirdest-laws-and-how-not-to-break-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/the-worlds-weirdest-laws-and-how-not-to-break-them\/","title":{"rendered":"The world\u2019s weirdest laws (and how NOT to break them)"},"content":{"rendered":"Approx read: <\/span> 3<\/span> mins<\/span><\/span>

Travel should surprise you. But one surprise you don\u2019t want is falling foul of a law you didn\u2019t even know existed.<\/h2>\n

And there are some pretty \u2018unique\u2019 laws out there, prohibiting everything from public displays of affection to feeding pigeons. Make no mistake, these are not outdated bylaws that have somehow survived on the books, these are real laws that people are punished for, including through substantial fines, deportation and even prison sentences.<\/h3>\n

That\u2019s why battleface has put together a guide to the laws you probably don\u2019t know about \u2013 and how you can avoid breaking them on the road.<\/h4>\n

Remember, when you\u2019re in a foreign country, you play by their rules \u2013 or you may pay the price.<\/p>\n

Vaping in Thailand<\/h4>\n

\u2018Electronic cigarettes\u2019 may have been adopted in many countries as a supposedly healthier alternative to burning nicotine, but not every country is keen on their proliferation. In Thailand, sheer possession of a \u2018vape\u2019 can result in a fine of up to 30,000 baht (more than US$900) and a prison sentence of up to 10 years! Yikes.<\/p>\n

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Keeping out of trouble: If you\u2019re normally a vaper, consider nicotine gum or patches while you\u2019re in the country. These should be available at most drug stores over the counter.<\/p>\n

Kissing in Dubai<\/h4>\n

Public displays of affection are a big no-no across many parts of the Middle East and tourists have been known to be prosecuted under public indecency laws. In 2010, a British couple were sentenced to a month in prison and then promptly deported after being reported for kissing in public.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Keeping out of trouble: Don\u2019t be lulled into a false sense of security because you\u2019re surrounded by fellow foreigners. Plain-clothed police officers exist and can choose to make an example of someone if they feel they\u2019re behaving in a way that doesn\u2019t befit the kingdom\u2019s \u2018values\u2019.<\/p>\n

Jaywalking in the USA<\/h4>\n

For a country so enamoured with the concept of liberty, criminalising crossing the road in the wrong place does seem a bit \u2018out of character\u2019 but in many jurisdictions jaywalking can be punished with a fine or a court appearance. In reality, jaywalking laws are so often flouted that only the most egregious examples \u2013 disrupting the flow of traffic, for example \u2013 would garner the attention of police.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Keeping out of trouble: Only cross at designated crossing points, especially if there are police officers in the vicinity.<\/p>\n

Feeding pigeons in Venice<\/h4>\n

London\u2019s Trafalgar Square may be synonymous with the flocks of pigeons flapping their grubby wings around tourists, but the authorities in Venice, Italy, had other ideas. After it was ascertained that cleaning the birds\u2019 \u2018droppings\u2019 was costing every resident \u20ac275 each year, they decided to take action. In 2008, they made feeding the birds illegal, with a fine of up to \u20ac700 for anyone caught in the act.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Keeping out of trouble: Just don\u2019t feed the pigeons, obviously.<\/p>\n

Taking a selfie with the Buddha in Sri Lanka<\/h4>\n

The appropriate levels of respect shown to religious figures and monuments abroad can often by underestimated by unwitting tourists. As was the case in Sri Lanka in 2012 where three French tourists were sentenced to six months in prison (suspended for five years) for taking supposedly \u2018disrespectful\u2019 pictures while posing next to statue of the revered Buddhist figure.<\/p>\n

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Keeping out of trouble: Keep in mind that religious sensitivities are one aspect of a culture that may not be immediately apparent. Take your cues from others. Are they behaving in a particular way or dressing in a particular way in a temple? And if in doubt, ask.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Travel should surprise you. But one surprise you don\u2019t want is falling foul of a law you didn\u2019t even know existed. And there are some pretty \u2018unique\u2019 laws out there, prohibiting everything from public displays of affection to feeding pigeons. Make no mistake, these are not outdated bylaws that have somehow survived on the books, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":15392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[298],"tags":[1519],"class_list":["post-15384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-travel-2022"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15384"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15397,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15384\/revisions\/15397"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}