Why You Should Check Foreign Laws Before You Take Off For Vacation

With the holiday season long over, everyone is now firmly back at their jobs, staring longingly at their tropical desktop wallpapers while getting ready for another long, long, *sigh* long day at work.

Depressed?  No, why do you ask?

Anyway, it won’t be long before people start grasping desperately for any reason to plan their next vacation, if they haven’t done so already, in order to escape the monotony of work and everyday life.  And believe me folks, particularly all you guys out there, there are (is) some (a) pretty good reasons to plan a vacation or do anything right now in order to save yourselves from a potentially disastrously situation in the very near future.  It’s like forgetting Mother’s Day.  Only that on top having to walk around with the guilt of saddening and disappointing an important woman in your life, you also get yelled at for an indefinite amount of time.

But depending on where you go this year (or month) you might want to take a precaution that not many people do when they take off for holiday, particularly those whose destination lies outside of this fine country.  And that is to check out your vacation spot’s local laws.

Sounds weird, huh?  I know.  But go with me for a second.  For many of you, when travelling aboard there are certain precautions that you take in order to protect yourself against the unfamiliarity and dangers that may accompany going to a foreign locale.  Getting vaccinated, ensuring that all your travel documents and identification are up to date, learning some of the local language, familiarizing yourself with the local customs, and so forth, are all intuitive second-nature responses when one decides to go somewhere new.

Why do you do these things?  Well because, like I said earlier, to protect yourself against the unfamiliar and unexpected.  Therefore, doesn’t it also make sense to also check out a country or city’s local laws before you depart since acceptable and legal behavior here might not necessarily be legal somewhere else?  The last thing you need is to be stuck in some foreign jail waiting for the foreman to choose the proper stick to beat you with.

Okay, not everything may be that extreme, but there are some surprising activities that are considered illegal outside most people’s home state.  Here’s a few of them courtesy of the United Kingdom’s Telegraph newspaper.

• In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits.
• In Massachusetts, taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of the car during their shifts.
• In Denmark, people are legally obliged to honk the horn and check for small children underneath the car.
• In Thailand, it is illegal for anyone to leave a building without wearing their pants.
• In Michigan, anyone planning on bathing in public must have their swim suit inspected by a police officer.
• In Florida, any unmarried woman who parachutes on a Sunday could be jailed. Singing while wearing a swimming costume is also prohibited.
• In Portugal, it is unlawful to urinate in the sea.
• In Hong Kong, the wife of a husband who commits adultery is legally entitled to kill the mistress in any manner desired, and the husband with just her bare hands.
• In Switzerland, flushing the lavatory after 10pm is illegal.
• In Canada, if you are arrested and then released from prison, it is a legal requirement that the felon is given a handgun with bullets and a horse, so they can ride safely out of the town.

Yes, this list is real.  It’s not an Onion joke.  Just remember people travel safe and smart, and don’t forget to use the internet.  On top of being a porn distribution device, it’s a great way to research your vacation destination’s local law.  Because how much street cred are you going to have when you tell the other inmates in the Italian prison that you’re doing 3 to 5 for not smiling when you checked out of your hotel?