Strange laws that could see you fined – or worse – on holiday
IT’S very common to hear of holidaymakers running into trouble abroad, with different laws in different countries catching travellers out.
However, there are some really bizarre rules in some places that could see you fined, or even locked up, for strange or trivial reasons.
Being annoying
One of those places is the Philippines, where simply being annoying could see you fined £75.
According to Traveller.au, the 1930 Philippines Revised Penal Code states that a fine of 200 pesos (£3), or jail for up to 30 days, is seen as just punishment for anyone causing “unjust vexation”.
A 2020 amendment was made to the penal code because it was considered to be too vague.
Now the law defines it as “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that causes substantial emotional
distress…and serves no legitimate purpose.”
The punishment has been increased too, ranging from 500-5000 pesos (£7.50-£75), while an arrest is still also possible.
Running out of petrol
While causing “unjust vexation” is at best a bit vague, there’s nothing unclear about Germany’s autobahn rules.
One of which states that drivers cannot run out of petrol.
According to autoeurope.com, it is seen as “a preventable circumstance”, and leads to stopping on the autobahn, which is prohibited.
For anyone with an empty tank on the autobahn, a fine of €30-70 (£27-62) awaits.
Chewing gum
Finally, in Singapore, people can face fines of up to £1,665 for chewing gum, after the substance was outlawed in 1992.
This was brought in to cut back on the immense cost of cleaning the substance in public places.
Those found importing or selling gum can be fined as much as £83,000, or be sentenced to two years in prison.
However, from 2004, gum with health benefits, such as nicotine or dental gum, can be acquired from pharmacies.
Last year, Spain brought in new rules for holidaymakers visiting some of their more popular resorts, including Barcelona and parts of the Balearics.
All-inclusive guests in some places have been limited to six drinks a day at their hotel resorts, in order to reduce public drunkenness.
Previously there were no limits for holidaymakers who had paid for such packages, but the local government brought the change in, with disorderly behaviour a problem in the past.
The rules apply to both Magaluf and Palma on Mallorca, as well as parts of Ibiza and also mean pub crawls and drinks offers, such as two-for-one and happy hour, are banned.
The sale of alcohol in shops is prohibited between 9.30pm and 8am.
Certain clothing is off limits to tourists too, with restaurants in Playa de Palma in Mallorca drawing up a dress code that locals hope will limit anti-social and drunken behaviour.
Football shirts are banned as part of the code, while going topless is not an option either.
Elsewhere, the popular holiday resort of Vigo banned weeing in the sea with fines up to €750 (£640) for anyone caught.
The coastal region in the northwest of Spain issued a warning last year which bans urinating “in the sea or on the beach”.
It is now a minor infraction due to being a hygiene and sanitary risk, meaning tourists will be fined if they break the rules.
Meanwhile, stag and hen dos were warned about stricter rules in the Costa del Sol last summer.
And several beaches in Spain also imposed smoking bans.