The simple way you could get fined €500 as soon as you land on holiday – and tourists always fall for it
A TRAVELLER has revealed the simple way you could be fined as soon as you arrive on holiday.
Alaya shared the warning on her social media after travelling to Italy.
She told her followers that anyone using public transport could be fined if they don’t validate their tickets.
She said: “Do this if you don’t want to get fined €40 like clueless tourists in Italy.
“If you’re taking the regional trains and buses (busses especially in Rome), make sure to ‘validate’ your train/bus tickets.
Once you have your tickets, always look for the yellow validation machines before boarding your train.
“Just insert your ticket into the slot until you hear a stamping sound.”
She also said she saw tourists get caught out.
She continued: “On the train from Milan to Varenna (Lake Como), the two couples beside us had to pay for a big fine because they didn’t have any idea that they shouldn’t validate their tickets.”
She said she also saw “more than ten tourists” kicked off a bus in Rome and fined.
People on TikTok were left fuming by the rules.
One person wrote: “Imagine your ticket not being valid after you buy it. such a tourist trap.”
Another said: “They tried to arrest & extort us because our ticket wasn’t stamped. Definitely targeting tourists. We put it in the machine but it didn’t stamp.”
Some people shared their hacks to avoid falling for this.
One person wrote: “Buy them online and use the app. Then it’s automatically validated”
Instagram user @leonoratraveldiary was a recent tourist who was caught out by the rules.
Leonora said: “We were fined 80 euros (£68) as soon as we arrived in Italy. Don’t make this mistake.”
While Alaya said tourists could be fined €40, the fines actually stretch up to €500.
Italian public transportation service ATAC warned on their website: “Passengers found travelling without a valid ticket or with an irregular ticket will be issued with a penalty fare from €100 to €500, in addition to the payment of the ticket price as well as procedural and postal costs, if applicable.
“You are considered travelling without a valid ticket when […] although having a ticket, you did not validate it correctly.”
Italiarail warns of fines up to €200.