So its hard enough to not do things we KNOW are against the law but what about all the things are the OTHERWISE LEGAL but at the last minute we discover they are ILLEGAL in many of the countries we travel to or thru to go diving?
We've listed several of these ILLEGAL practices that would normally be legal anywhere else but the country that just threw you into jail.
Please add any other laws you are aware of that you can break in a country doing something typically legal EVERYWHERE ELSE.
Dubai: Here are several surprising arrestable offenses in Dubai, such as certain posts on social media, dancing and engaging in public displays of affection. (Maldives 2017 members remember this when doing short layovers in Dubai on the way to Male)
Phuket: Do not feed the fish in Phuket Thailand as you can be arrested (Remember this for our Feb 2018 Thailand trip.)
Berlin: A tourist made a "Heil Hitler" sign outside the Reichstage in Berlin, Germany and was arrested and had his camera card confiscated for evidence. Do not joke around and be disrepectful of other countries culture and history.
Indonesia: A French tourist accidentally ran onto a military base while playing PokemonGo. So pay attention, be alert when in other countries especially Indonesia (where we will be diving Raja Ampat in Oct 2018)
Amsterdam, Mecca, Saudia Arabia, Vatican City, Garoupe Beach in France, Beijing and MORE are all banning "Selfies and Selfie Sticks". So really be careful when traveling to many inconic landmarks as many have outlawed someone nearly every traveler has one at least once...taken their own picture for friends, family or social media.
Qatar: Be extremely careful in Qatar for reporting let alone committing a crime of a sexual nature which includes sex out of wedlock. You also need to find out if it is even safe to report a crime of this nature as usually the victim is also jailed Make sure you have a good travel insurance policy and be sure to search the country you travel too for any oddball laws you need to be aware of.
You can find helpful information on country specific safety information at www.travel.state.gov or by doing an Internet search for OSAC Crime Report for the country you are visiting.
Please share any strange laws you are familiar with that will get you in trouble outside the US but would otherwise be legal here!