Did you know…the Local Laws and Customs?

Did you take the time to research the local laws and customs of your destination before your most recent trip abroad? The Foreign and Commonwealth & Development Office (or FCDO) are assuming you probably didn’t, judging from the results of their recent research.

A big part of the FCDO’s job is to advise travellers and help them if they need assistance outside of the UK, however many Brits are apparently causing themselves an unnecessary amount of holiday hassle by not following the rules.

The FCDO’s survey found that, although 70% of people admitted that researching local laws and customs before their trip would probably make their holiday more enjoyable, less than half had actually made this part of their pre-travel research or preparations.

In fact, from 2013-2014 the FCDO recorded over 5,000 British arrests abroad (according to their ‘British Behaviour Abroad Report’), many of which could have been avoided if the travellers had been aware of the local regulations of their destination.

This means that many travellers don’t actually realise they are breaking the law until they are approach by Police, as the rules can be very different to those in the UK. To help anyone planning a trip abroad, the FCDO have created this a handy info-graphic to alert travellers to some of the strange rules which must be abided by to avoid a holiday encounter of the legal kind.

For more information on the laws in specific destinations, please visit the FCDO’s Travel Advice Directory.