June is here, and summer travel is on the horizon, but with new risks and rules everyone needs to be aware of.
I recently visited the Turks and Caicos Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of the Bahamas. British Overseas Territories It has its own rules.
From the moment we arrived in the capital, Cockburn Town, the stories of Americans detained on the island were a quick reminder of the importance of knowing local laws and customs whenever traveling outside the U.S. Failure to abide by them can be costly.
Recently, authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands passed a law mandating a minimum wage. 12 years in prison Fines are imposed on anyone found in possession of firearms or ammunition, and five Americans have been detained in the past few months for possessing ammunition found in luggage.
One of the detainees Released last month — A Virginia father was jailed for three weeks and paid a $9,000 fine; others await their fate.
Breaking the law in a place like Russia comes with tougher consequences. Two-time Olympic gold medal basketball player Brittney Griner was arrested for violating the law upon arriving in Moscow in February 2022. Less than 1 gram Her suitcase was packed with medical THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, and Russian customs officials said she was carrying cartridges of hashish oil.
under Russian LawPossession of less than 7 grams (about a quarter ounce) of marijuana is an administrative offense punishable by a fine; possession of more than 7 grams is a criminal offense, which can include up to two years of “corrective labor.” But because Griner brought marijuana into the country, he was charged with smuggling a “substantial quantity” of a “narcotic or psychotropic substance,” which carries a prison sentence of five to 10 years.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison, but U.S. authorities Foreign Trade She was released in December of that year and negotiated a deal with an imprisoned Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner.
There are less dramatic stories too: American rapper Nicki Minaj was recently forced to cancel a concert in Manchester. Arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport Police said they found dozens of joints in her luggage and she was fined, and she documented her arrest on social media.
Cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands Accepted For entertainment purposes.
Germany The first European country Thailand has passed a bill allowing people over the age of 18 to possess and purchase small amounts of marijuana for recreational purposes. Re-registering cannabis as a narcotic drug; This prohibits its use.
Even tourist behaviour is becoming a problem on crowded islands. In the Spanish Balearic islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, the government Prohibition of late-night alcohol sales Drinking on the streets has also been banned, and new restrictions have been imposed on party boats in the same area.
Learning about new local laws and customs isn’t difficult to research. One source of information is the U.S. Department of State. Travel Guide for Each County Embassy alerts have also been issued for high-risk areas. Political unrest around the world may change travel plans and result in new rules and local regulations. Climate change may also make weather unpredictable and dangerous.
It is also important to review each country’s unusual or unexpected legal norms, from small issues like driving and drinking alcohol to larger issues like gender and sexuality.
EqualDex According to Equal Dex, a collaborative knowledge base for the LGBTQ+ movement that provides up-to-date information on rules and regulations in each country, at least 60 countries have laws in place that most Westerners would consider homophobic.
As one traveller noted in a recent article, when unmarried couples share a room in Dubai or Qatar, Significant legal consequences — Unmarried women cannot share a room with a man unless he is their husband or father. LGBTQ+ couples can be jailed or extradited.
One final word of advice for anyone heading to New York City and hoping to rent an Airbnb to avoid pricey hotel bills: Starting September 5th, new local rules will go into effect. Prohibit more than two paying guests Even if the unit is large enough for multiple people to stay overnight, overnight stays are prohibited. Hosts must be physically present when the property is rented and cannot lock rooms within the rental.
Traveling is good. It’s interesting, exciting, informative and builds bridges between cultures. Being a smart traveler is a common sense rule that’s worth repeating.
Tara D. Sonenshein served as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Policy at the U.S. Department of State and is currently a Senior Adjunct Scholar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
