Travel Tips: The Importance of Learning Laws and Customs
There are many reasons one might wish to travel to different countries. For some, it is a mandatory part of a job. But for 
those who visit distant lands for pleasure, a vacation could entail seeing new places, experiencing different cultures, and sampling the culinary delights that are beloved by the locals. However, despite the fact that most nations are happy to cater to tourists (and their consumer dollars), they probably won’t appreciate playing host to visitors that are totally ignorant to their laws and customs. And because you are not only a guest in their country, but you are also serving as a representative of your own nation, it behooves you not to start an international incident simply because you “didn’t know”.
Imagine that you invited a foreign guest into your home and that this person kissed you on the mouth upon arrival. Or suppose he refused to shake your hand. You might be a little put off by this odd behavior. And yet, it pays to remember that other people’s customs are not our own. So while we might clasp hands or even hug in greeting (depending on the level of intimacy), other countries could see these customs as overly affectionate, or by the same token, they might see it as far too stiff and formal for a meeting amongst friends.
And greetings are just the tip of the iceberg. Local customs may dictate the manner in which you put food in your mouth (fingers or fork?), whether you should accept or turn down a gift, how you purchase goods, what is appropriate to wear in certain social settings, how you are allowed to interact with members of the opposite sex, and much, much more. Our cultural customs are so ingrained in us that we don’t even notice when we’re observing them…until we visit other countries and find that the people there are shocked by behaviors that seem totally natural to us. So unless you want to risk offending your hosts when you visit another country, it’s a good idea to research what local customs allow.
Of course, defying local customs may not be appropriate, but in most cases it will be chalked up to your ignorance as a foreigner. In short, it’s not likely to land you in legal trouble. But when you break the laws of the country you’re visiting, you might not be able to get out of the situation with a simple appeal that you didn’t know any better. Whether you know the laws or not, you are subject to them the minute you leave domestic soil and board a flight for your country of choice. Often a good lawyer can get you off the hook or have you released with nothing more than a fine (although it really depends on the severity of your offense, the amount of damage done, and the stringency of the legal system).
The point is that you’re not a child (even though you might appear so to the local citizenry due to your apparent lack of common knowledge). You are an adult, responsible for yourself and your behavior. And if you want to comport yourself as such you need to consider situations you might find yourself in so that you can determine how you’re supposed to speak and act so as not to get yourself into personal and legal trouble. Otherwise you could be facing a lot worse consequences than mere embarrassment.
Carol Montrose is a contributing writer for www.PowMac.com, the premier NC DWI attorney.
