If you’re the type of tourist that likes to really get out there and move around or even “party hard” you should definitely choose your destination very carefully. The fact is, some countries feature some pretty extreme laws which can affect you as a tourist in some pretty adverse ways. The aforementioned is especially true if you’re the type of person that has been known to engage in the use of recreational drugs, for example; as you’re about to soon find out, in some countries even simply possessing a small amount of some illicit substance might even get you killed!
Saudi Arabia
Aside from currently sporting the tallest manmade structure in the world, the Burj Khalifa, Saudi Arabia is also known for having some of the harshest and most violently enforced laws of any place on Earth. For example, it is technically against the law to drink or possess any type of alcoholic beverage. That along will repel many would-be tourists, but the Islamic state also carries severe attitudes about gender equality and it’s widely known that women are supposed to be accompanied by a man at all times.
Iran
Another Middle Eastern country with a reputation for extreme punishments of relatively minor offenses like marijuana possession is of course, Iran. For example, if you are simply caught with a few grams of “mary jane’ in this country you might actually be physically beaten with a whip or even imprisoned for a number of years. Gmail is also apparently illegal in Iran as is homosexuality, YouTube, tattoos, skinny jeans and Dan Brown’s “The DaVinci Code”. Just mark this potential destination off your list right now and be done with it.
China
Of course not every destination within the massive country of China is particularly dangerous or extreme for tourists, but be aware – the Chinese state government has been known to arrest and even execute international tourists for speaking out against the brutal regime in a public manner. Likewise, they routinely impose harsh penalties for anyone caught with drugs and depending on what country you’re from you might find yourself being constantly followed by communist party officials.
Indonesia, Malaysia & Singapore
While each of these three countries might otherwise be considered suitable travel destinations, one should be mindful of the fact that they do impose very harsh punishments on drug users. In Indonesia for example, a drug user might receive a mandatory 10-15 sentence. Likewise, Malaysia will actually execute you if you are caught with some substances. Similarly, Singapore routinely hangs people for possessing small amounts of drugs. The bottom line here is that if you’re “looking to party” or let it all hand out and “get wild”, it’s probably best to avoid these destinations entirely.
