Know the Law Before Ruining Your Vacation

Patronizing a prostitute: Being caught with a prostitute is not a crime in France. The police will most likely fine the prostitute rather than the client. That said, if the prostitute is a minor (under 18) or has any infirmities, then the client will be fined up to $50,000 and jailed for three years.

United Kingdom

Smoking marijuana: British police will not arrest you if you light up in public. You may get a warning, with the police confiscating your joint, but if done discreetly, you may not be hassled. Carrying large amounts of marijuana can get you 14 years in prison if the police believe you're selling the stuff.

Carrying a firearm: Gun laws are strict. It's illegal to carry a firearm -- not even the police carry guns. Carrying a firearm will get you a minimum of five years in a prison cell.

Driving 70 mph on the highway: Unlike in the rest of Europe, traffic moves on the left in Britain. The speed limit is 70 mph (yes, they use miles here too) so you can outrun that Mini just ahead of you. If you are caught speeding, you may have to pay a £60 fine, that's about $110.

Patronizing a prostitute: The act of prostitution, as in selling sex or paying for it, is not illegal but soliciting -- i.e. looking for it or offering it -- is. You can get a maximum of six months in prison and/or be fined up to £5,000, which is about $9,000.

Worth noting: Many pocketknives and other blades, and mace or pepper spray canisters, although legal in the United States, are illegal in the United Kingdom and may be confiscated.

Thailand

Smoking marijuana: Drugs are frowned upon in Thailand. Getting caught smoking marijuana is punishable by one year in jail and/or a fine of 20,000 baht ($500). Thailand also has a death penalty for serious drug offenses, and has executed convicted traffickers. The U.S. Embassy frequently doesn't find out about the arrest of U.S. citizens for minor drug offenses, particularly in southern Thailand, until several days after the incident, according to the State Department. Thai police occasionally raid discos, bars or nightclubs looking for underage patrons and drug users. During the raids, they typically check the IDs of all customers and make each person provide a urine sample to be checked for narcotics (despite your nationality). Anyone whose urine tests positive for drugs is arrested and charged. And if you are found in possession of a lot of drugs, the police authorities will assume you are carrying with an intent to sell and you can get life in prison or even execution.

Carrying a firearm: Thailand prohibits possessing firearms, ammunition or explosives without a license. If you're caught with a gun and no license, you may get slapped with a $500 fine and be stuck in a jail cell for one to 10 years. It gets worse. If you have a firearm that isn't legal even with a license, offenders can be sentenced to life imprisonment or capital punishment, i.e. death.

Driving 70 mph on the highway: Traffic moves on the left in Thailand with a speed limit that varies between 52 mph and 60 mph on expressways and country roads. One important difference is that your car is insured, not the driver. Police speed traps are quite common on major routes, although considering the sub-Autobahn condition of many of the roads, you probably won't be burning rubber here.

Patronizing a prostitute: Prostitution is illegal; however, paying for sex is not illegal. Some massage parlors often provide more than just a neck rub and it's not uncommon for women to proposition men at bars for a date and more. That said, sex with children under 18 years of age is a crime and the customers may face very heavy fines. Customers caught with someone younger than 18 can get one to three years imprisonment and/or a fine ranging from 20,000-50,000 baht (about $500 to $1,200). In addition, any person having sex with minors faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and/or fines of about $1,000 regardless of consent.

Worth noting: It's a criminal offense to make negative comments about the king or other members of the royal family. So refrain, because badmouthing the royal family is punishable by a prison sentence of three to 15 years.

Who You Gonna Call?

As an American citizen, if you get in trouble, the U.S. Embassy in the foreign country will be notified and come to your aid. "Our role is to provide assistance, but that doesn't always mean securing a person's release," said Angela Aggeler, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs. The local U.S. embassy will make sure the person has appropriate legal representation and has access to a local attorney as well as make sure the person gets fair and humane treatment if imprisoned.

Best not to spend your vacation in jail, so exercise caution. "If in doubt, don't do it," said Don George, the Lonely Planet Global Travel Editor, who stressed getting to know your destination before you leave. He advised studying the guidebooks, reading the U.S. State Department travel warnings and checking out fellow traveler bulletin boards.

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