When you hear the phrase 10 times terrible, you probably picture a handful of outrageously bad vacationers. From the moment they step out of their front doors, something flips—a self‑centered, reckless alter‑ego emerges, turning ordinary travel into a disaster zone. These ten stories showcase the most jaw‑dropping, law‑breaking moments caught on camera, in police reports, and in the headlines. Buckle up, because the world of tourism just got a lot less glamorous.
10 Times Terrible Tourist Tales
10 Who Leaves a Baby?
In the summer of 2019, a British woman staying on the island of Tenerife found herself at the center of a scandal that shocked the local community. After a night of heavy drinking at a beachfront restaurant, she and the baby’s father erupted into a loud, public argument. In a fit of fury, she fled the scene, clutching her three‑month‑old infant, and vanished into the winding streets near their hotel.
Police were alerted by the frantic father, who could not locate his partner or child. Officers soon tracked her down walking alone, but the baby was nowhere to be seen. When questioned, the mother claimed she had no idea where the child could be. After a frantic 40‑minute search involving two good‑samaritans, the infant was finally discovered unharmed, hidden in a nearby alley. The mother’s reckless behavior earned her a six‑month prison sentence, a stark reminder that parental neglect is a crime, not a vacation mishap.
9 Stop. Etching. The. Colosseum.
The ancient Colosseum in Rome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders, has been repeatedly defaced by tourists who can’t resist the urge to leave a permanent mark of their visit. Despite its 2,000‑year‑old marble grandeur, visitors continue to carve initials and messages into its stone, treating it like a giant selfie backdrop.
- In 2020, an Irish tourist etched his own initials into a prominent pillar.
- 2017 saw an Ecuadorian traveler carving his entire family’s names onto a lower wall.
- Two Americans filmed themselves carving initials in 2015, proudly displaying the footage online.
- A Russian tourist was caught in 2014 after carving a single, sloppy letter.
Italian authorities have cracked down on these vandals, imposing a minimum fine of €2,200 (about $2,400) and up to a year behind bars. While the punishment is severe, the relentless tide of etchers suggests that some travelers view the ancient arena as a personal billboard—much to the dismay of historians and preservationists.
8 They Stole…the Beach?
In 2019, a French couple vacationing on Sardinia’s sun‑kissed shores decided that a handful of sand bottles would make the perfect souvenir. Their plan, however, involved stuffing fourteen soda bottles to the brim, loading the gritty cargo into the back of their SUV, and attempting to ferry the 90‑pound haul back to mainland Italy.
The duo claimed ignorance, insisting they believed taking sand was harmless. Yet, Sardinian sand is a valuable commodity, often sold to collectors and used in construction. The sheer volume of sand they tried to export raised eyebrows, and the couple faced potential charges ranging from a one‑year to a six‑year prison term. The exact length of any sentence they served remains unclear, but the incident underscores that even the most mundane natural resource can become a crime when pilfered.
7 The Easter Island Ear
Marko Kulju, a 26‑year‑old Finnish tourist, made headlines in 2008 when he attempted to chip a piece off one of the iconic Moai statues on Easter Island. Believing he could steal a fragment as a keepsake, he used a tool to pry away what he thought was an ear. Unfortunately for him, the stone shattered upon impact, destroying the piece entirely.
The Moai, standing for over a millennium, are protected as UNESCO World Heritage treasures. Kulju faced the prospect of up to seven years in prison for attempted theft, but after a public apology and restitution, he was fined $17,000 and barred from returning to the island for three years—a relatively lenient outcome given the cultural significance of the damage.
6 When Swimming Is Its Own Punishment
Many travelers assume that gliding through Venice’s romantic canals is a harmless pastime, but local law actually forbids swimming in the waterways. The canals are notorious for their murky water, high bacterial counts, and even rat infestations, making a dip both illegal and unsanitary.
In 2019, two Norwegian women were caught skinny‑dipping in a canal, fully clothed in their underwear. When police escorted them to the station, officers warned them about the health hazards, prompting one of the women to vomit on the spot. That same year, two Czech men were fined roughly $3,300 for a similar offense. While the exact penalties for the Norwegians remain undisclosed, the incidents highlight that Venice’s waterways are not a public pool.
5 “Ding Jinhao Was Here”
In 2013, a teenage Chinese tourist named Ding Jinhao made the ultimate faux pas at Egypt’s Luxor Temple. While touring the ancient site, he carved the Chinese characters for “Ding Jinhao was here” into a delicate hieroglyphic mural, turning a priceless artifact into a personal billboard.
The act quickly went viral after fellow Chinese tourists photographed the vandalism and shared it online. Within days, Ding’s personal details were exposed, his school computers were hacked, and he faced a wave of online harassment. The Egyptian authorities responded by tightening protection laws for cultural relics. Though Ding was a minor and publicly apologized, the incident sparked a debate about the proportionality of the backlash versus the crime.
4 Chicken Cordon Yellow…stone
Yellowstone National Park, famed for its geysers and wildlife, became the backdrop for a culinary mishap in 2020. Three men, venturing away from the designated trails in the Shoshone Geyser Basin, decided to cook a chicken by submerging it in a steaming geothermal spring.
When brought before a judge, one of the men simply explained that he wanted to “make dinner.” The court sentenced each to a fine, placed them on probation, and issued a ban from the park. The bizarre incident serves as a reminder that tampering with natural geothermal features is both dangerous and illegal.
3 The Holy Water Bidet
Bali’s lush landscapes attract tourists from around the globe, but some visitors cross the line from curious to contemptuous. Among the most egregious acts, Czech tourists Zdenek Slouka and Sabina Dolesalova turned a sacred fountain in the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary into a personal cleaning station, using the holy water to wipe their girlfriend’s rear end.
The duo filmed the act and posted it online, sparking outrage among locals and travelers alike. Surprisingly, after a traditional purification ritual, Indonesian authorities chose to forgive the pair, allowing them to leave the island without further legal repercussions—a decision that left many questioning the balance between cultural respect and leniency.
2 Come Home, Dirk
In 2012, two Welsh men found themselves on the wrong side of Australian wildlife law after a night of heavy drinking led them to break into Sea World’s facilities. Their drunken escapade included a swim in the dolphin tank, the reckless discharge of a fire extinguisher in a shark enclosure, and—most infamously—the theft of a seven‑year‑old fairy penguin named Dirk.
The men awoke the next morning with the bewildered bird in their apartment, unable to recall the night’s events. When they attempted to release Dirk into a local canal, they were caught and fined $1,000 each. The modest penalty raised eyebrows given the severity of trespassing and animal theft.
1 Of All the Places…
Stealing from Auschwitz‑Birkenau, the solemn World War II memorial and former death camp, is perhaps the most reprehensible crime a tourist can commit. Yet, multiple incidents have occurred where visitors attempted to pilfer artifacts as souvenirs.
In 2019, an American visitor tried to steal a piece of metal from the railway tracks leading into the camp. The previous year, two Hungarian tourists attempted to remove bricks from the crematorium. The most notorious theft happened in 2009 when a sign bearing the chilling Nazi slogan “Arbeit Macht Frei” was stolen from the main gate. Although the sign was recovered and restored, these acts underscore a disturbing trend of disrespect toward sites of profound historical tragedy.