Travel Forum

I noticed that residents of lovely, small towns often create the rules and regulations to keep it beautiful, safe and enjoyable for them but often NOT for us - visitors.
They often vote against construction of new parking lots, new freeways/motorways, new tourist attractions etc.

A few real bans noticed by me:
No fires on beach/on any public property at any time,
No boose/alcohol on a beach (in a park, in the whole town) at any time,
No vehicles: on beach, in marked zone except emergency and resident vehicles any time etc.,
No camping on public or private property, including in vehicles,
No (loud) partying (car stereos, radios & "boom" boxes).
Can't we do so many (lovely :-) things without being written up for an expensive fine?


MY QUESTIONS:
1. Does it work that way in your area and in places you already visited? What bans do you have?
2. Are there or should be any limits of making such "anti-visitor" law?

Greetings from Poland.
Matt.

I love:
- drinking wine/beer on a beach,
- partying (sometimes loud),
- camping on a public property,
- parking my car on empty beach (OK, are there any?) or at least close to it.
And hmmm... I surely don't love it but I still smoke :-(.

SHOULDN'T THEY SHOT ME?

From my friend Mark (acemj):

I think the reason that we (the visitors) go to places like that is because they are quiet and quaint and peaceful. So why should the residents allow too much change?If they want to keep things the way they are, then they have the right to vote that way.

When I lived in San Diego, it was always difficult to find parking at Del Mar, but that was part of the tradition of going to the beach. One of my friends would get out of the car and look for a parking spot on foot and when he found it, he would whistle at the car and save us a parking spot!! The southern California beach culture is very laid back and I'm all for keeping the beaches clean.

Thank you Mark!

Sometimes when the visitors can't seem to behave, the residents are quite entitled to add restrictions that will at least reappropriate the city for their own use!
There are ways that can look rude and inhospitable, so their choice.

A broader debate... should they put a road in the middle of nowhere for convinience, hotel and concrete inches away from wild beaches, open a "WalMart" just beside the town market, an ugly tower in the countryside so the cell phone works, etc...

I am quite against civilisation for convinience, there are plenty of place where civilisation has reached already, they should be chosen before trying to change the other ones.

You should be safe LOL
Pierre

This kind of limitations (no alcohol, no smoking, no loud music in the public places) exists almost everywhere in Canada and the USA. I guess, local authorities believe it helps to keep the area quiet and peaceful.

Personally, I don't see these rules as anti-visitor whatsoever... Here are a few points to keep in mind:

1. Part of what makes people want to get away on vacation is to get away from the urban sprawl of parking lots, freeways and other "tourist attractions". When you have thousands of people crawling around and bumper to bumper traffic, where is the relaxation in that?

2. I completely agree with the beach rules. Who wants a bunch of drunken partiers keeping you up all night day in and day out, if you are a local? I certainly wouldn't appreciate it. While the traveller's are on vacation, there are local people who live there that have to continue on with daily, humdrum life!

3. Many tourists I have seen have NO respect. They litter their campsites, etc., don't put out their fires properly. Who does this hurt? The tourists go home and forget about it, and the locals are left with the mess.

Of course there are people out there who COULD participate in the banned activities responsibly, but I am sure you are old enough to know the upstanding people suffer for the ignorant ones...

Carrie

Hello Tolik and Pierre Rous,

Thanks for replies. OK - it's understable that there are some limitations for visitors but... it seems that we already have 2 kinds of destinations in many countries:
- beautiful, lovely, very expensive for visitors (= empty) towns/cities with thousands of bans (what to do there? isn't it boring?) and... smiling residents;
- over-crowded tourist destinations with a lot of tourist attractions (hmm... created specially for tourists, I mean) with no residents except those who work for travel related industries.
Am I wrong?

Texans are a "breed" of their own Matt.

I live in a "Dry" county which does not sell beer, wine or any type of alcohol? Why I have no idea?

There are laws in such cities that you can not have a drink on the streets downtown also.

Regarding dogs and neighborhoods, we have homeowners dues that we pay yearly to live where I do, which means you must also have a clean yard, and abide by certain rules that the board makes.

Other laws??? I find it silly that I have to pay for a recycle box, when I give my recycles to the city..and they make the money off me. (that is government) I guess. So, this keeps the city clean also.

Texas has fines not to litter, or you could get fines or I guess maybe be arrested....

Good questions! I think this helps the people in the community and also visitors to Texas. But, if people can't throw things out the car window, what will the convicts have to do if they can't clean up the roadside...

P. S. that is "shoot" you not shot

and I hope they don't Matt...hehe

Here in MI, the convicts not only clean up the roads, they stamp license plates ;) So you could always find work for them while keeping your roadways beautiful LOL

Thank you Kodi01 (Kathy),
They didn't shoot me because I didn't do anything against law in Texas (I think so) especially - believe me or not - I never litter hehe.

Btw in California it costs $1000 (ONE THOUDSAND US$) on a freeway (Texas is cheaper :-), and personally I liked it.

We also have to clean up after our dogs in public.....

Would like this law Matt? I don't :o)

More laws to ruin my fun.....(more are coming to mind)

In Hawaii, it was $10,000 fine to touch a sea turtle. I wanted to touch one so badly, because I held one in my hand in Mexico (10 days old) and no fine there.

But, we are talking "endangered species" and when I found out why they had the law, I understood, but it ruined my fun...

Kathy,
To be honest I got an inspiration to start this discussion after my visit (and putting up a page on VT) to an unbelievable lovely beach town in Southern California - Del Mar.

Hmm... after reading tenths bans in Del Mar I asked 3 questions:
1. am I allowed to breathe deeply between midnight and 6am in weekends in Del Mar?
2. am I allowed to wear socks longer than 10 inches in sunny days in public places of Del Mar?
3. am I allowed to walk with over twice younger women if she is not my daughter in a public place after sunset in Del Mar?
Should I e-mail the above question to local Del Mar authorities? Hehe.

Matt - crazy!

You should go to Florida then Matt, my bestfriend lives in Naples, and she is lucky (although unlucky) for the handicapped sticker for her car, even she can't park on the beach. She got fines for parking the wrond day or the wrong direction...that was crazy I thought......

And NO Matt, no deep breathing while talking with pretty women twice younger than you at 2 am with booze.

I can see why they have bans now...lol

crazykodi :o)

Kathy,
Did you change a gender? Who is that guy on your picture?

I pulled my page Matt, you know that they deleted 4 of my top 5 pages that I WORKED VERY HARD on, like Athens which is my top page and took me soooooooooooo long to make......and they leave Oban or some sillly page as top 5. So, if they ever give my ratings back to me, I will post it again....funny they have only 100 people online at a time and advertise 350,000 members.....???

No, I didn't know it.
Hmm.... what happened? Why?
Next new law? or what?

No comment.....there have been MANY forum postings about it from other people.......

back to your forum questions.........

Do you still have 10 inch socks? I thought you did not have any??

The 10 inch socks should be banned!!!

I was at the baseball game on Friday and the vendor had 10 inch socks on that were tie dyed black and white, we commented on them and he said "They make me wear them to cover the tattos"

Oh, how we wanted to see those tattos after that? Were they indecent? There are reasons always Matt for rules........ :o)

No, I had such loooong socks when I was a kid, I think hehe.

One place I could never live in is Switzerland. They seem to have rules for everything. We have family there who live in an apartment. The residents have their own set of rules. Some of them:
1 Can't waer shoes inside so the people below don't have to hear you walking around
2. can't use plumbing after 10pm so as not to disturb the neighbours ie no showers or flushing of the loo.
3 When hanging laundry, underwear must go on the inside and be hiden by clothes on the outside so as not to offend.

and as for walking on the grass well............do you want to live?

No thank you!!

Sarah

Matt, I can understand the ban on fires. Here in CA we have hot, dry summers, so fire is a very real danger. A single fire can burn thousands of acres. The next time you return, there might be nothing but black sticks...

I support your right to wear 10 inch socks of any color.

Matt what tattos do you have on your legs? ;o)

Hello Rixie,

About fires: yes, I understand it

About my socks: I NEVER wear looong socks (I hate them) but if somebody loves them...

Kathy,
About my tatoos (on legs): as I remember I have no tatoos at least there, should I check it now?

Hello Sarah,
Haha, I love Switzerland to VISIT, to LIVE there hmm... I am not sure (I would lovely accept their salaries hehe) - I've heard only about strict social unacceptance of many behaviours there (like a little loud partying for example) - but I don't know.
Btw southern and eastern Europe, and Scandinavia seems to be more entertaining :-))) Am I wrong?

Matt, this question determines ALOT?

Do you like loud boombox music?

I'm originally from South Africa and there we hardly have any rules or if there are, a bottle of whisky will get you out of most situations!
Personally I find the southern hemisphere to be more laid back about rules

No, generally I don't, should I?

>Do you like loud boombox music?