25 funny international laws you’d never know were real

The Greeks and indecent behaviour don’t mix. If you’re the type of person who gets a laugh out of mooning other folks, you might want to keep your pants up and your belt buckled. Dropping your drawers is a chargeable offence in Greece that can bring with it a steep fine or prison time.

Don’t wander away from the Barcelona seafront dressed in just your bikini or swim trunks. In this Spanish city, it’s against the law to wear swimming attire on public streets. Cover up or change out of your bathing suit if you plan to leave the beach or promenade – failing to do so will result in a financial dent in your wallet.

Smoking laws are severe in Singapore. Lighting up in public – on the street or in a park – will earn a stiff fine. Gum chewers aren’t exempt from tough regulations either. It’s illegal to chomp gum while riding on Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, and like smoking, this offence is punishable with a fine.

Singapore has many wonderful things to interest visitors. Learn more about the country’s hawker dining experiences.

If you’re shopping in Canada, don’t expect cashiers to accept stacks of coins as your sole method of payment. According to Canada’s Currency Act, shops can legally refuse excessive amounts of coins. With pennies, for example, customers’ payments may be rejected if they try to use more than 25 one-cent coins at one time.

Parents-to-be can only get so creative with their baby name brainstorming. Under Denmark’s Law on Personal Names, their final choice must come from a pre-approved list of 7,000 names. If they want to go with something more unique, they need to get government approval.

Apparently, residents of Phnom Penh (the capital of Cambodia) can get crazy with their water guns. In 2001, Governor Chea Sophara banned the sale and import of all water guns to cut down on accidents and incidents of people maliciously using the toys. He worried their use could cause social unrest and disrupt security during the Khmer New Year.

You’ve heard of reckless driving, but in Mexico, they’re also concerned about bikers. Anyone riding a bike may not lift their feet from the pedals because they could potentially lose control. It sounds a little crazy, but lawmakers are really just looking out for bikers’ safety.

Here are another 4 ways to ensure you travel responsibly.

Bars and pubs all over the world have one primary purpose: to serve alcohol. However, any Australians with a liquor licence are prohibited from engaging in “practices or promotions that encourage rapid or excessive consumption of liquor,” the law states. Getting patrons too drunk down under could result in a $12,600 fine.

The city of Petrolia in Ontario could be easily mistaken for Bomont, the fictional town from the movie Footloose. Dancing isn’t banned, but excessive noise is, which means no singing, whistling, and yelling between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Well, the historic parts of Greece. Officials prohibit anyone from wearing high heels at certain ancient locations because they could actually damage the site. NPR reported that food and drink are also banned after maintenance workers found nearly 27 kilograms of gum under the seats of a theatre built in 161 A.D.