Chewy
Partying overseas can be a really kick ass experience that lets you meet tons of new people and really expand your horizons. Even if you’re one of those people who has led a fairly button-up, conservative lifestyle up until you go on vacation you can still cut loose with the best of them and make up for lost time. That’s the beauty of travel – you get to even take a vacation from yourself!
With this in mind, you may want to take a few things into consideration before you go absolutely nuts overseas. There are a lot of countries that have drastically different attitudes towards partaking in good times, some that will work out in your favour while others do not. A lot of these things you can find out in advance before you leave by researching online or asking friends who have done something similar, but it can also be done upon arrival simply by asking around with the locals at your accommodation or at some tourist site.
In the end, it’s better to be safe than sorry, because finding out what is acceptable means more good times for you! Here are some things to find out before you party overseas:
Some countries allow for open bottles in public while others do not, but there are varying degrees of acceptability. For example, in Japan you can drink pretty much anywhere you want and if you’re a foreigner you seem to be ignored by the social standards in place by the locals, but you don’t want to get obnoxious or you may be arrested. On the flip side, Canada and America don’t let you drink in public, but the drinking age varies between provinces/states. Ask around before you crack a beer on the street to find out if you may get a fine if you run into Johnny Law.
Attitude Towards ‘Other’ Substances
The key word here is attitude as most places in the world do not allow you to purchase and use narcotics in public, particularly the harder stuff like coke, MDMA or needle drugs. Marijuana has some grey area in different places with some countries being fanatical about its presence while others not caring so much – but it’s still punishable if caught by the police in many cases. It’s always my feeling that good times don’t need to involve the ‘other’ substances… but I’m also not naïve enough to assume most people are the same way. Just watch out though – I’ve had a few friends deported for being caught.
What Do the Locals Do and is it Okay if You Do it Too?
This is a huge thing because, like I said with the drunkenness in Japan, some places hold foreigners to a seemingly different set of rules than locals. This means certain bars, while you can get into them as a foreigner, you may not be welcome and could be in serious danger for going in. Same thing with what men do compared to women – some countries let men get away with anything, but not women. Is it fair? Of course not, but it’s best just to avoid these situations all together than get yourself into danger.
Some people just pass out wherever and worry about it in the morning while others need to get back to wherever it is they are staying. It’s handy to know what your options are in the area you’re partying and it varies drastically from country to country. Passed out businessmen on the streets of Tokyo are a common sight because the trains stop running and a cab would be tens of thousands of yen. If you’re partying here, go to a karaoke bar until the trains start running or do what my friends did on many an occasion – find a local to go to a love hotel with!
