Heading overseas any time soon?

Travelling the world is an ideal that most people put on their bucket list, or things to do before they die. In fact I remember during my graduation ceremony – where they say a bit about each student – that most of my friends wanted to go overseas to visit Japan.

I agree it’s tons of fun getting out of your hometown and exploring the world out there, but preparation and knowledge is what you need to make it an enjoyable holiday. Like does the country speak another language? Or even what kind of clothes should you pack? Because obviously the weather overseas would most likely be different to your hometown. But most of all, you should research about the laws and customs of the country. Because as a tourist, you’re expected to obey them. And if you don’t, you might end up in a 3m by 3m cell with only a thin mattress and a squat toilet.

Sounds dramatic I know. But that’s what happened to a 14-year-old Australian boy, who you may know him as the “Bali Boy.”

He was just staying in a luxury resort area of Legian with his parents for a holiday but has made headlines since October last year for being caught with 3.6 grams [6.9 gross] of marijuana.

It was first speculated that it was all set up. However as the days passed medical records and a police report back home in Australia revealed that he was actually a regular user of marijuana. So buying drugs wasn’t a one-off thing.

Now you have to admit, what he did was a pretty stupid thing. And he should’ve known that if it was illegal to have drugs in Australia, then it must be illegal in Bali too. However he actually has struggled with a drug addiction. In fact his lawyer, Mohammad Rifan states, “He said he tried to stop using marijuana before he came to Bali, but he had some problems with friend groups and started again.”

So what has the Australian government done about this situation?

Well, since drugs aren’t tolerated in Bali, this is a serious issue. And while some Australians have been caught with drugs over in Bali – for example Schapelle Corby (34) in 2005, who’s currently serving a 20 year sentence – the teenager is the youngest.

So since this case involves a kid, the government is doing everything it can to help. But they can’t get him out of jail or guarantee him a release. It’s the Indonesian court’s decision.

All because they are dealing with another country’s legal system, so they must respect the legal systems there. And that would be the same if it was you arrested anywhere overseas. Your government won’t be able to release you or prove your innocence. But they can, provide you with a list of local English-speaking lawyers, and help you contact your family, among other things.

Finally on November the 26th, the teenager was given a two-month jail sentence which took into account the time spent in jail since his arrest in October 4. So he’s currently safe back home in Australia.

He may have just gotten off lucky, especially with the speculation that he would be under a maximum jail term of six years in prison. But in the end it’s not good on you emotionally. And it’s sad that the teen had to go through this traumatic experience under the public eye.

With his family and lawyer making the effort to shield his face to conceal his identity. The boy still felt upset and stressed while being paraded in front of media.

And that certainly didn’t help when got to his last trial, where he was hiding behind a newspaper from the cameras because it was the first open court session – where media can flock and listen in.

Now, you may be thinking that this wouldn’t be you. That you wouldn’t be stupid like him and buy drugs, or even be in this horrible situation in the first place. But believe me, there are people out there that can tamper with your belongings and slip in drugs. You never know.

And no one, especially you deserves to go through this traumatic experience whether you’re in the public eye or not, it’s still pretty stressful.

So below are a few links, which I know are Australian based, but bear with me.

www.smartraveller.gov.au has some travel tips and travel advice.

If you want to know any laws about the country you’re heading to, just click travel advice, then choose the country you’re heading to, where you’ll find a box titled “Laws that apply to you”.

From there you can also see the alert level, where the site advises whether to travel to that country or not. On a scale of “exercise normal safety precautions” to “do not travel”.

And lastly this website: www.smartraveller.gov.au, tells you what the Australian Government can and can’t do when you’re arrested overseas. In addition, if you scroll down, you’ll find ways to avoid trouble with drugs – I insist everyone to read that part.