7 Times That Tourists Ruined Travel for the Rest of Us

"Tourist Bros" Trample Off-Limits Natural Wonder

Hey you: The signs telling you to STAY ON THE TRAIL are there for everyone. Yes, including you. I know the fact that everyone else is obeying the warnings means that the scenic spots are devoid of people and would make for a perfect photo, but the signs are there for a reason, as these "tourist bros" found out at Yellowstone National Park's Grand Prismatic Spring.

A group of Canadian video bloggers are facing criminal charges and fines after disobeying posted warnings and trampling all over the delicate grounds of this famously beautiful geothermal feature—and then posting photos and videos of themselves "taking photos and reaching into the spring."

It's not only a bad idea to venture off-trail at national parks because you could seriously damage the delicate environment—you could also hurt yourself. A park ranger wrote in an affidavit about the incident, "Such off-trail travel also creates a hazardous condition for the traveler by breaking through the delicate thermal features and possibility of thermal injuries and subjecting rescuers to the same or similar injuries."

Animal Killers

Think your selfie with a wild animal is going to earn you lots of praise and jealousy from others? Nope, it's going to wind up online and earn you shame from millions of angry people who are much smarter than you.

This is a lesson that a few tourists have learned the hard way recently, including the beachgoers in Argentina who caught ire after ripping a baby dolphin out of the ocean in order to take selfies with it. The mob passed the defenseless dolphin around for photo ops, which caused it to die from dehydration after being out of the water.

Meanwhile, in Macedonia, a tourist was widely condemned after pulling a swan out of a lake in order to take pictures with it, and then leaving it to die.

Bad Tourists Cause Photography Ban

Some bad tourists are even ruining photography for the rest of us. In Japan, many Buddhist temples have banned photography after brazen photographers damaged spots with their photo equipment and disturbed other visitors in pursuit of their perfect shot.

In Myanmar, visitors are now prohibited from climbing the pagodas of Bagan after officials became fed up with people who "behave badly, in a way that is culturally disgraceful such as wearing inappropriate clothing, dancing and sleeping (on the monuments)."

Baby Bison Kidnappers

Some people just can't seem to grasp the concept of "wild" animals. Remember, if you see animals in nature, you are not in a petting zoo. Do not interfere with nature!

Visitors to Yellowstone National Park are facing fines after they stole a wild newborn bison calf from the side of the road, put it in the back of their car, and drove it to a ranger station, because they thought that the animal (which lives in nature) was "cold." (Seriously.)

Tragically, the bison calf had to be euthanized after the animal was rejected by its herd (due to its contact with humans) when rangers tried to put it back.

Naked and Disrespectful Photo Takers

I never thought I'd have to say this, but, please keep your clothes on when you're at historic sites. There's been a rash of tourists getting arrested at culturally significant spots like Angkor Wat for stripping down and taking snapshots. Would you want people taking naked selfies at your place of worship?

Selfish Selfie Snappers Smash Statues

It's practically an epidemic these days—people are so caught up trying to take the perfect selfie that they break priceless works of art. You were probably taught this lesson as a kid, but maybe you need a reminder: Keep your hands to yourself! I promise you there are not enough "likes" or retweets in the world to make up for the guilt you'll feel after you ruin centuries-old art.

So don't be like the student who climbed on the 19th century Drunken Satyr sculpture in Milan's Academy of Fine Arts of Brera and broke the leg clean off; the man who climbed on to a 126-year-old statue of a Portuguese king in Lisbon and caused it to tip over and smash into pieces; or the tourists who shattered a marble statue of Hercules in Cremona while trying to snap a photo.

Tourists Force Island Closure

Oh, the humanity. Too many people have descended on Koh Tachai, a popular island in southern Thailand. Authorities have decided to close the island indefinitely after an influx of tourists damaged the ecosystem with litter, waste, gasoline from boats, and divers damaging coral.

The island could only handle a few hundred visitors per day, but Koh Tachai was hosting close to 2,000 people on some days, reports CNN.

So as you head out on your summer vacation, take a minute and pause before you snatch a wild animal, climb on art for a selfie, or start stripping. Remember that these actions will not end well.