Why do tourists behave badly on holiday?

Stories of travellers behaving badly seem to be on the rise. But why do people misbehave when they're on holiday?

From knocking over ancient rock formations in Nevada to miming lewd acts with a statue in Italy, stories of tourists behaving badly on holiday seem to be on the rise, and destinations around the world are taking notice.

In the last few months, there have been protests against overtourism and "bad" tourist behaviour around the globe, and both issues seem to be coming under greater scrutiny. Websites and Instagram s like Tourons Of Yellowstone and Welcome to Florence serve as repositories of questionable traveller behaviour, and with each new documented instance, many may wonder: "What were they thinking">window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'alternating-thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article', placement: 'Below Article', target_type: 'mix' });