The Top 10 Strangest Items That Are Banned Around The World
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You’re no doubt familiar with the usual restricted items when travelling through airports – liquids, combustibles, and sharp objects – but the below list is guaranteed to catch you off guard! Ranging from the sensible, to the mildly inconvenient, to the damn right insane depending on which country you're visiting!
10th Chewing Gum - Singapore
Chewing gum was banned in Singapore in 1992. Over time dentists were able to secure approval for some types of dental gum said to be beneficial for teeth, but this was as far as it went. So it’s best to leave your Wrigley’s Extra at home.
9th Kinder Eggs - United States of America
Your favourite childhood sweets are a no-no in the US. Though the chocolate itself can be enjoyed, the small toys inside were deemed to be a choking hazard and have therefore been banned in the states. Panic not though, if you're travelling to America you can still get different varieties of delicious Kinder bars.
8th Whistles - Guatemala
Whistles, like those you’ll find in a party bag at a child’s birthday party, are banned in Guatemala, so make sure your little ones haven't tried to smuggle any of these aboard the plane. Despite this being very strange to us in the UK, they do at least have a valid reason for banning these. Too many civilians in Guatemala were using these to impersonate police officers, forcing the government to crack down. Weirdly though they chose to ban whistles and not fake police uniforms…
7th Maps - Morocco
Buying accessories for your holiday is always exciting, especially the moment you buy your guidebook and map so you can start planning your adventures. But if you're going to Morocco you might want to think twice. Due to the ongoing dispute about who controls a strip of land in the middle of the Western Sahara Dessert, regular maps have been banned in the country. You can however buy maps out there that comply with their beliefs on the borders.
6th Wheelbarrows - Nigeria
Just in case you ever wanted to try and get a wheelbarrow into Nigeria - don’t! While you can buy a Nigerian wheelbarrow once in the country, they don't allow these to be taken over the borders as they want to help their own manufacturing industry to thrive… apparently.
5th Baby Walkers - Canada
Taking the children away with you? Unfortunately, you won’t be able to take, borrow or buy baby walkers if you're visiting Canada. These were banned in the country in 2004 after they caused a string of infant injuries in the 90s. As such the government deemed these to be dangerous. So if your little one isn't walking just yet, they might have to learn quickly if you're visiting Canada.
4th Mullets - Iran
If your chosen hairstyle is ‘business at the front, party at the back’, you could be in trouble in Iran. Deemed to be the hairstyle of troublemakers, mullets have been banned throughout the country. First time offenders will have their hair forcibly cut and after that the penalties could be more severe. So, if you’ve got a mullet it’s best to get a trim or avoid Iran altogether.
3rd Pencils - Tunisia
If you're heading off on your holiday to Tunisia, you might want to re-think your hand luggage before packing a pencil for your Sudoku or crosswords. Why? Because for some bizarre reason pencils are actually banned in the country, though no one is 100% sure why that is.
2nd Beyoncé - Malaysia
Shocking we know, but Queen Bey is actually banned from ever travelling to Malaysia. So, if you ever plan on holidaying with the superstar (we wish!) then this is not the place to go. The religious country has said Beyoncé’s sexy outfits and racy videos to be too provocative. So, they took the only course of action they could think of and completely banned her from ever entering the country.
1st Time Travel - China
Yep, you read that right! Since 2011 films and shows about time travel have been banned in China because the government became concerned that they were too historically inaccurate and would distort people’s view of the past. Not something you have to worry about taking through customs, but maybe think twice before taking your copy of ‘Back to the Future’ on board to watch on the plane.
