A TOURIST has urged travellers to avoid a common mistake after she was fined €80 during a holiday.
Instagram user @leonoratraveldiary said she was issued with a fine after using public transport during a trip to Italy.
She revealed how 10 other holidaymakers were fined for making the same common mistake.
Leonora said: “We were fined 80 euros (£68) as soon as we arrived in Italy. Don’t make this mistake.
“If you use public transport, you need to validate your tickets after purchasing them.
“On train stations it’s a green machine, on buses it’s yellow.”
But viewers were hardly sympathetic over the issue.
One wrote: “This is not a scam. This is absolutely common practice across many European countries.
“How would a conductor know you haven’t been using that same non-validated ticket for multiple rides?”
A second added: “I went to Italy for a month last year and had no issues because I researched my trip beforehand!
“I read over and over that a ticket needs to be verified so I made sure to do just that when I was traveling around the country.”
A third said: “I understand it can be frustrating for tourists but when you venture out into another country it genuinely is your responsibility to make sure you’re informed of how things work there.
“It’s unrealistic to expect things to function exactly the same way as in your home country. A wee bit of research goes a long way!”
It comes as tourists heading for Italy have been warned that they face massive fines if they take sand from protected beaches.
Local laws forbid taking sand, shells, pebbles, animals or even plants from designated beaches.
Another tourist has also warned other holidaymakers about clothing choices that could see them fined hundreds of pounds while on holiday this summer.
