The Surprising Reason Why You Shouldn’t Wear Camo on a Cruise Ship

Camouflage is a fun pattern—it hides all manner of stains, and lets people make cheerfully corny dad-jokes about not being able to see one another. You wouldn’t wear your camo cargo shorts to the Oscars, of course, but there are places where you wouldn’t be surprised to find someone sporting the distinct pattern out in the wild. 

Casual places, like the beach, an amusement park, or a shopping mall, are all fair game for camo-lovers. However, if you’re planning for an international vacation anytime soon, you might want to go shopping for some different outfits, as there is a hard ban on wearing camouflage on a lot of cruise ships.

1. Why Cruise Ships Ban Camouflage 
2. Countries Where Wearing Camouflage as a Civilian Is Illegal

Why Cruise Ships Ban Camouflage 

The camouflage ban is not a matter of dress code, where the nautical sea-dogs in their pristine ship’s whites turn their noses up at certain sartorial choices. It’s actually much more practical.

In a lot of countries, particularly in some cruise-friendly areas like the Caribbean, wearing camouflage is illegal as a civilian because it’s part of a military uniform. Think of it as being akin to impersonating a police officer; it’s really not the kind of confusion—or trouble—you want to get into on vacation. Even camo patterns with non-traditional colors beyond the usual brown and green are not allowed. 

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Sure, it’s an inconvenience if you’ve just invested in a brand-new camouflage beach coverup, but sporting your favorite pattern just isn’t worth getting in trouble with the law. If you do accidentally wear camo, you probably won’t have to worry about getting tossed in a foreign jail: Most places will likely just fine you and confiscate the offending garment. 

Countries Where Wearing Camouflage as a Civilian Is Illegal

While camo isn’t illegal everywhere, and not everywhere where it is illegal enforces the rules with an iron fist, it’s against the law in enough places that it makes life a lot easier to just advise tourists to leave it at home for the whole trip. If you’re traveling to any of the below countries, make sure you pack your camo-free outfits:

• Azerbaijan
• Antigua and Barbuda
• The Bahamas
• Barbados
• Dominica
• Ghana
• Grenada
• Jamaica
• Nigeria
• Oman
• The Philippines
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Saudi Arabia
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

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