'It was hell' People share their experiences of travelling with tattoos

But not every culture takes the same approach to inked skin.

Travelling with visible tattoos can spark both curiosity and judgement from strangers, especially in countries where certain types of body art are forbidden.

Metro writer Katie Boyden discovered this for herself when she embarked on a week-long trip down the River Nile in Egypt.

Though she left Egypt feeling ‘awestruck and extremely lucky’, when sharing the things she wishes she’d known beforehand Katie wrote: ‘If you’re a woman with visible tattoos you will receive stares and comments.’

Her experience struck a chord with Metro readers, many of whom have shared their own experiences of travelling with tattoos.

Hayley Rafelt said: ‘I visited Cairo and Luxor in September as a solo woman traveller with lots of visible tattoos and it was hell! Couldn’t even walk down the street without being harassed.’

Islam is the main religion in Egypt, and many Muslims consider tattoos to be haram (meaning forbidden by Islamic law), because they are seen to be changing Allah’s creation.

Metro spoke to Anton Esmair, the CEO of tattoo parlour Riders Studio in Cairo.

He explained: ‘As far as religion goes, it’s not as accepted as if you’re Muslim, but if you’re Christian, it is. There’s a fairly large Christian population here, and lots of them have tattoos.

‘Some Muslims do get tattoos, but this varies on what they believe in or how they perceive it. But, for the most part, most locals wouldn’t get a tattoo.’

However, Anton notes that the attention tattooed travellers receive might not have anything to do with religious beliefs.

‘If you’re a Westerner, you just don’t look like an Egyptian, and you’re going to get attention because you’re a tourist,’ he said. ‘But if you’ve got tattoos, they’re going to look at you too, because they’re like, “Wow, that’s different.”

‘Getting tattoos gets you looked at by everywhere. It’s not necessarily anything to do with Egypt — you’ve got art on you.’

Tattooed Metro readers have shared receiving attention from locals in other parts of the world too.

Sharon Balmer said: ‘I went to Zante on my own for a week. I had a few tattoos and piercings back then, purple and pink hair, and wore black clothing as usual. I was quickly nicknamed devil woman by the elder Greeks, it was hilarious. They were polite enough, but extremely weirded out by me.’

While younger generations in Greece are embracing tattoos, a historical stigma against inked skin lingers in the country.

In fact, the word ‘stigma’ is derived from the Greek word which means ‘to mark’, and is related to the work ‘stizein’, which means ‘to tattoo’.

In Ancient Greece, tattooing was used as a punishment for criminals and slaves, and these connotations still have some influence on today’s attitudes.

Meanwhile, John Scott said: ‘I’ve been asked in Stockholm what I’d been in prison for and in Tokyo if I was a member of the local Mafia,’ and Carlos Zaes added, ‘I wasn’t allowed in most nice onsens in Japan’.

Japan was mentioned several times, with India Taylor sharing: ‘Tokyo was worst for me, people staring at me and kids pointing often’.

The world’s least tattoo-friendly countries

In Japan, tattoos were illegal until 1948 and are still seen as socially unacceptable due to their connection to the Yakuza, a Mafia-like criminal organisation.

In the county’s tourist hotspots, it’s generally ok to have your tattoos on display these days. But there are places where you may be asked to cover them up, such as onsens (Japan’s natural hot springs).

Meanwhile, in South Korea doctors are the only people legally allowed to tattoo, meaning there are very few tattoo artists in the country because they must spend years getting medical licenses.

Though tattoos are more socially acceptable than they used to be, inked travellers in South Korea may receive some curious looks and be asked to cover up in some public spaces.

Elsewhere, travellers could face questions and judgement from locals if they have a tattoo that has cultural implications.

Kerry Gall shared: ‘My husband got one of Genghis Khan 30-odd years ago. He had no idea who it was, just liked the look of the warrior with Saturn behind him… Then we went to Turkey. Don’t think we can ever go back.’

In more extreme cases, tourists in Sri Lanka with visible Buddha tattoos have been arrested and deported, because they are seen as an insult to the country’s majority Buddhist faith.

These types of tattoos are also considered to be offensive in Thailand.

Other countries where tattoos are frowned upon include Iran, the United Arab Emirates and parts of Turkey. Tourists may receive unwanted stares when displaying tattoos in these areas.