Travel blogger Laura Kemp has safely travelled to 58 countries including warzones, but she had a harrowing experience in Qatar that nearly landed her in prison when customs officials discovered alcohol in her luggage.

This British travel enthusiast, who has visited 35 countries in the last two years, spending a whopping amount on her adventures, cautions others about a grave mistake she made in Qatar. It was an error that almost cost her her freedom.

Laura Kemp spends around £30k yearly on her travel passions, with recent trips to exotic destinations like Bora Bora and Fiji. However, during one not-so-pleasant incident, she was detained in Qatar when a bottle of rum was seized from her.

Born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Laura made the inadvertent error of not recalling the stringent alcohol restrictions of Qatar during her recent visit. Violation of these rules can result in a punishment of up to six months in jail and a £600 fine for residents of this Middle Eastern nation. Expats also face the threat of removal.

She spoke out to warn other travellers after the bottle of coconut Takamaka rum she’d bought in the Seychelles as a souvenir was spotted as she went through customs. “Immediately, multiple staff took me away for questioning, a process that felt both surreal and intimidating,” she said.

“Although the staff were respectful, I was completely in the dark as to what was happening, and my boyfriend had to wait for me for hours while I was going through the ordeal. I remember feeling so nervous about what was going to happen – would I be deported? Would I get a criminal record?

“The officers explained the seriousness of alcohol-related offences in Qatar, emphasising that I could have faced much harsher consequences, including a longer period of imprisonment or even deportation, had they not considered the circumstances of my case and my lack of intent to break the law. In the end, they kept the rum, and I was permitted to leave, but this experience was a stark reminder of the importance of understanding and respecting local customs and regulations, especially concerning alcohol. I’ll never make the same mistake again”.

In 2011, Irish citizen Conor Hayes was sentenced to one month in prison in the country after being convicted of drinking without a licence and public obscenity. He spoke out ahead of the 2022 Qatar World Cup warning Brits of its strict drinking and marital sex culture.

In addition to visiting exotic, far-off locations, Laura has journeyed to numerous destinations that are generally discouraged by the Foreign Office. These include locations such as Palestine, Kosovo, and North Korea. “I’ve been obsessed with seeing as much of the world as possible and I am constantly planning my next trip if I’m not already overseas,” explained Laura, who first caught the travel bug in 2012 while residing in Vancouver.

“I never had the chance to travel when I was younger, so I was always fascinated by stories of childhood friends who had traveled abroad.” Laura has since visited 58 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Fiji, North Macedonia, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Canada and the USA.

She shares about her adventures on TikTok, where she has confessed to receiving criticism from some who label her as “spoilt” for spending such vast amounts on travel – she estimates it costs her around £30,000 per year. “I’ve always self-funded my travel and worked incredibly hard along the journey, so these comments make me laugh,” she remarked.

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