You only need a short walk around town to come across their "works". Fences, walls, houses and other buildings are much too often scrawled. The problem is universal because every town or city has that one home-grown artist who, for lack of a suitable canvas, decides to take it out on the street. Or worse.

Graffiti is difficult to classify unambiguously: this culture is closely linked to rebellion, anonymity and disrespect for certain rules. On the other hand, it can also be seen in terms of art. There is no rigid division and the aesthetic is often debatable, but one thing is certain: the difference between scribbling on a wall in the city and putting paint on a natural monument is enormous. Every graffiti artist should be able to point it out unless he or she is simply a vandal.

NOTE: The "pato-" prefix is often used in Poland to indicate a person or an activity that is breaking social norms i.e. shared standards of acceptable behaviour. For instance, "patostreaming" refers to real-time video broadcasting exposing pathological behaviour. "Patotourism" similarly refers to inappropriate acts committed while travelling.

The problem really affects all tourist destinations where a lot of people pass through, especially during the holiday season. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to behave properly on a trip.

For instance, tourists regularly try to bathe in the UNESCO-protected canals in Venice and not so long ago the Internet was abuzz with information about a man who carved his and his girlfriend’s name on the wall of the Colosseum.

In Poland, too, there are tourists who seem to lack self-reflection. Employees of the Tatra National Park (TPN) have recently published a statement in which they appeal to tourists pleading them not to destroy nature in the mountains. They also give examples of vandals who leave "souvenirs" in the form of inscriptions and drawings on trees and rocks.

TPN representatives comment that it is very hard and often impossible to remove such scribbles. They also write that the use of strong cleaning chemicals to remove such writings can have a disastrous effect on mountain wildlife.

TPN authorities encourage people not to remain passive when they see a "patotourist" in action. They ask you to report similar situations and remind you that photos can be helpful in identifying the perpetrator.

Destroying mountain nature is punishable by a fine - the minimum penalty is 500 zlotys (€113). Compared to the devastation of the Colosseum, where the fine was €15,000 (over 66,000 zlotys), this is a pittance. Perhaps raising the threshold of financial responsibility would remedy the plague of "patotourists".