IT must have seemed like a good idea at the time. A gang of you go abroad on a lads-only holiday to a country full of devout Catholics – and dress up as nuns.

Even better, as well as tunics, veils and crucifixes, why not make it even funnier by wearing ladies’ garter belts and thongs then go around pulling up your frock and showing your bums to the locals?

This was the combined thought process of 17 grown men from Brighton who were arrested in Crete on Monday for causing offence to the islanders by wearing religious garments combined with women’s lingerie and, well, waving their wimples in the face of piety and decency.

The image of them filing shamefacedly out of the courtroom the morning after, bleary-eyed and bewildered, their beer bellies encased in tight black dresses teamed with various sock and sandal combos, was a sight to behold. What is it with British men (not all, I know) and their need to get dressed up in amusing outfits whenever they go out or travel en masse?

Dressing as women, especially nurses and nuns for some reason, seems hot favourite, but there are plenty of other variations on the theme. More reserved groups tend to go for identical shirts with logos (such as lion, dragon, thistle, shamrock – depending on where they’re from, just in case the accents don’t give it away) or matching T-shirts bearing the same hilarious slogan such as Team Tanking it on Tour ’09 or Eric’s Stagfest – May 2009 – Be Afraid!

More adventurous types favour the afro wig/Gringo ’tache combo, Blues Brothers outfits, Smurfs and the like.

And as for stag parties.

What was once a night on the lash with your mates, a bit of a prank generally involving nakedness and lampposts, followed by a major hangover and a week to recover before the big day, is now a huge event, planned with military precision.

For instance, it must last at least a weekend, but ideally it should go on for a week.

It must be in a recognised stag party hotspot, such as our very own Bournemouth, currently averaging second to third place in the top 10 UK destinations on the endless websites dedicated to stagging and described by one, lastnightoffreedom.co.uk, as a must for “weather, women and wickedness!”.

But it’s even better if it’s abroad, preferably somewhere where the beer is cheap and the women like nothing better than a man in drag, such as Riga, where you can combine bobsleighing, strippers, outstanding night life and AK-47s, apparently.

And, of course, it absolutely must involve the wearing of comedy clothing.

Though a word to the wise, lads, if your next bender happens to be in a foreign country, especially a religious one, it might be wise to get out of your nasty habit.