That still seems like a thought crime to me. Who is to say what the intent of the travel was, unless they somehow made it clear by telling people about it? Someone could travel for a tropical beach vacation, then while there decide to bang a child. Not that that is good at all, but this "law" stuff is just bizarre.
Intent probably doesn't matter.
The law was created to combat 'child sex tourism' (yeah, that's actually a thing), but even if one was on a legit business trip
and hooked up with a 14 year old, they would probably still find a way burn them for it.
"
"Notice to US citizens: Your actions abroad may have serious consequences
WASHINGTON – American tourists, with twisted overseas travel plans to engage in child sex tourism, may think they are beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement. However, they should know that it is a priority for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to apprehend and prosecute U.S. citizens who engage in sexual acts with minors in foreign countries.
Millions of American citizens travel abroad on a regular basis. While the vast majority of them are law abiding, some commit sexual crimes against minors in foreign countries. Each year, over a million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade. Child sex tourism involves people who travel from their home country to another and engage in commercial sex acts with children. Child sex tourism is a shameful assault on the dignity of children and a form of child abuse and violence. For the minors involved, these acts have devastating consequences, which may include long-lasting physical and psychological trauma, disease, drug addiction, unwanted pregnancy, malnutrition, social ostracism and possibly death.
Tourists engaging in child sex tourism often travel to developing countries looking for anonymity and the availability of children in prostitution. The crime is typically fueled by weak local law enforcement, corruption, the Internet, ease of travel and poverty. These sexual offenders come from all socio-economic backgrounds and may hold positions of trust. Previous arrests for child sex tourism involving U.S. citizens have included: a pediatrician, a retired Army sergeant, a dentist, a Peace Corps volunteer and a university professor.
In 2003, the United States strengthened its ability to fight child sex tourism by passing the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today Act (PROTECT Act) and the Trafficking Victim's Protection Reauthorization Act. These laws carry penalties of up to 30 years in prison for engaging in child sex tourism. In the nine years since these laws were strengthened, HSI special agents have arrested 93 suspects on child sex tourism charges"
Notice to US citizens: Your actions abroad may have serious consequences
As far as proving anything goes, I get the impression that a lot of these vermin can't resist taking pictures of their encounters
and they get nabbed at customs and charged with possession of CP as an added bonus. Either that, or they share pictures
of their fond memories online with other pedos, and when they're eventually ID'd it's not too difficult to put the pieces
together and figure out when and where they were overseas.