Muhammad Al-Ehaidib Okaz Newspaper I have wondered about the desire of many Saudis to travel to a country where they do not run into other Saudis. This wish has been repeated so often that it has left me wondering – Is there any town, village, island or city where nobody can spot Saudis? It is naïve for anyone in this age of the Internet to think that he/she can go to a part of the world without knowing anyone else. I find it strange that people do not want to come across their fellow countrymen; they act as if this is a right they should enjoy while on vacation abroad. Anyhow, I conducted a random study by taking advantage of my contacts with some travel agents as well as with a number of friends and colleagues who interact with a large number of men and women who are passionate travelers. Several interesting aspects emerged, most of them strange. Most travel agents pointed out that when a Saudi books a foreign trip, he wants a place where he can practice a lifestyle that is entirely different from what he follows in the Kingdom. He does not want anybody to see him in his new look or attire. As for some women, their fear is about coming across people who see them only in their veil in the Kingdom and find out that they are uncovering their faces or dressing in a manner totally different from their Saudi traditions. “Whenever I come across a Saudi family whose women are veiled while my face is exposed, I feel that I am lacking something. Thus, I want to avoid such encounters at all costs. I don't want to have that feeling and therefore I seek a place where I do not meet anyone except those who wear attire similar to mine," one woman told me. I suppose this phenomenon needs a more meticulous and specialized study using scientific, statistical and psychological methodology to understand why Saudis seek to travel to countries where they do not encounter each other.
