A HOLIDAY means having a limited amount of time to get away from routine and habits that have a tendency to dull our daily existence. A holiday refreshes our minds and our bodies, return to work will be enriched with new ideas and possible new and constructive directions. Those with money to spend dream of a holiday filled with glamor, excitement, adventure and fun. Those with moderate or less amounts of money to spend on their holiday, look forward to be surrounded by new and different environments that thrill the eye and that educate in terms of other ways of living. All holidays include the normal risks of travel. These days an increased amount of awareness is desirable. However, there is the unexpected which can dent if not destroy a holiday. Check the following experiences witnessed by three individuals. Mohammed from Jeddah was finally able to take a holiday, after six straight years of work with a computer company. At the age of 31, he is eager to travel abroad. He has saved enough money and decides to go and visit old friends from college years, in Los Angeles, California. His friends are seemingly pleased to see him and straight away they plan to visit Disneyland, movie studios, the beaches (Malibu) and other points of interest in southern California. Elegant diners and lunches are planned and clubs are included. All seemed to be going quite well. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, his friends looked at him directly over dinner and asked, “When are you leaving”? It appears that the ‘honeymoon' was over and that his friends were actually quite fed-up with the visit! A sad and sudden reality…. Ahmed from Riyadh is due for his yearly holiday from his business activities. At 46 he is ready to go on a buying spree…. He decides to start in Beverly Hills, California, where prestigious and famous shops are located. An international center for quality and elegance. Ahmed goes to Saks Fifth Avenue where he will buy a watch for his wife and other items for friends back home. Ahmed glances out of the window to the parking lot and notices that there is a lot of activity. Finished with his shopping Ahmed steps outside and to his rented car. Suddenly two very tall young men step right in front of him. Ahmed can see that there is a gun strapped to the belt of one of the men. “Give me your wallet and all of your money,” says the man, placing his hand on the gun. The other man says, “and give me your sweater!” Ahmed does as they say. “Turn around and keep walking… and don't look back” says the first man. “If you do, I will shoot you.” Abdullah, a young man from Tabuk, decides to take his holiday to New York City – his long time dream. Abdullah is 26 and a recent business graduate from the university in Riyadh. The one-month holiday is a gift from his father and Abdullah puts all of his money into traveler's checks. Soon after arriving in New York City, Abdullah loses all of his traveler's checks and is left with a small amount of cash. He frantically informs the headquarters of the company and they tell him to wait as they in turn have to notify Bahrain... and the nightmare begins. No one is able to trace and locate the money (bureaucracy) and, unable to sustain his holiday in New York City, Abdullah travels back to his home. So, wherever you are heading this summer, be aware of possible risks and minimize the chances of the unexpected destroying your holiday, __
