Solo woman journeys- My sham journey to Saudi Arabia

On why women should fly Saudia

 

 

Rating 3.5/5 (extra points for novelty)

Highlights- 

·         Competitive fares

·         Good food

·         Adequate service

·         Thrill of (barely existent) danger.

·         Not as bad as you might think it is.

Cons-

·         Non-availability of transit visas for solo women travelers for layovers over 18 hours.

·         No alcohol served at any point.

·         Women to be dressed “modestly”.

·         Chuck worthy food at the airport.

If you are an avid bargain hunter Saudia, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia on rare occasions offers fares for almost next to nothing. 44,000 INR or 775 USD for round trip tickets to New York from Bangalore is nothing but a steal. And the thrill of travelling as a single woman, solo to a country infamous for its archaic attitudes towards women only makes it even more alluring.  Also, this is probably the only way for solo women travellers to enter the yet whip wielding country...well...kinda.

Be warned, friends, family and well wishers will not see eye to eye, even going to the extent of curbing such enthusiasm by calling it bravado that is foolish and more than uncalled for.

Advice warranted or not that might come your way -

Come back with all your limbs intact.

Do not argue or talk about religion/science.

Do not debate about women’s rights

Cover yourself up.

Be lady-like  <eye roll >

Do not initiate conversations with men and so on so forth. 

It really is not all that bad. It was in fact quite an enjoyable experience for the most part. The cabin crew (all women, I wonder why? hmm) are all very polite and can converse with you in fairly fluent if charmingly accented English. The service is efficient; the food hugely palatable, especially their traditional sweet platter at the end of most big meals is to die for.

They even feed you while you wait at the airport (transit-Jeddah) though what you get there is more an excuse for food rather than actual food. My other grouse is that there is absolutely no alcohol served on the plane, not even a teeny can of cerveza.

Tarmac Sunrise, Jeddah

But hey they make up for it. Saudis contrary to my preconceived notions are quite affable and many chatted comfortably in their broken English, some going so far as to ask for help filling out their immigration forms.

One other thing that I was mildly disappointed about was that I didn’t actually get to wear my brand new burqa that I was so eager to try out while there. Women irrespective of nationality or religious persuasion have to mandatorily cover up. Otherwise they apparently face the very real risk of the religious police bearing down on them in the blink of an eye.

Do not fret however, if you are not leaving the airport , erm which you are forbidden to do as a woman/women anyway if unaccompanied by an adult male guardian (who has to be closely related to you by blood i.e. your father, adult son or adult brother  or has to be your husband ) all you need to do is dress modestly. Jeans/slacks are super ok.

Much amusement can be found nevertheless when real life mimics movies. It´s Sex and the City all over again. It is fascinating to watch women eat fries or other food from under their veil!

What to watch out for while booking tickets on Saudia-

As mentioned earlier, men are allowed transit visas if they have layovers over 18 hours. This same privilege is not accorded to women travelling by themselves or those who have dispossessed themselves of `acceptable´ male guardians.

Make sure your layovers are less than 18 hours both ways. Otherwise, though the airline will issue tickets, they will refuse to allow you to board the flight. There is just no question of whiling away time at the airport with a book or ipàd. 18 hours is the limit. The only exception is if the woman passenger is travelling there on business on a business visa.

If the airline changes schedule call them directly and they will modify your ticket. They usually, at no extra charge, try and ensure availability on dates close to the originally booked tickets that doesn’t exceed the stipulated 18 hours transit.

Saudi Airlines Delhi office  tel  - 011 23310465 ( Monica)

Website-Saudi Airlines