Case Study: An epic 3 week journey through Saudi Arabia

John and Birgit, an extremely well travelled couple from New Jersey approached us to create a private tailor made tour to Saudi Arabia. After previously adventuring through over 80 countries to diverse destinations such as Ethiopia, Madagascar and Iran, Saudi was an exciting prospect, just recently opened to international travellers.

Being fans of the tropics and partial to travelling off the beaten track, John and Birgit were excited about venturing into Saudi Arabia, but this trip needed to be extra special as they were celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary and wanted an adventure to remember. The feedback we received after their trip was fantastic: “This trip was a huge success!”, Birgit rejoiced, “it exceeded all of our expectations”, adding that “Saudi Arabia has moved easily to the top of our list of favourite travel destinations which was not to be expected”.

Most tour operators are still only offering fixed departure group tours to Saudi Arabia and we know from personal experience that operational resources on the ground are still a challenge, some services are unreliable and costs are high. However, Odyssey World has been focused on delivering an authentic personalised experience to clients wishing to explore the newly unveiled Kingdom and having visited recently ourselves, we know there are many wonderful jewels to uncover.

With reasonable and precise input about their wishes and desires, we created a 25 day itinerary, travelling to 8 locations throughout the country and personally curating their experience, which was thankfully well-received. “John and I would like to thank you very much for all your intrepid and steadfast assistance with our Saudi Arabia trip”, Birgit expressed, “especially since this was not an easy assignment. But it was so worth it!”.

The itinerary included a wholesome variety of accommodation, from staying at a combination of 5-star familiar branded luxury hotels to rather more rustic places in areas off the beaten track where choice is non-existent: “This “back to basics” hotel experience was totally made up for by the very friendly staff, and the food they served was tastier than a lot of the restaurants!”.

Jeddah, Riyadh and Alula were of course included, along with off the beaten track adventures to Farasan Island, Yanbu, and Hafuf. Planes, trains, boats, open top jeeps, off-road vehicles and luxury 4x4s were sourced, local guides and rawis would lead them through their journey, ending with a transfer and border crossing to their next destination, Bahrain. Clearly, travelling was never an issue for them, as they confirmed it was “So very comfortable – our cars were huge, late model SUV’s, and the highways were wide and in tip-top shape. There was typically very little traffic so long distances could be covered in no time”.

An advantage of Saudi Arabia’s infancy as a tourist location is just how easily navigable it is, “You don’t have to contend with long lines or rowdy tourists”, they explained “what we also appreciated was that even in AlUla, where we were expecting the largest crowds and queues, we received VIP treatment in our own vehicle (no bus!) and no waiting in line for tickets. We even had a special local guide added to our own driver/guide!”

The diversity of experiences didn’t go overlooked either: “Something else we loved in Saudi Arabia was the great variety of things to see and do and the gorgeous scenery! Every day was an adventure! It never got boring including ever changing desserts (colour!), lush Wadis, steep mountains, calm sea, super luxury department stores and newly renovated souks, coffee and date plantations, dune bashing near Riyad, visiting historical sights, swimming and snorkeling in the Red Sea, visiting oil fields and Neom…”

I could tell John and Birgit were open minded, curious, understanding and intrepid travellers – truly the only kind of people that should be venturing to Saudi Arabia at this point in its development. “We understand that tourism is new to Saudi Arabia”, they said, “But we also know that this is what makes it so special that we can enjoy this fascinating country at a time when the tourist still gets first class treatment throughout the trip”.

I was sure that I didn’t really need to advise them on safety as I know this country is extremely clean and welcoming for respectful visitors, but my usual advice for Saudi is ‘expect the unexpected’. So when, two days before their arrival, their first hotel stay was cancelled because one of the senior Saudi government ministers had decided to take over the hotel for a weekend event, this was a perfect example!  But with a speedy response from our trusted local support and typical Saudi generosity, they were swiftly moved to the nearby Ritz Carlton, one of the most beautiful hotels in Jeddah. And off they went….!

Even when Birgit dislocated her hip on Day 3 in Jeddah, she received the most excellent healthcare, returning to flowers and card from the very kind team at Ritz Carlton. They continued to be warmly welcomed and cared for by every local they encountered and commented on the fact that “Not only were all guides and drivers friendly, outgoing and cooperative, but people in the streets greeted and welcomed us… Many loved telling us about their world-wide trips and studies abroad which had made them so open-minded towards foreigners”.

From my first personal visit to the Kingdom in 2021 to our first tailor made itinerary (for a lovely single gentleman from the UK, who’d spent several decades travelling the word as a BBC cinematographer), I have every confidence that a visit to Saudi will continue to surprise and delight anyone curious enough to try.  It’s still a country undergoing huge developments in infrastructure and training locals in the new art of international tourism is still in its infancy.  But the genuine warmth of the local residents combined with the natural scenic beauty and appetite to provide world class services and tourist offerings still makes Saudi one of the most exciting countries to visit right now.