Nobody seems to mention the clear damage to the planet by taking such a ridiculously long journey to go on a single ride in already burning heat.
Not been on a plane now in over a decade...so no thanks, it is a ridiculous land journey for a five minute ride.
Naa...Stuff the planet for future generations, get me on that coaster now.
In fairness, MbS’s reforms have stripped the Mutaween of all their powers now even when it comes to Saudi citizens - specifically to try and make the country much more friendly to tourism, and he’s made it very clear that any “enforcement” they attempt is limited exclusively to Sunni Muslims (and even then they can’t actually do a lot beyond some shouting - which usually gets ignored even by them these days).I must admit I do have reservations about visiting a country where women are expected to defer to men in all respects - sorry but that just isn't happening. There's only so far I would go in terms of 'respecting local customs' as an empowered, independent woman who is used to travelling with men I'm not related to. Even if additional freedoms are granted to western visitors than local women I still think it would all be really uncomfortable and irritating to have to deal with such contrasting attitudes to what I'm used to.
I haven't got children, and don't fly.Yes.
Lots of even supposedly "civilised" countries have disgusting laws. Even here in our "advanced" country, gay people couldn't get married until recently (in the grand scheme of laws) and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't go on it. I'm hoping to go to the USA, which is backwards and has places banning abortions. Do I support the laws? No.
Having children is the largest source of carbon emissions and planetary damage. I'll do my bit for the world by not having them, and do my bit against it travelling around. Quid pro quo.
Whether or not you choose to have children, and whether or not you choose to fly regularly, is a personal choice. Not sure it's that helpful to judge others for their life choices, especially on a forum dedicated to theme parks and theme park related travel. It's probably also the sort of thing (like veganism) that should be discussed in dedicated threads where people can choose to or choose not to engage.I haven't got children, and don't fly.
But it would be nice if the planet was inhabitable for other people's future generations...
Getting back on topic, I do think it's easier to travel there as a woman than it used to be. However you do tend to find that culture lags behind policy - so there's still a high probability of coming up against outdated attitudes or people having an expectation that you'll behave in a certain way just because you are female. Before I moved to Russia I was given the opportunity to spend my year abroad in Kazakhstan instead - however it was made clear to me that as a young woman travelling by herself I would probably find myself overprotected by the sponsoring university and unable to live as freely as I'd choose. Even in Russia it was frustrating to deal with attitudes such as women shouldn't carry heavy items or women can't sit on the ground for fear of us damaging our reproductive organs. I guess it's something you can make yourself resilient to, but when I'm spending my hard earned cash to travel somewhere, I don't want to be made to feel irritated and patronised just because of my gender.In fairness, MbS’s reforms have stripped the Mutaween of all their powers now even when it comes to Saudi citizens - specifically to try and make the country much more friendly to tourism, and he’s made it very clear that any “enforcement” they attempt is limited exclusively to Sunni Muslims (and even then they can’t actually do a lot beyond some shouting - which usually gets ignored even by them these days).
I think besides the no alcohol thing it’s not really that different to the UAE now to be honest.
I think besides the no alcohol thing it’s not really that different to the UAE now to be honest.
Like @Poisson said many of us wouldn't hesitate to go to the USA despite its maverick leader and misogynistic laws
Slavery, political assassinations and genocide tend to be pretty decent hard lines.That is; where do you draw the line exactly? If you’re going to try and be an ethical tourist, what degree of human rights infractions are you willing to accept?
If that’s your take, that’s fair enough. It’s an entirely personal choice.Slavery, political assassinations and genocide tend to be pretty decent hard lines.
I also wouldn't have visited Nazi Germany for the Olympics in 1936 either, had I been born.