Middle East - BAH, KWI, DOH for Young, Solo Female?

Hi all, I'm planning to go to Bahrain (Manama), Kuwait (Kuwait City), and Qatar (Doha) soon. As a young, solo female traveler, I have been getting a lot of :eek::eek::eek: responses when I tell people my plans. I think I'll be perfectly fine, but the worried responses I've been getting have me wondering if I'm the ignorant and naive one.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. :)

You'll be perfectly fine. Just be as cautious as you would be anywhere in the world when travelling as a single women.

All three places are fine. I would advise to dress appropriately i.e. dress as anyone would in Seattle or London but not as in Pattaya. Respect the no alcohol rule in Kuwait. And absolutely no traces of recreational drugs in any part of the Gulf.

If you dress like the average woman in London, you will attract a lot of attention.
Wear long trousers or a long skirt (not tight fitting) and ensure your shoulders are covered.
In Kuwait if you are driving keep your eyes straight ahead at traffic lights. Do not make eye contact with the driver next to you otherwise you are likely to be followed.

I would echo the comments above. Dress conservatively, respect the local culture and take the same kind of care you would in any other major city.

If your plans aren't finalised, I'd recommend including Oman as well if you can.

The good news is, these are three of the safest places in the world (especially Kuwait and Qatar) -- it's unheard of for a foreign tourist to be hassled in any way.

On the other hand, these are not the most exciting places that I would recommend for vacation. Bahrain had a lot to offer, though I understand that it's a bit less open after the uprising last year.

I would probably visit the UAE or Oman before I'd go to any of these places.

The good news is, these are three of the safest places in the world (especially Kuwait and Qatar) -- it's unheard of for a foreign tourist to be hassled in any way.


I'm not sure how Kuwaiti men can tell the difference between tourists and expats, but I know of plenty of cases of foreign female residents (European, Asian, and Middle Eastern) being hassled when out by themselves driving, shopping, etc.

I'm not sure how Kuwaiti men can tell the difference between tourists and expats, but I know of plenty of cases of foreign female residents (European, Asian, and Middle Eastern) being hassled when out by themselves driving, shopping, etc.

Define "hassled." Yeah, sure, men can ogle, catcall, etc., but I don't believe that there is any significant threat of physical contact. That is unheard-of.

Thank you everyone for the reassurances and advice!!

No drinking or drugs here, so I should be okay with that. I thought I already dress conservatively, but I'll try to be even more conservative with shoulders and legs covered to my ankles. I do have an abaya and niqab - does that help or hurt things? I'm guessing it does not make a difference because I'll still be a solo female anyway.

I won't be driving, but I assume taxis are fine to take... I did have to talk a taxi driver in the UAE out of kidnapping me because he thought I looked like his dead little sister but I assume that was a singular case of the crazies. :o

dunk and mecabq, I've already been around the UAE (and will be there again this trip) but haven't been to Oman. I was planning to squeeze in Muscat on this trip as well, but sadly I doubt I'll have the time to. Your recs for Oman seem to indicate I'd find it much more interesting than Kuwait or Doha, so I'll instead plan to go on my next visit to the region - this way I can spend more time there. :)

Of course another great place to visit is Jordan though a little further away from the Gulf region. On one of my trips there I took a taxi to visit Damascus for teh weekend - but sadly this is not recommended these days.

Some more advice from BBC. Though this is more for lone female reporters nevertheless the clothing advice is good.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17288577

I would say that Oman was 1000x more interesting than Kuwait. Haven't been to Doha yet.

Some more advice from BBC. Though this is more for lone female reporters nevertheless the clothing advice is good.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17288577

I have just read that article and thought I'd post it. You beat me to it ! :)

csdf Everyone's so enthused about Oman! I'm definitely looking forward to going there next time I'm in the Middle East. :) I'm only doing a couple days each in Kuwait and Qatar but I'll make sure to spend a while exploring Oman.

jahason I'd love to do Jordan/Lebanon/Syria! Beirut has always been high on my travel wishlist, but business is in UAE so I'm exploring this area first. I'll also wait until things settle down in Syria... Thank you (and dunk!) for the article. I thought it was all good advice and I've shared it on the Women Travelers board as well. :)

There is one other option though I personally have no experience of it and only read about it on Flyertalk - Kish Island, Iran. Its close to UAE, flights are cheap and I believe no Iranian visa is required. I hear it's one of these places that you go to experience but the attractions are not such that you want to go back repeatedly. and getting a flight may not be that easy. Many expats go there to renew their UAE visas.

There are inexpensive packages to Shiraz from UAE or Oman, which I hear is a place worth visiting. But then you do need an Iranian visa.

Just posting this for the sake of completeness.

[............
jahason I'd love to do Jordan/Lebanon/Syria! Beirut has always been high on my travel wishlist, but business is in UAE so I'm exploring this area first. I'll also wait until things settle down in Syria... Thank you (and dunk!) for the article. I thought it was all good advice and I've shared it on the Women Travelers board as well. :)

Maybe not this time but being a One World junkie I have often travelled Royal Jordanian just so I can break journey and explore this region. From Amman I have seen Petra, Jerash (Roman ruins) and Ajloun castle. Outside jordan I have travelled to Jerusalem (about 50 miles away) and Damascus (though not currently recommended). If you are able to do this sometime then post again or pm me.

Next on my Middle East "to do" list is to drive down (across?) from DXB thru the UAE to the Musandam Peninsula in northern Oman, or maybe take the ferry from MCT.

Next on my Middle East "to do" list is to drive down (across?) from DXB thru the UAE to the Musandam Peninsula in northern Oman, or maybe take the ferry from MCT.

Up and across :) The drive to RAK from Dubai is pretty dull, but Musandam itself is great.

Up and across :) The drive to RAK from Dubai is pretty dull, but Musandam itself is great.

The other (Moroccan) RAK is also on the list , and all 7 Emirates just for the hell of it :)

The other (Moroccan) RAK is also on the list , and all 7 Emirates just for the hell of it :)

You go through five of them just by driving from Dubai to Musandam - sadly I don't think it's possible to cross between Musandam and Fujeirah now (Emirati / Omani nationals only). Otherwise you could have done all but Abu Dhabi in one trip!

Yes, the only road route into Musandam for non GCC passport holders is up the West coast through RAK. Can be a nightmare border though, if you happen to arrive just after a bus-load of tourists.

More fun is to charter a dhow from Dibba.

Embla, out of curiousity are you just trying to get stamps on your passport or are you actually going to see the cities? Or the scenery?

Kuwait City is a pretty boring place, Bahrain as well not a whole lot going there either plus they are having some issues over there. Nothing major yet but still potentially a problem.

Doha is nice, plenty of places to eat but again not a whole lot too see. They have some nice architecture and the place called Souq Waqif is nice. Its a converted old style Souq/Market with lots of cafes and restaurants now.

Oman is beautiful in terms of scenery and definately the best place from that list. Also the people are very friendly.

In terms of dressing, be modest and be prepared to get aggresive if you get haggled or feel unsafe for whatever reason. But yeah most of Middle East is very safe to female travels as most men are scared of getting deported for say or doing the wrong thing.

Embla, out of curiousity are you just trying to get stamps on your passport or are you actually going to see the cities? Or the scenery?

Kuwait City is a pretty boring place, Bahrain as well not a whole lot going there either plus they are having some issues over there. Nothing major yet but still potentially a problem.

Doha is nice, plenty of places to eat but again not a whole lot too see. They have some nice architecture and the place called Souq Waqif is nice. Its a converted old style Souq/Market with lots of cafes and restaurants now.

Oman is beautiful in terms of scenery and definately the best place from that list. Also the people are very friendly.

In terms of dressing, be modest and be prepared to get aggresive if you get haggled or feel unsafe for whatever reason. But yeah most of Middle East is very safe to female travels as most men are scared of getting deported for say or doing the wrong thing.

I'll be there to see the cities, or at least as much as I can see of them in 1-2 days each. :) I'm going to meet some Saudi friends in Bahrain and go to KSA for a day or so, so I figured I'd hop around the area and see a bit of Kuwait and Doha as well.

As for Oman, I'm surprised by how keen everyone's been to recommend it! Now I'm definitely looking forward to going.

Thanks for the advice, I'll certainly keep it in mind! :)

Just a note if anyone comes upon this thread in the future --

I was thinking wearing an abaya/niqab wouldn't make a difference, but I'd advise one to definitely wear it in the Kuwait souks unless you want everyone, really, eeeeveryone staring at you.

I thought I'd be fine as I'm used to curious looks and I was covered to wrists and ankles, but all the shopkeepers and the crowds of men milling about (to help push carts, is it?) would stop what they were doing to stare until I was out of sight. This was more uncomfortable to me than the men driving alongside or walking up to me to accost me. ... Now that I remember that, I guess wearing an abaya the whole time you're in Kuwait wouldn't hurt. :rolleyes:

My Saudi friends also preferred I wear the abaya at the Bahrain souks because of previous experiences when bringing their wives there, but I forgot mine and it didn't matter because I was enveloped by an over-protective brigade of men the whole time there anyway. If I'm on my own next time, though, I'd prefer to wear the abaya.

That said, it's been a fun time exploring - although I'll now ditto everyone who said that Kuwait doesn't offer much. :D

Here's another vote for a future Oman trip, and Syria when the situation improves. I went to both places as a solo female though I did hire a guide several times. Syria is my favorite place in the mideast and Damascus one of the great cities of the world.

I guess the other advantage of an abaya is that at first glance it may be difficult to distinguish you from an Arab lady. Or better still you may look like a citizen of Jordan or Syria (assuming you are fair skinned). This means that the first price quoted to you may not be overpriced for a tourist from the west.

Just a note if anyone comes upon this thread in the future --

I was thinking wearing an abaya/niqab wouldn't make a difference, but I'd advise one to definitely wear it in the Kuwait souks unless you want everyone, really, eeeeveryone staring at you.

I thought I'd be fine as I'm used to curious looks and I was covered to wrists and ankles, but all the shopkeepers and the crowds of men milling about (to help push carts, is it?) would stop what they were doing to stare until I was out of sight. This was more uncomfortable to me than the men driving alongside or walking up to me to accost me. ... Now that I remember that, I guess wearing an abaya the whole time you're in Kuwait wouldn't hurt. :rolleyes:

My Saudi friends also preferred I wear the abaya at the Bahrain souks because of previous experiences when bringing their wives there, but I forgot mine and it didn't matter because I was enveloped by an over-protective brigade of men the whole time there anyway. If I'm on my own next time, though, I'd prefer to wear the abaya.

That said, it's been a fun time exploring - although I'll now ditto everyone who said that Kuwait doesn't offer much. :D