• For Saudi males at all stages of life, vacations represent fun, comfort, relaxation, but most importantly, Freedom! The majority of our male respondents cited breaking free as the biggest benefit and attraction of leisure travel, even terming the inability to travel akin to being imprisoned.

• Married homemakers express a penchant for new environments, change of weather, green natural surroundings, as well as tourist attractions, while single Climbers lean towards festivals, nightlife and entertainment options. However, both groups seek a ‘no disturbance’ atmosphere when travelling

• Both single male climbers and married males admit to having more fun on holiday with friends rather than family, citing ease and less time needed for travel planning, as well as a ‘hassle free and unconcerned’ atmosphere.’ Married men also cite freedom from their traditional role as the family head which requires that they attend to the comfort and safety of their wife and kids.

• Males across life stages tended to classify themselves as ‘Relaxation travelers,’ as well as ‘Exploratory travelers,’ and looked forward to new environments, new people, new cultures, as well as modes of entertainment unavailable in the Kingdom

• In preparing for a holiday, buying new clothes emerges as a common theme across all target constituencies and both genders. For the women, the emphasis is on ‘modern, trendy & Westernized’ clothes, while bearing in mind a need for conservative dressing. These women opt for long skirts, trousers and long sleeved shirts, while the men choose a more avantgarde look.

• Both genders express a need to travel more than once a year, and surprisingly, both admit to travelling with their friends, though only on short vacations. Short vacations with friends tend to last 2-3 days for women and about a week for men. Long holidays, 45 days or more, are typically reserved for family travel.

• While both genders are united in perceiving holidays with friends as greater fun, the female homemakers cite a small downside to these trips wherein they experience a loss of power in decision making when travelling with friends. “Sure planning is different. My family would follow my advice or my decision but my friends have different views and different choices. I will not be the leader when travelling with friends”. This corroborates the claims of travel agents who say that the PRIMARY decisionmakers during family travel are the female homemakers, and kids to an extent, with the male in the family taking a backseat.

• Another common anxiety that emerges across demographics is the fear of contracting diseases due to eating outside food throughout the tenure of their travel, sometimes even from ‘onthe-go’ places, perceived as possibly unhygienic.

• For Saudi married homemakers a vacation represents psychological comfort driven by the exclusive time they get with their husbands. This is also coupled with ‘happy family moments of togetherness with no restrictions’

• The homemakers also view vacations as a ‘holiday’ from their household chores and duties, and a comforting, recuperation time for their ‘tired body and mind.’

• For single female climbers, freer than their married counterparts, vacations are a time for ‘exploration’ and escape from the routine of ‘traditional KSA life.’ They also serve to alleviate pressures and stress from work.

• Purchasing new clothes emerges as a common travel preparatory habit among females. Married female homemakers also admit to a dedicated ritual of purchasing ‘sexy lingerie’ before traveling with their husbands

• Single climbers admit to submitting to diet and fitness regimes in order to look good when on holiday, and many of them ‘confess’ to wearing swimming costumes or nonconservative attire when abroad.

• Some female homemakers admitted to taking language courses in English prior to traveling abroad, while enrolling their kids for some skiing lessons

• For married females, ‘the Hotel’ emerged as the ‘most liked’ component of their trip, followed by shopping. Almost all of them term the Hotel a non-negotiable aspect of travel. This was conrmed by local travel agents who state that a 4-Star Hotel is a minimum requirement for Saudi families.

• The single female climbers termed a ‘lively locale with lots of entertainment options’ as the key aspect of travel, and were willing to compromise on airlines, as well as hotels, as long as they could be near the ‘fun’

• Among dislikes, homemakers were united in their anxiety over the exposure to the ‘bad’ inuences such as alcohol and girls, exerted by Western liberalized societies on their children and husbands. Some female homemakers expressed feeling threatened by their ‘husbands’ eyes on the girls over there’

• Female homemakers also expressed feeling ‘unsettled’ while travelling, probably driven by the absence of a ‘home’ to define their identity.

• Female homemakers cite a Tourist Guide as an invaluable asset when visiting a new city. Some homemakers, however, also cited taxi drivers as the best tour guides, and were willing to pay a premium for drivers who knew the city inside and out, its most unique offerings and attractions.

• Single Climbers, however, were more disinclined to ask for assistance, and preferred instead exploring on their own via the internet, word-of-mouth, or sheer adventurous spirit.

• Female travelers largely classify themselves as ‘Relaxation travelers’, preferring holiday pampering such as spas, shopping, a reasonably ‘unlimited’ budget, as well as entertainment.