My last 3 vacations went to the USA, Canada, and Germany. Each time I think “Europe is nice, but America really is the greatest place to visit. You can do anything.” The first part of my next trip is confirmed to be in Saudi Arabia and I’m getting really bad vibes.

I’m risking arrest and persecution because I want to go on a camping trip with my husband. “Boyfriend” is out of the question, so now he’s my husband. I’m leaving my state issued ID at home. I’m terrified. <br><br>Our trip is to involve some desert camping in 122F heat, but I’m also planning on taking a break halfway and recovering in some nearby luxury hotel. We have a whole week before we meet up with the camping group.<br><br>My biggest concern is that they will think I’m Saudi and arrest me for being with a foreign man. My second biggest concern is that they will discover my Israeli passport and arrest me for being an enemy of the state. I’m going to ask my husband to bring his passport as well so that I can say we’re Canadian and not talk about it further. If they take us in for questioning there’s pretty much nothing we can do. <br><br>I’m a US citizen, but if they don’t believe me or don’t care, or if I end up in what I think they call a “reform center” - there’s pretty much nothing the US can do to help me. <br><br>So why are we going? We’re both geologists, and Saudi Arabia is the only place on Earth where you can find an ancient shoreline. These are 2500BC reefs that got pushed up from the ocean because the tectonic plates moved and left them sticking out of the desert. It’s an easy trip to make and I’m only doing this once.