In 2016, I went on an incredible trip for my 30th birthday, and I learned a valuable lesson about trusting people. My trip started out from Qatar to Oman and from Oman I made one stop off in Kuwait before going to Egypt. Many people asked me why I bothered to go to Kuwait and I can understand why. It’s not what you’d call a tourist destination, but it was a nice escape.
I was supposed to stay for about 12 hours before taking my flight to Egypt when I ran into some trouble at the airport. I was trying to find a place store my luggage so I didn’t have to carry it around with me while I was sightseeing and much to my dismay, I found out there was no place to store it. Angrily, I left the luggage counter and that’s when a young man approached me, noticing I was upset.
I explained my situation to him and he suggested I leave my luggage with him and that once he gets off work he’ll show me around the country. Now, normally hitchhiking around a foreign country with a stranger would be ill-advised, but I assessed the situation. He was a nice young man and well-dressed. He seems professional enough. And I knew where he worked, so I figured the odds of him doing anything violent toward me were pretty low. Looking back, I’m not sure I would’ve agreed, but I’m glad I did in this particular situation.
So we put my luggage in his vehicle and he dropped me off at a nice shopping mall and he agreed to come pick me up once he got off work. So after shopping for about an hour, I got a call from him and just as he said, he came and picked me up. From there, we went to a nice restaurant and ate lunch. I visited the aquarium (which was supposedly the biggest one in the Middle East, but I personally think the one at the Dubai Mall was bigger). He took me to the iconic Kuwait towers, and we had a lovely visit.
The gentleman’s name was Nader, and it turns out he is a very devout Muslim man, which was a relief to me because I don’t enjoy being hit on by strangers. Nader was very respectful and kind and we enjoyed talking and seeing all the sights. He’s from Lebanon, but he works in Kuwait because the money is better.
After the fun evening, he took me back to the airport, with my luggage, thanked me for the wonderful time, and saw me to my flight. I’ll never forget the kindness from this young man and though I would caution any traveler about staying safe abroad, I would also encourage them to not assume every one is out to get you. Some people are just genuinely nice individuals.
It’s nice that you had a good experience, I’m not so trusting.
There’s nothing wrong with being cautious and keeping your guard up. I think there’s a lot to be said about trusting your gut instincts.