Hello everyone, I’m Alyssa Ramos, the American travel blogger stuck in Kuwait who self-evacuated myself and several others successfully — we are all back in the US right now. This post has all of the information that I found and used to get out of that area, as well as the links to the whatsapp group chats I started to try to help you all share rides out.
Just to note — I can’t respond to direct messages or texts right now, there are just too many at the moment, but if you write in the group chat, we now have a lot of helpful moderators, and I reply as much as I can in there.
Something else — I am NOT trying to persuade anyone to leave, I am just offering help with the option and information about my experience. I cannot tell you if I think it will be safe for you or if you’re better off waiting it out. The gov posted “evacuate immediately” but also the gov did nothing to evacuate anyone, so it’s really up to you do decide what you want to do.
And just to be clear, we all did everything to contact the US gov for help, I even messaged the US embassy in Kuwait on February 26 to ask if it was still ok to come there since we heard Trump’s threats to attack Iran. We enrolled in STEP, I even called the consulate on Feb 1, and it was no help. See the end of this post for ways I think the governments can easily evacuate everyone, and feel free to send them this post!
In short here is my story and what I did to self evacuate:
- We arrived in Kuwait on February 28th, and upon landing heard the news that the US/Israel attacked Iran. Shortly after landing, we heard missiles overhead at the airport. We were told to go to the hotel because they were closing the airport. Two hours later, a drone hit the airport causing significant damage and some injuries to staff.
- After sheltering in place at a hotel for 3 days, constantly hearing interception explosions and sirens, and seeing the gov’s “evacuate immediately” posts, we decided to self-evacuate
- I received contact information for SUV transfers from a local Kuwaiti influencer (@hello965) and from a guy named Ale who DMed me info he had found
- We immediately booked an 8 person SUV for $1200 split between 6 people
- At 5am (day 4 in Kuwait) we woke up to more sirens and explosions, so we asked the driver to come earlier, and we left Kuwati City at 7am
- I asked everyone to wear a hijab just in case Iranian drones were somehow able to see us (to avoid looking American)
- We crossed the Kuwait and Saudi borders with no problem. There was no one else there and it was very fast. They also don’t make you take lake all the luggage out to scan it.
- The total drive was around 8 hours from Kuwait City to Riyadh Airport
- 1.5 hours is a drive through southern Kuwait, where all the military bases are, so that was the scariest part
- The rest is mostly through the desert of northern Saudi, with nothing but sand and camels.
- Our driver was very kind and safe, and stopped for bathroom breaks when needed (don’t expect anything fancy)
- On the way, I used this fare finder website to book a direct flight out to Cairo, knowing it was the safest bet to just get out. The other girls used the United or Delta app to get direct flights to USA through London.
- We went to the Marriott by the airport first to wait for flights, assuming the airport was a target
- When I finally boarded the flight to Cairo, they stopped boarding and closed the airspace overhead due to imminent threats.
- We waited an hour in the plane, then finally got the all-clear and we were able to leave!
- Once in Cairo, I booked a flight back to the US through Switzerland.
WHAT YOU NEED TO SELF EVACUATE BY LAND
- Either a transfer company (car and driver, see info below), rental car, or bus/train but we haven’t found those yet. You need a transfer ALL THE WAY from city to city, if you do to the border, there is a 2km gap in between checkpoints!
- An eVISA to enter Saudi Arabia or Oman – Visa on arrival is not an option
- Valid passport
- I’d recommend water and snacks, but there were places in Saudi Arabia we stopped at for them too
- Also would recommend travel insurance for emergencies (they don’t cover war… but in case of vehicle accidents etc)
HOW TO GET EVISAS
Again, you cannot get a visa on arrival at land border crossings into Saudi Arabia, and only a few major ones in Oman. Some nationalities cannot even get an eVISA at all unfortunately (I heard Indian passports cannot).
We are working on getting in touch with the Saudi tourism board and government to see if they would consider temporary transit/evacuation-free visas.
**eVisas can take between 24-48 hours so apply for them ASAP if you want to leave immediately!!
Here are the official websites for eVisas for Saudi Arabia
Uploading your passport page photo and a passport photo is tricky on their websites, but you can upload the photo into chatgbt and ask it to make it the right dimensions for a Saudi evisa and it does…
Here are official websites for eVisas for Oman
Transfer Companies and Drivers for KUWAIT to SAUDI
First — many people keep asking which is safer to go to, Dammam airport or Riyadh. At this point, I wouldn’t say either is “safe”, but I would say you have a higher chance of getting a flight out of Riyadh (like I did). The safest bet is Jeddah or Medina but that’s a very, very far drive.
These companies offer rides to both destinations. Please use my SPREADSHEET if you want to coordinate rides with others!
| Company name | Contact Name | Car Size Available | Seats Available | Cost per Car (OR per person) | |
| Ex. Kuwait Transfers | Abdul | 1234567 | GMC XL | 8 | 370KWD cash |
| Offpath Kuwait | Areej | 96558881911 | 4 seats | 4 | 250KD per car |
| One way Co | abdulla | 96555222177 | 6 seats | 7 | 450 KWD per car |
| ITL World | Jennifer | 66147907 | 4 seats | 3 | 500KD |
| private car Suv (Geely azzakara 2022) | mohamed | 55938778 | 5 seats | 4 | 100kd cash or link |
| Ghazi | 966552223350 | GMC OR PER REQUEST | 5 | 2800 SAR | |
| Travel X | Yousef | 4 seats | 4 | 50 KW PP ( Dammam ) , 350 KD whole car to Riyadh | |
| Abu Kuwait Transfer | Abu ***company we used | 973 3360 9684 | GMC XL | 8 | 370KD |
| Kuwaiti Driver (Private SUV) | AM | 98998351 | SUV | 4 – 7 | 75 KD PP to Dammam, 100 KD PP to Riyadh, 250 KD PP to Jeddah |
| Private | Mohammed | 99771513 | Dodge | 4 | Adults 100 KD pp kids 50 KD |
Group Chats with Others Wanting to Self-Evacuate
Before joining/asking questions in the group chats, please make sure you have read this page thoroughly and have checked out the SPREADSHEET.
There are now close to 2000 people in all of the chats and we are doing our best to help everyone but people keep asking the same questions, which is why I put all of the information on here and made a spreadsheet!
If you do want to find people to share rides with, please put it on the spreadsheet first, then join and say you wrote it on there, with the date and time!
Here are links to our group chats:
- KUWAIT: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JEVYxol0FRi39OhPaJM6Z1?mode=gi_t
- DUBAI: https://chat.whatsapp.com/ICSfdA0gsWgA5mPaIlYT7w?mode=hq2tcli
- DOHA: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C2QliqoXOhU8yvys7QJ9Yp?mode=gi_t
Is it Safe to Land Transfer?
I personally felt safe with our land transfer. I used “Abu Kuwait Transport” (listed above) and we had a Bahranian male driver who was very kind and cared about our safety. He also helped us do everything for the border crossing.
**You can see videos from my land transfer and time in Kuwait on the Kuwait highlight of my Instagram – @mylifesatravelmovie
However, in general, I was very scared about potential missiles/drones/etc overhead and falling debris. That was honestly my only fear. And later on it was hitting a camel crossing the road, but we stopped for 7 camel crossings.
For those worried about people-related dangers — the people in these areas are typically very faithful Muslims, which means they are determined to do good, be respectful, and help others. Most men will not even shake a woman’s hand. And our driver asked if it was ok to stop for 5 minutes so he could go pray, and he fasted (no food or water) the entire 8 hours driving us because it was Ramadan.
The local people are who got us out of there and helped us, the local military is who defended us, so I feel a lot safer relying on them than anything else!
Important to note though — I am a professional solo traveler, so this was a very normal idea and procedure for me. My friends were a lot more nervous and frightened, and I completely understand that, so again, if you don’t feel comfortable or safe doing a land transfer, don’t do it!
How to Get Flights Out of Saudi Arabia
I am also a professional flight hacker and very frequent flier, so I used the real time information about airport closures and looked at the map on Flight Aware to determine where to fly to once I reached Riyadh.
My friends wanted to get to the US as quickly as possible, so they said they used the United app and Delta app to find flights with layovers in London then direct to the US (NYC and Boston) for around $2k.
I just wanted to get out of the danger zone, and I wasn’t sure how many more flights would get cancelled, so I first just booked a flight to Cairo for $200, knowing from others and the flight radar that flights were successfully going there from Riyadh.
Once I was safely in Riyadh, I then booked the next flight out, which was on Swiss Airlines with a layover in Zurich, then off to Miami.
Again, I used a fare finder website like this one to see all available flights, but make sure you…
DO NOT Choose Flights with Layovers in:
- Doha
- Abu Dhabi
- Dubai
- Muscat
- And potentially even avoid Dammam and Istanbul due to cancellations
Layovers in Jeddah and Medina should be ok for now.
Contacts for Help in Other Countries You Might Transfer Through
If you don’t feel comfortable going to or laying over in the places available, I have some contacts you can reach out to for help arranging transportation and even lodging.
FYI the Saudi Tourism Board has told all tour companies and guides to reach out and assist foreigners in any way they can right now!
Saudia Arabia Contacts:
- Faisal (Riyadh guide) +966 59 301 6043
- Ahmed (Riyadh guide) +966 55 545 2982
- Kholoud (Jeddah, female guide!) +966 56 542 1771
Cairo Contacts:
- Lady Egypt Tours +20 111 105 9992
- Ahmed (VIP greeting and transfers for Lady Egypt) +20 100 007 8755
Istanbul Contact:
- Lutfi (Best Turkey Travel) +90 533 481 99 44
How the US Gov and Other Gov’s Can Easily Help
Everything I did and am doing comes from my skills and experience traveling the world, but I know what works, and I know what would easily solve everyone’s problems.
The U.S. gov is currently spending billions on missiles, war crafts, and war in general, and all it would take is maybe $10k to arrange busses for land crossings to get people out of the Gulf countries, and from there people can get their own flights out.
Ideally, they’d also pay for the flights out, but we know that won’t happen, unless you’re a “Trump influencer” (please remember that there are GOOD influencers out there too, like me, and the Kuwaiti influencer who helped us).
USA Government and all other governments need to simply fund the land transfers, again, easiest by charter bus, and designate them as “safe options” to make those of you who are still skeptical about doing it feel safe. However, it needs to be done in a way that doesn’t make it obvious that it is government related, or it will just create a moving target.
Saudi Arabia Government could really help by allowing temporary evacuation transit visas available at the borders.
Media and Press Interviews I’ve Done So Far:
I’ve been interviewed on several news stations and other platforms have written about my story, if you’d like to see them, all are below (that I know of). I am working on writing my own story out soon.
PEOPLE MAGAZINE: Travel Blogger Trapped in Kuwait Is ‘Self Evacuating,’ After Claiming U.S. Government Is No Help
ABC NEWS: American travelers in the Middle East speak out amid Iran conflict – ABC News
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