The Debate

Would you travel to a country that is profiling or has bans? Karen Osman gives her opinion in Condé Nast Traveller’s Debate

“Like many people in the UAE, I live to travel and with the country’s ideal location between East and West, I have been lucky enough to experience many beautiful destinations. Yet, while globalisation has many positives, it can also bring a lot of red tape. Visas, restrictions and government policies are coming together to make it harder to travel to certain countries. As a person who has always loved the journey as much as the destination, this added layer of complexity can be offputting, to say the least – especially with two young children in tow. (If you’ve ever tried to take your shoes off and unpack your bag at security with a baby on your hip and a toddler wrapped around your legs, you’ll know what I’m talking about.) My business demands that I travel to certain countries and, of course, I follow the process – it was actually quite relaxing not having my laptop on board once I stopped worrying it was going to get damaged in the hold – but would I travel to countries with profiling and/or bans for a holiday? Probably not. Luckily, there are 196 countries in the world, so this year I’ll be researching a destination that offers a straight-forward arrival process. And a kids’ club, of course.”

Read the full article at Conde Nast Traveller.