Work in Saudi live in bahrain

we are legion...

rather than just asking us to take a shot in the dark, it might be better if you told us
a) why you are thinking of it
b) what your work/family situation is
c) what hours you will be working in Saudi
d) which days of the week
e) where you live in Bahrain
f) where you work in Saudi
g) whether you're claustrophobic to the extent that two hours in a confined space regularly would push you over the edge

As the previous comment mentioned, a little more information is required. However if you are doing the standard commute for work from 7 am to 4pm, I can say patience will be required and a bullish attitude to navigating traffic queues. The driving skills in saudi are not great in comparison to more western countries and traffic can build up heavily on the causeway. For example, a couple of days ago, the drive home from Dammam to Saar at approx 5pm took 3.5 hours with about 2 to 2.5 of that sitting in traffic on the causeway.

I choose to do this as my wife works in Bahrain and we wanted to bring our dog with us. I would recommend that if you are going to choose this daily commute then you would want to ensure you have compelling reasons to do so. They will keep you sane while you sit for hours on the causeway listening to the constant  beeping of car horns.

That's actually what I really wanted to know. What the commute was like but also if Bahrain is a nice place to live esp for women and kids.

So initially - would be based in Riyadh for next ten months and plan is to work in Riyadh for a few days (3-4days a week) then fly back to Bahrain and after 1 year company will transfer me to khobar office. At this point my work from home arrangement will continue so would only need to do the causeway route for approx 2-3 days a week.

Also my work involves travelling to client sites across Middle East so there will be occasions that I will be away from home a lot. I would not want my wife and kid stuck in Riyadh not being able to drive etc so Bahrain would afford her some freedom and she could also freely do her photography and personal training business and maybe build up her clients in that geography.

That's the thoughts.

Hello,

You are in a fairly similar situation to me. I also need to travel throughtout the GCC and the security, sanity and freedom of my wife was a major consideration.

Personally i wouldnt be keen on living in saudi as there is little to do and my wifes options would be limited to the compound and travelling to the mall with me. I would choose Bahrain hands down however brace yourself for the traffic. leaving before 6am is fine, the trouble is with coming back in the evenings.

Make sure your work organises a multi exit visa and that your car has paperwork to show it is allowed to leave saudi. Cost is 25 sar each way and you will need to purchase insurance  in both countries. 1 month insurance for a saudi car in bahrain is about 130 sar. Hope this helps

kieran

The traffic on the causeway is at its worst when the schools are on holiday, as they were last week, which is why it took Hopperskins 31/2 hours to get home one day. My worst journey last week was 2 3/4 hours door to door, whereas on a good day I can usually do it in under an hour.

You are better off buying the additional causeway insurance annually, which costs BHD55 (SAR550).

The other thing that makes the causeway journey palatable is if your company can get you a VIP Pass, which gives you access to the diplomatic channel and cuts your journey time significantly, particularly during the school holiday periods. Unfortunately they are like gold dust and extremely difficult to come by and cost BHD1,000 (SAR10,000) for 1 year. I had one but it expired and our GRO has spent the last 13 months trying to get it renewed, without success to date.