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DHL Express Shipping Tutorial: Step-by-Step Guide

TiKay — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:26:21 +0000

DHL Express Shipping Tutorial – Step-by-Step Guide

In This Tutorial

DHL Express Shipping Tutorial

Creating an international DHL Express shipment isn’t difficult – but getting it right is essential. A small mistake in the shipping details or customs declaration can lead to delays, additional fees or, in the worst case, your parcel being returned.

In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the entire shipment creation process using the official MyDHL+ shipping portal. We’ll explain every important field, show you which options to select, and share the practical tips we’ve learned after shipping parcels all over the world.

Unlike our Ultimate DHL Express Shipping Guide, this article focuses exclusively on creating a shipment for you as the sender and receiver. We’ll complete the process together step by step – from the first screen to printing your shipping documents.

Let’s get started.

Step 1: Sender & Receiver

Before creating your shipment, find a real DHL Service Point. Don’t trust Google Maps alone – many locations no longer exist. Call ahead or visit in person, note the contact person’s name and ask how long they’ll store your parcel.

Always enter your own name first as the receiver.

Example:

James Walker
c/o DHL Service Point
123 Example Street
4567 City
8910 Country

If you’re shipping to a private address, use the homeowner only as c/o. Not all address fields appear on the shipping label, so your name should always come first.

Passport

Some countries require the receiver’s passport type and passport number for customs clearance. If you’re shipping the parcel to yourself, simply enter your own passport details.

EORI Number

An EORI number may be required for some shipments to or from the EU. Most private individuals don’t need one, but if customs requests it, you can apply free of charge through your country’s customs authority.
We never used or needed one!

Private Use

Whenever possible, make it clear that the shipment is for private use only and will be exported again. Use phrases such as:

Private Use
Tourist
No Resale
Vehicle Repair
Will Be Exported Again

This helps customs understand that you’re an overlander receiving your own belongings—not importing goods for commercial purposes.

Step 2: Shipment Details

This page contains the most important information for customs clearance. A few fields deserve special attention.

Purpose of Shipment

Always choose Personal, Not for Resale whenever you’re shipping your own belongings or spare parts to yourself while traveling.

This makes it clear that the shipment is not intended for commercial purposes.

Describe Each Item

Every item must be declared individually.
Use short but precise English descriptions and avoid generic terms like parts, accessories or miscellaneous.

In the next step, we’ll show you exactly how to describe your items correctly.

Shipment Summary

Summarize the contents of your parcel in one short English sentence.

Invoice Value

In most cases, you don’t need to enter anything here.
The total invoice value is calculated automatically from the items you add to your shipment.

Master Reference Number (MRN)

Most overlanders can safely ignore this field.

An MRN (Master Reference Number) is only required for certain formal export procedures from the EU, typically for high-value commercial exports or shipments that require an export declaration.

If you need an MRN, you’ll already know it before creating your shipment.

Shipment Protection

For valuable shipments, consider adding Shipment Value Protection. While DHL includes limited liability, additional protection can be worthwhile when shipping expensive spare parts or equipment.

Step 3: Add Your First Item

Click Add Another Item to create a new item entry.

The item section will expand, allowing you to enter all customs-relevant information for that product.

To make things easier, click Create Description.

DHL will then open the description generator shown in the next step. It helps you create a customs-friendly item description that is far more precise than generic terms such as car parts or accessories.

We highly recommend using this tool whenever possible, as accurate descriptions can significantly reduce customs questions and delays.

Step 4: Item Description – Let AI Do the Work

This is one of the most useful features in MyDHL+.

Instead of trying to come up with the perfect customs description yourself, take a screenshot of this window and upload it to your favorite AI together with a link to the product (or the product page).

Ask the AI to fill in every field based on the product specifications.

The more accurate the information, the better.

Once all fields are completed, MyDHL+ automatically generates the final Item Description in the last field.

We use this method for almost every shipment – it saves time, reduces mistakes and produces excellent customs descriptions.

Step 5: Find the Correct Commodity Code

Every item shipped internationally requires an HS (Harmonized System) commodity code. Customs authorities use this code to identify your product and determine whether import restrictions, duties or taxes apply.

Fortunately, MyDHL+ makes this easy.

Simply enter:

What is the item?
What is it made of?
How will it be used?

Click Search and MyDHL+ will suggest one or more matching commodity codes.

Choose the code that best matches your product.

Do NOT ask AI here. It always generates phantasy-codes 😉

Taking a few extra seconds here is worthwhile. A correct commodity code can help prevent customs delays and unnecessary questions later in the shipping process.

Step 6: Select the Correct Unit

After describing your item, you’ll need to choose how it is packaged or counted.

For most overlanders, the most common options are:

Set – for items sold or shipped together as one complete set (e.g. brake pads, bearing kits, repair kits).
Pieces – for individual items such as a relay, alternator, water pump or sensor.

Only use units such as Kilograms, Liters, Pairs or Cartons if they genuinely describe the item you’re shipping.

Choose the unit that best matches the product. It helps customs understand exactly what they’re looking at and avoids unnecessary questions.

Value

Enter the actual value of one single item, not what you originally paid years ago or what you hope it’s worth.

If possible, use the value shown on the invoice or receipt. Customs uses this information to calculate duties and taxes.

Weight

Enter the weight of one single item as accurately as possible.

We recommend weighing every item individually on a digital kitchen scale before packing. This not only improves customs declarations but also helps if you ever need to file an insurance claim.

Small inaccuracies usually aren’t a problem, but avoid guessing whenever possible.

Step 7: Customs Invoice Details

This page lets you add additional information for customs.

Create Invoice

Select Create Invoice. MyDHL+ will automatically generate the Commercial or Proforma Invoice using the information you’ve entered in the previous steps.

Additional Invoice Information (Remarks)

This is one of the few places where you can communicate directly with customs.

We recommend adding a short remark such as:

Private use only. No resale. Tourist. Vehicle repair. Will be exported again.

Keep it short, factual and in English.

Declaration Statements

Most overlanders can safely ignore these options. They are only required for specific products or legal declarations.

Additional Parties

If you’re shipping a parcel to yourself, simply select No.

Additional Customs Documents

If DHL or customs has requested supporting documents – such as invoices, proof of purchase or other paperwork – you can attach them here.

For most private shipments, this section can remain empty.

Regardless of what you upload here, we always print every invoice and include two complete sets with the shipment: one set in a transparent document pouch attached to the outside of the parcel and another set inside the box.

We also include a separate printed note reading:

These items are for private use only, are not intended for resale and will be exported again when leaving the country as a tourist.

It takes only a few minutes but can save days – or even weeks- of unnecessary customs delays (and costs).

Once you’ve reviewed everything, click Next to continue.

Step 8: Package Size and Weight

This is where you enter your parcel’s weight and dimensions.

Here’s a trick we’ve learned after many international shipments.

Play around with the package dimensions and weight before booking. Increase the dimensions in 5 cm increments and the weight in 500 g increments, then check the shipping price each time.

DHL uses pricing thresholds. As soon as you cross one of them, the shipping cost can increase dramatically. Sometimes just one extra centimeter can add €50 or more to the total price.

Every shipment has a sweet spot. Finding it takes a few minutes and can be a little frustrating, but it can easily save you a significant amount of money.

One more tip: plan ahead before ordering your spare parts. Keep a list of every item’s weight and approximate dimensions while shopping. Otherwise, you may discover too late that everything no longer fits within your target parcel size or weight – and suddenly your shipping costs jump into the next price bracket.

(For most of the countries we’ve shipped to, the first sweet spot was a parcel measuring 25 × 20 × 20 cm. A 2 kg shipment typically cost between €114 and €148, depending on the destination country and its zone. Exceeding one of these dimensions often increased the shipping price by around €50.)

Step 9: Payment and Delivery Options

This is the second-to-last step before creating your shipment.

Choose your preferred payment method. We usually pay with PayPal, but any available payment option will work.

Duties and Taxes

If you’re shipping a parcel to yourself, we recommend selecting Receiver will pay. Customs duties and import taxes, if applicable, are usually collected when the parcel arrives in the destination country.

Incoterms

For most overlanders, DAP (Delivered at Place) is the right choice.

With DAP, DHL delivers the shipment to the destination, while the receiver is responsible for any import duties, taxes or customs fees that may arise.

Once everything is set up, click Next.

On the following page, MyDHL+ calculates the available DHL Express services, estimated delivery times and the final shipping price. At this point, you can still go back and adjust your parcel size or weight if you want to optimize the shipping costs before completing your booking.

Step 10: Review the Price and Delivery Time

You’re almost done.

Based on all the information you’ve entered, MyDHL+ now calculates the available shipping service, estimated delivery date, transit time and final shipping price.

This is your last opportunity to review everything before purchasing the shipment.

If the price is higher than expected, you can still go back and adjust your parcel dimensions or weight. As we mentioned earlier, even 1 cm or a few hundred grams can move your shipment into a different pricing tier and save you a considerable amount of money.

Once you’re happy with the delivery time and price, click Select to complete your booking.

Your shipping documents – including the Waybill, Custom-, Commercial or Proforma Invoice, Transport Label and Shipment Receipt – will then be generated automatically and are ready to print.

Step 11: Print Your Shipping Documents

Once you’ve completed your booking, MyDHL+ generates several PDF documents.

Waybill

Print the Waybill and attach it securely to the outside of your parcel. This is the main shipping label DHL uses to identify and transport your shipment.

Commercial or Proforma Invoice

Print at least two copies.

Place one set in a transparent document pouch on the outside of the parcel and another set inside the box. Customs officials may need these documents at any point during transit.

Customs Invoice

If a separate Customs Invoice has been generated, print it as well and include it with the other customs documents.

Transport Label

Attach the Transport Label to the outside of the parcel next to the Waybill. Make sure all barcodes remain flat, clean and fully visible.

Shipment Receipt

Keep the Shipment Receipt for your records. It contains your shipment details and tracking information and may be useful if you need to contact DHL support later.

One Last Recommendation

Before sealing the parcel, take photos of every item, the printed documents, and the finished package from all sides. These photos can be invaluable if your shipment is delayed, damaged or an insurance claim becomes necessary.

A Few Final Words

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read our guide.

Everything you’ve read is based on our own experience after shipping countless parcels across the planet. We’ve made expensive mistakes, spent weeks chasing lost shipments, argued with customs officials and learned many lessons the hard way. Hopefully, this guide helps you avoid at least some of them.

Shipping internationally can seem overwhelming at first, but once you’ve done it a few times – and with a little preparation – it becomes surprisingly manageable.

If this guide has helped you, we’d really appreciate it if you shared it with other overlanders or travelers who might find it useful. It helps us keep creating free, in-depth travel content for the community.

We wish you safe travels, unforgettable adventures, and – most importantly – that every parcel you send arrives exactly where and when you need it.

See you somewhere on the road!

Totti & Fenny
Travelcandies-On-Tour

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

What Should I Keep in Mind?

The Ultimate DHL Express Shipping Guide: Everything You Need to Know

TiKay — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 08:24:55 +0000

The Ultimate DHL Express Shipping Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Is DHL Express perfect? No. Like every logistics company, they make mistakes. But compared to the alternatives we’ve experienced, DHL Express has consistently been the most reliable option. You might pay a little more (sometimes even way more), but in our experience, that extra cost is often insignificant compared to the value of receiving an important shipment quickly, safely and with minimal hassle.

Many people blame DHL Express when something goes wrong. Sometimes that’s justified. But surprisingly often, the real problem started long before the package entered the DHL network. Incorrect customs documents, incomplete addresses, poor packaging or unrealistic expectations are among the most common reasons for delays and complications.

The good news is that most of these problems are completely avoidable. This guide explains how DHL Express works, where the common pitfalls are and – most importantly – how to avoid them. If you follow the advice in this article, you’ll dramatically increase the chances that your shipment arrives quickly and without unnecessary stress.

Why DHL Express?

Before using any shipping company, we do our research. We don’t just compare prices, we evaluate the entire service.
We start with the website. Is it user-friendly, transparent and easy to understand? Can we quickly find the information we need, or is everything hidden behind endless menus?
Then we test customer support by asking a few questions. How responsive are they? Are the answers actually helpful?
Finally, we compare shipping costs. Surprisingly often, other courier services cost about the same or are only slightly cheaper than DHL Express. But that’s usually where the problems begin: limited international coverage, poor tracking, confusing customs procedures or unreliable local partners.

Is DHL Express perfect? Definitely not. We’ve had our share of frustrating experiences, and customer support isn’t always as helpful as we’d like. But after years of shipping parcels and vehicle parts around the world, we still consider DHL Express the most reliable choice.

DHL Express is the one-eyed king among the blind.

Sometimes paying a few Euros more is well worth it when you know your shipment has a much better chance of arriving quickly and safely.

What Is DHL Express?

Many people use the terms DHL and DHL Express interchangeably, but they are not the same service.

DHL Express is the premium international courier service. Shipments are transported through DHL’s own global network, offering fast delivery, detailed tracking and integrated customs clearance. In many countries, parcels can arrive within just 1–5 business days.

DHL Parcel is the standard parcel service. It is generally slower, tracking may be less detailed and international deliveries often rely on local postal services once the parcel reaches the destination country.

DHL Express vs. DHL Premium vs. Standard Shipping

In many countries, DHL offers three different shipping options: Standard, Premium and Express.

Standard Shipping is the most economical option, but also the slowest. Delivery times can vary considerably, especially for international shipments and tracking is often less detailed.

DHL Premium sits between Standard and Express. In theory, Premium shipments receive higher priority than Standard shipments, which can result in slightly faster delivery. In practice, however, we’ve rarely seen a noticeable difference that justified the additional cost.

DHL Express is the fastest and most reliable service. Shipments travel through DHL Express’ dedicated global network, receive priority handling from pickup to delivery and usually clear customs much faster.

Based on our own experience, we’d either choose Standard if time isn’t critical, or Express if the shipment is important.

How Much Does DHL Express Cost?

Let’s be honest: DHL Express is very expensive. In many cases, shipping costs exceed the value of the items inside the package.

A good example from our own travels: we once shipped brakes and an alternator to Saudi Arabia. The parts themselves were worth around €200, while DHL Express shipping cost almost €400.

At first glance, that sounds absurd. But when your vehicle is stranded hundreds or even thousands of kilometers from home, the calculation changes completely. Waiting several weeks for a cheaper shipment could mean paying for hotels, extending your stay (overstay-problem), changing travel plans or simply losing valuable time. In situations like these, the shipping costs quickly become the smaller part of the overall expense.

The price of a DHL Express shipment depends on several factors, including the destination country, actual weight, package dimensions, volumetric weight and additional charges such as fuel or remote area surcharges.
(Check out the DHL Zone Guide 2026: Download PDF)

Example: A parcel measuring 25 × 20 × 20 cm, weighing 2 kg and containing goods worth approximately €100, typically costs between €114 and €149 to ship with DHL Express, depending on the destination country.

One factor that surprises many first-time users is volumetric weight. DHL doesn’t always charge based on what a package weighs. Instead, large but lightweight parcels may be charged according to the space they occupy during transport. That’s why two packages with the same actual weight can have completely different shipping prices.

DHL Express isn’t designed to be the cheapest shipping option. It’s designed for shipments where speed, reliability and predictable delivery are worth paying for. In many situations, especially when traveling, that extra cost can save far more money than it adds.

Customs and Import Duties

For many international shipments, customs clearance is far more likely to cause delays than DHL Express itself. In our experience, most problems are not caused by the courier, but by incorrect paperwork, incomplete information or misunderstandings about local import regulations.

Depending on the destination country, your shipment may be subject to import duties, VAT, customs processing fees or other local charges. These costs are determined by the customs authorities, not by DHL Express.

Another factor that shouldn’t be underestimated is the efficiency of the destination country’s customs system. In some parts of the world – particularly in parts of Africa – bureaucracy can be overwhelming, processes are often slow and unfortunately, corruption still exists. Even perfectly documented shipments can end up sitting in a customs warehouse for days or even weeks. These delays are entirely outside DHL Express’ control.

Before shipping, always check the import regulations of the destination country. Some items are restricted, require additional documentation or cannot be imported at all.

The good news is that many customs-related problems are preventable. In a separate step-by-step guide, we’ll explain how to correctly complete all required shipping and customs documents to minimize the risk of delays, additional costs and unnecessary complications.

Required Documents

Before DHL Express generates any shipping documents, you first need to set up your shipment correctly. This is one of the most important parts of the entire process.

You’ll be asked to enter information such as the sender and recipient details, package dimensions and weight, the contents of the shipment, its value and the purpose of the export. The quality of this information directly affects how smoothly your shipment passes through customs.

Once you’ve completed the shipment correctly, DHL Express automatically generates all required documents.

For a typical international shipment, you’ll usually receive the following files:

Waybill (WaybillDoc)

This is the most important shipping document. It contains the shipment details, sender and recipient information, barcode and tracking number. Attach it securely to the outside of the package so DHL and customs can identify your shipment throughout its journey.

Transport Label

The transport label is placed on the package and is scanned at every stage of the shipping process. It enables real-time tracking and ensures the parcel is routed through DHL’s global network.

Commercial Invoice

This document is required for most shipments containing goods. It tells customs what is inside the package, its value, country of origin and the purpose of the shipment. Customs authorities use this information to calculate import duties and taxes.

If you’re sending non-commercial items, DHL may generate a Proforma Invoice instead of a Commercial Invoice.

Shipment Receipt

This is your confirmation that the shipment has been created. It contains useful information such as the tracking number, shipment reference and booking details. Keep it until your parcel has been delivered.

All of these documents are generated automatically by DHL Express. While that makes the process much easier, the information you enter is still your responsibility. Incorrect descriptions, inaccurate values or missing details can lead to customs delays, additional charges or even the return of the shipment.

Because this step is so important, we’ve created a separate, detailed tutorial that explains exactly how to set up a DHL Express shipment from start to finish. It covers every field you’ll need to complete, explains the purpose of each document and highlights the most common mistakes that can lead to customs delays or additional charges.

DHL Express Tracking Explained

One of the biggest advantages of DHL Express is its detailed tracking system. Every important step of your shipment is recorded, allowing you to follow its journey almost in real time.

Typical tracking updates include:

Shipment information received – Your shipment has been created, but DHL hasn’t received the package yet.
Picked up – DHL has collected the shipment from the sender.
Processed at DHL Facility – The parcel has arrived at a DHL sorting hub and is being prepared for its next destination.
Departed DHL Facility – The shipment has left a sorting center and is on its way to the next hub or destination country.
Arrived at DHL Facility – The parcel has reached another DHL hub.
Clearance Event – Customs is processing the shipment. This doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem; it’s a normal part of international shipping.
With Delivery Courier – The shipment is out for delivery.
Delivered – The parcel has been successfully delivered.

Don’t panic if your shipment doesn’t move for a day or two. Tracking updates aren’t always instant, especially while a package is in transit between continents or waiting for the next available flight.

If a shipment remains on the same status for several days, especially during customs clearance, it’s worth contacting DHL Express or the recipient. In our experience, a quick phone call or providing a missing document can sometimes save days of waiting.

If the tracking status changes to “Parcel on Hold”, don’t ignore it. In many cases, DHL Express or the local customs authority requires additional information or documents before the shipment can continue.

Unfortunately, the tracking information rarely tells you what is actually missing. It usually only indicates that the shipment is on hold. In our experience, you’ll often need to contact DHL Express directly to find out exactly, which document or piece of information is required. Once you know what’s missing and provide it promptly, the shipment can usually continue without further delay.

Tip

Forget about the WhatsApp support. In our experience, it’s powered by a simple chatbot that isn’t even AI, particularly helpful and is unable to solve anything beyond the most basic questions.

Email support can also be hit or miss. It largely depends on the country you’re shipping from or to. In many cases, a phone call is the fastest and most effective way to resolve a problem, especially when a shipment is being held by customs or requires urgent action.

You can find all official DHL Express contact options here:

DHL Express Contact & Support

One final tip: Tracking tells you where your shipment is – but not always why it’s there. Customs inspections, flight capacity, weather, public holidays or local regulations can all affect delivery times without being immediately visible in the tracking history.

Common DHL Express Problems

Even with DHL Express, international shipments don’t always go according to plan. In our experience, these are the most common issues you’ll encounter:

Customs Requests Additional Documents

One of the most frequent reasons for delays is that customs requires additional information. This may include proof of value, invoices, identification, or other import documents. Unfortunately, the tracking information often doesn’t tell you exactly what’s missing, so you’ll usually have to contact DHL Express to find out.

Shipment Stuck in Transit

Sometimes a shipment appears to stop moving for several days. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s lost. It may be waiting for customs clearance, the next available flight, or local processing. If the status doesn’t change for an unusually long time, it’s worth contacting DHL.

Recipient Cannot Be Reached

If DHL cannot reach the recipient by phone or email, delivery may be delayed or the shipment may be placed on hold. This is especially common when phone numbers are incorrect or missing. Always make sure the recipient’s contact details are complete and accurate.

Incorrect or Incomplete Address

A missing house number, incorrect postal code or inaccurate address can delay a shipment or even result in it being returned to the sender. Always double-check every address before confirming the shipment.

Shipment Reported as Damaged

This is rare, but it does happen—and our own experience shows that it isn’t always true.

While traveling through Saudi Arabia, we waited more than a month for an urgently needed spare part. Suddenly, the tracking showed that the package had been damaged and was scheduled to be returned to Germany—without anyone contacting us first.

We immediately drove across Jeddah, visiting several DHL facilities until we finally intercepted the shipment.

The result? The parcel wasn’t damaged at all. The cardboard box had a few scratches, but the contents were perfectly fine.

That experience taught us an important lesson: never assume that the tracking status tells the whole story. Mistakes happen. Automated decisions can be wrong, and packages are sometimes classified incorrectly.

Whenever something looks unusual, don’t simply wait. Be proactive, contact DHL Express and ask questions. In many cases, acting quickly can prevent days – or even weeks – of unnecessary delays.

Practical Tips We Highly Recommend

After shipping dozens of parcels to countries across Africa, the Middle East and beyond, these are the lessons we’ve learned – sometimes the hard way.

1. Create your shipment online

Always create your shipment using the official DHL Express shipping portal:

https://mydhl.express.dhl/gb/en/auth/login.html

It offers the most options and gives you full control over your shipment.

2. Don’t use your smartphone

Create your shipment on a desktop or laptop computer.

The mobile version hides or simplifies several important options. On a larger screen it’s much easier to review every field before submitting your shipment.

3. Be extremely precise

Small mistakes can cause major delays.

Pay particular attention to:

sender and recipient details
phone numbers
email addresses
package dimensions
package weight
customs value
product descriptions
HS codes (if applicable)
complete delivery address

4. Use your own name first

If you are receiving the parcel, always list your own name first.

Use the location owner only as:

c/o John Smith

Never the other way around.

This makes it clear that you are the importer and recipient – not the hotel, campsite or business.

5. Avoid hotels and campsites whenever possible

This is probably one of the biggest lessons we’ve learned.

Shipping directly to hotels, lodges or campsites can easily create the impression, that the shipment is intended for a business.

That can result in:

additional customs charges
different tax calculations
unnecessary questions
DHL having to modify customs paperwork
additional DHL service fees

Instead, we almost always ship directly to a DHL Service Point.

We search Google Maps, verify with Street View that the location actually exists, call the office beforehand and ask how long they’ll hold the parcel.
Mostly we even visit the office personally before the shipment is sent.

Our shipping address then looks like this:

Your Name
c/o DHL Service Point
Full DHL Address

This has proven to be the most reliable solution during our travels.

6. Stay inside the DHL network

Whenever possible, choose a service that remains entirely within the DHL Express network.

As soon as a shipment is handed over to the national postal service, tracking often becomes unreliable and problems become much harder to solve.

We’ve experienced exactly this in Saudi Arabia, where the local postal service caused far more issues than DHL Express itself.

7. Include documents twice

Place one complete set of shipping documents inside a transparent pouch on the outside of the parcel.
Add another complete set inside the package.

If the outer documents are damaged or lost, customs can still identify the shipment.

8. Make it obvious it’s for private use

Whenever applicable, clearly state phrases such as:

Private Use
No Commercial Value
No Resale
Not for Commercial Purposes
Tourist Use
Vehicle Repair
Will Be Exported Again

If the items are only temporarily imported, make that absolutely clear.

9. Optimise package size and weight

DHL pricing often changes at specific thresholds.

Increasing a package by only 1 cm or a few grams can sometimes increase the shipping cost dramatically.

Experiment with different package dimensions and weights before confirming the shipment.

10. Don’t ship unnecessary items

International Express shipping is expensive.
Avoid sending inexpensive items such as clothes, snacks or souvenirs simply to fill empty space.
Almost every additional item increases paperwork, customs complexity and shipping costs.

11. Keep the number of different items low

Every different product may require its own customs declaration and tariff classification (HS Code).The more different items you include, the more complicated customs clearance becomes.

Whenever possible:

combine similar items
keep descriptions consistent
scan every purchase receipt
weigh each item individually

12. Pack professionally

Protect your shipment properly.

If DHL determines that damage occurred because of inadequate packaging, insurance claims may be rejected.

13. Use English only

Complete every customs description and shipping document in English.
If you’re unsure about wording, use AI to formulate accurate product descriptions.
Poor wording is one of the most common causes of customs questions.

14. Keep every document

Save:

invoices
emails
tracking history
customs correspondence
shipping documents

You’ll be glad you did if a dispute arises months later.

15. Photograph everything

Before packing:

photograph every item
ideally place it on a scale showing its weight
take one final photo showing all items together

These photos can be extremely valuable for insurance claims or customs disputes.

16. Let someone at home prepare the shipment

If you’re already traveling, have your spare parts delivered to a trusted friend or family member.

Ask them to:

collect everything
photograph every item
weigh each item
keep the invoices
pack the shipment according to your instructions

This makes the entire process far easier.

17. Don’t make the parcel bigger than necessary

Large and heavy shipments quickly become expensive.

Although DHL Express accepts surprisingly large parcels, oversized shipments may incur significant additional charges and are more likely to require special handling.

When possible, split very large shipments into two smaller parcels if it results in lower costs or simpler customs clearance.

Side Note: Local Shipping Networks

In many countries – especially across Africa – you’ll quickly hear about local shipping networks used by expats and long-term travelers.

These companies often consolidate shipments from Europe and charge by weight, making them significantly cheaper than DHL Express. In many cases, customs procedures also seem less complicated.

Can you use them? Absolutely.
For clothing, camping gear or other non-essential items, they may be a perfectly reasonable option.

Would we use them for critical shipments? No.
After years of traveling, we’ve deliberately stopped using these services for anything our journey depends on – especially vehicle spare parts.

The reasons are simple:

Limited or no tracking
Little transparency
Unclear responsibilities
No global support network
Often no one clearly accountable if something goes wrong

Many travelers will tell you they’ve never had a problem. That’s great – and we genuinely hope it stays that way.
But we’ve learned that it’s not the successful shipments that matter – it’s how a company performs when something goes wrong.

For us, transparency, reliable tracking and clear responsibilities are worth paying for.

As the saying goes:

If you buy cheap, you may end up buying twice.

That’s exactly why we prefer DHL Express whenever the shipment is important enough, that a delay, loss or damaged parcel could jeopardize our travels.

One Final Thoughts

We know this probably sounds overwhelming.

Following all of these recommendations takes time, attention to detail and sometimes quite a bit of patience. It can even feel frustrating when all you want to do is simply get a package on its way.

But speaking from experience, every extra minute you invest before shipping can save you hours – or even days and weeks later. It can also save you money, unnecessary stress and countless emails or phone calls with customs or DHL.

We’ve learned many of these lessons the hard way. Sometimes it was simply a lack of experience. Other times, if we’re honest, we were just too lazy or rushed to double-check the details. More than once, we ended up paying the price and later asked ourselves why we hadn’t spent just ten more minutes preparing the shipment properly.

Better safe than sorry.

That’s probably the single best piece of advice we can give, after years of shipping parcels all over the world.

Good Luck
Cheers,
Totti & Fenny

Last and least: Check out our “DHL Express Shipping Tutorial – Step-by-Step Guide“

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

How fast is DHL Express?

SAUDI ARABIA – road guide

TiKay — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:04:21 +0000

Initially, this blog was meant to be an extension of our recently published TRAVELmap, but I quickly realised it is way more than that. So from now on, I will simply call it “blog”.

Welcome to our Saudi Arabia blog. Saudi Arabia is a country with a lot of culture and a long history. Since opening its doors to tourism in 2019, it has been inviting travellers from around the world to explore the country. For a long time, Saudi Arabia was a destination accessible to only a few, but in recent years, the country has changed a lot and is becoming more welcoming for tourists. With huge desert landscapes, modern cities, historical sites and a friendly population, Saudi Arabia offers many different experiences for visitors.
In this blog, I am sharing useful information, insider tips and stories from the road to give you a real idea of what travelling in modern Saudi Arabia is like.

In 2022/2023, we travelled through Saudi Arabia, covering around 15,000 kilometres within six months in our 4×4 Mercedes Sprinter 311. During this time, we crossed the Saudi Arabian border eight times, starting our main route in Oman and making our way up to Jordan, trying to explore as much as possible. During our first attempt, the temperatures reached 52°C, which made it hard to travel, according to our plans. Because of that, we decided to stay longer and restart the route, with a few changes this time around.

It was such a great ride through a country, that has been isolated from the world for so long, that I ended up putting together an extensive map, showing the most amazing places in this huge and beautiful country.

:: A Brief Introduction Into Saudi Arabia ::

Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the largest country in the Middle East, spanning over 2.15 million square kilometers and therefore is 2,5 times bigger than germany, for instance. With a population of approximately 34 million people, it boasts a diverse cultural and ethnic landscape, predominantly composed of Arab inhabitants. Islam is the official religion of the country, greatly influencing its culture and societal norms.

The historical significance of Saudi Arabia dates back thousands of years, with ancient civilizations such as the Nabateans and Lihyanites having flourished in the region. However, the Arabian Peninsula gained prominence in the 7th century as the birthplace of Islam, playing a pivotal role during the Islamic Golden Age.

Saudi Arabia operates as an absolute monarchy, governed by the House of Saud, with the monarch serving as the head of state. The country adheres to a conservative interpretation of Islamic law, shaping its political structure and legal system, which are founded on Sharia principles.

Renowned as one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of oil, Saudi Arabia plays a critical role in the global economy. The country possesses vast oil reserves, contributing significantly to its GDP. However, recognizing the need for economic diversification, Saudi Arabia has embarked on initiatives like Vision 2030, aimed at reducing its reliance on oil and fostering growth in sectors such as tourism, entertainment, and technology.

On the international stage, Saudi Arabia holds substantial influence due to its strategic location, economic prowess, and its status as the birthplace of Islam. It actively participates in regional and global affairs, maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders. It is a member of prominent organizations such as the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has embarked on a path of social reform, introducing measures to grant more rights to women, encouraging cultural activities and promoting tourism. These efforts are part of a broader modernization agenda, aimed at improving the country’s international reputation. However, Saudi Arabia continues to face scrutiny and criticism concerning issues related to human rights and freedom of expression.

:: People, Culture and Religion ::

Amongst others in many other countries, Saudi Arabians are some of the kindest and friendliest people, we ever met. They are interested, curious, peaceful and very, very welcoming.
They always offer their help, they like get photographed (not so much the women, but if you’re lucky, even women are lifting their Hijab and Niqab for you and a photo). Males are very open and always searching for a nice talk, but women are more shy to tourists and travelers. Once you smile at them, they come towards you and “bomb” you with questions (how cute😍).

Of course they’re muslims, but as most of them are from “sunni (sunna)”, they won’t try to “infiltrate” you. (Because it’s forbidden to them to convert people and they do not have any problem with christians, nor with atheists, but the last topic is always up to your own communication skills).

Their culture is pretty much “simple” nowadays, I would say. They like smells of perfume (don’t wonder, when they’re spraying you), hanging out in huge shopping malls, they go for camping (but not in that way, we are used to), they love the luxury and are using Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram a lot and: they might prey up to 8 times a day (whereas 5 times is mandatory). In the summer you won’t see so much while the daytime, as they affectionately call themselves “Vampires” ;).
Once the sun goes down, they’re flooding the beaches, streets, cities and markets. But there’s so much more to say about these “Saudis”, that I would suggest you find it out by yourself 😁.

Saudi Arabian food is tasty, but very monotonous for our personal taste: Kabsa and Sayadieh:
The first one is chicken with rice, the other one fish and rice. They eat it 3 times a day, at least this is, what Saudis often told us. Of course they got a few more dishes, but that’s it, basically.

The restaurants are nice so far and here you will get different dishes. All of them have been very tasty, but also very expensive. Not an option for everyday life.

If you wanna see more of the authentic life of the Saudi Arabian people, visit the gallery of our travel buddy Robert Klinger.

:: Dress Code ::

Saudi Arabia has a conservative dress code influenced by Islamic traditions and cultural norms. The dress code for both men and women in Saudi Arabia is modest and conservative.
In general one can say, that men are wearing a long white robe called a “thobe” or “dishdasha”, which is often worn with a headdress called “ghutra”, “keffiyeh” or “shemagh”, whereas women are required to cover their bodies in loose-fitting, modest clothing. The traditional Saudi female dress is called “abaya”, a black cloak that covers the entire body, sometimes accompanied by a “hijab” and/or a or face veil, called “niqab” .
Foreigners visiting or living in Saudi Arabia are expected to respect the local customs and adhere to the modest dress code.

But things changed a bit in Saudi Arabia, as Mohammed Bin Salman also changed the laws regarding the mandatory abaya for women.
Now they can choose if they wanna wear the abaya or not and you will see lots of women – especially in Jeddah – who often wearing western clothes and women who are showing a lot of skin and hair.

Nobody really cares, what foreigners are wearing. I for myself often worn shorts and Fenny prefered T-Shirts with short arms where of course a lot of skin has been visible. We never ever ran into any trouble or had conversations about our dress code, but we also saw women with hot pants or mini-skirts. We personally would avoid that though.

That said, you do not have to wear an abaya as a female foreigner, nor you really have to cover all your skin or your hair. This is western thinking and obsolete. There’s also no such thing like “cultural appropriation”. If you wanna wear an abaya or a dishdasha, just do so and Saudi people will really appreciate.

This all does not apply, when visiting mosques. Here’s a strong dress code and you will be asked as a man to wear long wide trousers, whereas for women an abaya and hijab is mandatory.

Sometimes it might happen, that you will be invited for dinner and people are asking you – as a woman – to wear an abaya. It’s up to you, if you accept or deny. We only have been asked once and we denied, because it was just way too hot.

If you respectfully tell your hosts, that it isn’t part of your culture, as well as there isn’t any law about it in the KSA, most people will understand and tolerate. But we just had it one time. So: nobrainer.

Just one thing for the “beach day”: If you’ll find a beach, you barely will see muslims swimming. We never saw them in the KSA. If you wanna swim, do so, but expect a lot of views from local men.
In a bikini or in a swimsuite you are basically nearly completely naked for them. I would advise to don’t do that. We also find it extremely offensive to the Saudi Arabian women.

:: Currency and Money ::

They are using “Saudi Rials (SAR)”. 1 Rial is 0,24€cents.
In every bigger city you’ll find dozens of ATM’s. Tiny buildings as a self-service machine, directly at the road side. Some ATM’s are only in arabic, which makes it pretty difficult to get your coins.
We highly recommend RAJHI ATMs, when these machines are directly located at a bank, because we didn’t pay any fees here and also, because the machine might suck your credit-cards.

The price ranges are a bit higher and sometimes so high, that you can’t believe your eyes. We found it more expensive than in germany for instance. On the other side the Diesel price is the second lowest on the planet: r.a. 16€cents per liter. Only Iran is cheaper (yes, a 16th of one liter in the KSA… you read it right🤷‍♀️)

:: Traffic, Fuel, Workshops, Spare-Parts::

I need to say, that Saudis are – amongst maybe Indians – are the worst drivers on the planet. They just drive like crazy, insane and without any common sense… and they do not care about foreigners (they’re like “Dr. Jekyll und Mister Hyde“, when sitting behind a stearing wheel).
Be very, very carefull while driving in cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, Mekka, Medina, Hail and other bigger ones. No, be careful everywhere🤷‍♀️.

That brings us to another very annyoing point: Speed-bumbs, humps and rattle lines. Saudi Arabia has thousands of them, spread over the whole country. Sometimes it happens, that you pass a sign which says “100 kmh” and 50m further you’ll jump over one of these insane speed-bumps, which can be very tall. You might brake your car.

Spoken about the cars:
Once you enter the country, you will see thousands over thousands of kinda new cars, which are heavily broken. Saudi Arabia’s traffic fatalities are the highest on planet earth. Be very careful!

I really cannot give tipps how to drive, because it just doesn’t matter, if you are very slow, very fast or just doing nothing. They might get you, that’s just it🤷‍♀️.

I guess in the KSA are as much gas stations as in Turkey for instance and mostly you’ll find Diesel everywhere, even though it can be, that you may need to wait for some hours to get some fuel (mostly in the north east). The Diesel is very cheap and quality wise OK so far.
That means it might not be Euro-Diesel (maybe Euro 1 or 2?), but we never had any problems, nor did it emit a strong odor from the exhaust (which is an indication of poor quality). However, be cautious with any Diesel Heater. This one might get clogged. Fortunately, you won’t need it most of the time.

Talking about workshops, I need to say, that the standard is way beyond (!) the european one. Be prepared, very careful and never let your car alone.
Mechanics won’t understand the purpose of our car. They’ll just fix it for the next few hundreds of kilometers until it will break again. I could write books about it. Just sayin’😉

Driven cars in Saudi Arabia are Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai and some chinese brands. If you drive anything else: bring-your-spare-parts! If they need to order, it costs a kidney and takes months probably (we paid a lot and waited 2 months for ours).
They always will tell you, that they will find any spare-part here, but they definitely won’t. Don’t waste your time here🤷‍♀️.
If you drive a Sprinter for instance, I need to say, they do not have even one single piece for that car, but if you drive a Hilux, it’ll be heaven on earth for you. At Mercedes we should have waited 6 weeks for the parts to arrive. Do not even count on your luck, just saying 😉

Here you can read our (german) Facebook-article about our experiences, as well as a list of spare-parts, which you could/should bring, when traveling through the arabian peninsula.

:: International Shipping TIP::

If you need to ship your parts or anything else from another country to Saudi Arabia, I highly recommend avoiding Saudi Post. Despite being the national postal service of Saudi Arabia, it simply doesn’t work well. Their service is not just chaotic, but also unreliable. There have been several instances where we really had big problems receiving our packages.

There are multiple options available, but DHL Express stands out as the best among them. Yes, it is more expensive, and we have tried all three of their services (standard, priority, and express). With DHL Express, you can be confident that your package will arrive in Saudi Arabia after 5-7 days. However, the same cannot be said for DHL’s standard and premium/priority services, as they work in conjunction with Saudi Post (it costed us 21 and 27 days and the items always have been stuck at the customs). DHL Express directly ships to a connected DHL Express Service Station or Hub, and the shipment tracking works flawlessly until the end.

Fortunately, there is a reliable service available in Saudi Arabia called “Collect and Ship.” It is a package forwarding service, and we have used it several times without any issues.

Here’s how it works:

Create a free account with Collect and Ship.
You will receive a virtual address, which serves as the packing center of Collect and Ship. Additionally, you will receive an ID that must always be included in your address when ordering parts.
Once you place an order, Collect and Ship will receive the package. After a few days, you will find it in your account. They will take photos of the parts you ordered, and if you have multiple packages, they will repack them free of charge. Once your orders are consolidated and complete, you provide your physical address, and Collect and Ship will deliver your package anywhere in the country. This means you don’t have to wait for an extended period. You also can submit GPS-coordinates to a parking lot or a park or whatever, but we always chose a DHL Hub.

You will make the payment after that, which is very affordable compared to German prices.

Here’s an example:
We ordered spare parts from Germany, Aliexpress, and Amazon. All these items were sent to Collect and Ship. They repackaged everything, took photographs, and sent it to the nearest DHL station in Tabuk (we were in Jeddah at that time). A few days after our arrival in Tabuk, the package arrived without any hassle at the DHL Hub.

With Collect and Ship, you can ensure a reliable and hassle-free package forwarding experience in Saudi Arabia.

Just to clarify, we recommend the service mentioned above, but we are not affiliated with them in any way. We have provided this recommendation based on our own positive experiences and do not receive any payment for making this recommendation.

:: Security, Military and Police ::

First of all, they got lots of it – Security and Police.
Saudi Arabia is the best example for nearly 100% Security. The only issues they have, are some prostitution and drug-things, but overall a policeman has “nothing big to do” (we spoke to a lot of them). The police and military is all around, not as much as in Iraq, but you’ll notice them everywhere.
They are very kind and friendly and the police isn’t allowed to seize tourists or travelers (as they’re “sent by Allah”, something like that).
Of course this only applies, as long as you’re not doing something really bad.
They offer their help all the way, but might ask you also for your passports. Some travelers reported us, that they were followed by the undercover police for a couple of days. We found that very strange, as we never ever had any issue with them. We like them, nothing else.

Just to mention it in two sentences:
There’s no such thing as “morality police” anymore. At least not in the former constellation and their job is anything else. So do not be worried!!!

The KSA is so safe, that we always – also in the night – have been sleeping with wide opened slide doors and windows of our Sprinter. Even though there were lots of laptops, photographic equipment and all the other stuff with lots of value laying around. They rather would prefer to chop their hands, instead of robbing you.
On the one hand they just don’t need our stuff and on the other, they got quite archaic laws, especially when it’s about travelers and/or stealing.

You can feel 100% safe… and… we’re still alive

:: Visa, Border Crossing – Car and Passenger Registration ::

In short #1: nobrainer.
In short #2: NO Carnet De Passage (and if you have one: DO NOT USE IT PLEASE and care about other overlanders, who haven’t one)

The Visa you will get easily here: VisitSaudi
Costs: 500 Rial (incl. health insurance), approx. 122€ per person.

With a tourist (multi entry) Visa you are eligible to stay in the KSA for 90 days within 180 days.
In this time you can cross the border as often as you like. The Visa is NOT extendable tough!

The Saudi Arabian borders are one of the easiest and friendliest, we’ve been passing up to now.
Car Customs -> Passenger Registration -> Insurance -> Finished.

We crossed all the borders in the KSA from Kuwait, Jordan, Emirates, Bahrain and Oman 8 times and we never had any issue, nor it took a long time. Mostly our crossing took between 45-50 minutes.

:: Mobile Providers, WiFi, Internet ::

Zain, STC and Mobily are the main providers for SIM-cards and it mostly takes ages to finally get the contract.
STC works very well and has the best price-performance ratio. It’s expensive to get a good amount of data, but all of these solutions are working more or less good, even in the deserts. We didn’t have any bigger problems.

WiFi / WLan isn’t really present like in other countries, but of course cafes and restaurants will provide you with that. Here and there, they got these WifI-Pillars at the beach, but they barely work and maybe you don’t wanna spend your precious time at the beaches all the time.

:: Water And Gas Situation ::

Finding water is a nobrainer in the KSA.
We mostly got it from mosques or gas stations. Nobody will charge you for that, but if there are any persons, just ask proforma (nobody will deny). When driving in more remote areas you might see big white water-tanks in the middle of nowhere. At first we were in doubt, but their water is chrystal clear, tastes very well and at a certain point we thought, that it might be for people, who are coming along the road, as animals are using different water sources.
Mostly you’ll find a tap or a hose and we would say that you can drink the water without hesitation.
(Nevertheless a filter might be a good idea anyway)

If you’re uncertain about this type of water, of couse you can buy it anywhere, but we think, it’s not necessary, as we never had any issues (I am a bit more sensitive to food and water).

Cooking Gas is a different story though, as they have their own filling system.
That said, you won’t find any station, that can fill up your gas bottles from outer country.
In Bahrain we bought a common 3 KG gas cylinder (approx. 35€), which can be filled anywhere on the arabian peninsula for just a few bucks (between 1,80€ – 3€).

The separate bottle also had one big advantage. We used it outside of the van, mainly in the front of the Sprinter. Imagine cooking inside the housing, when it has 50°C outside. The inside would have gotten even hotter.

:: Saudi Arabian Attractions ::

In short: You might get disappointed here and there.
Some attractions are simply closed, due to renovation for the upcoming tourism and it could be, that you’ve driven hundreds of kilometers, just for standing in front of a closed entry🤷‍♀️.
Other attractions are only attractions for Saudis. Their way of life and entertaining is quite different. They might love hanging around in “family parks” and “entertainment parks”. They got lots of it.
It’s up to you. We didn’t visit even one.
On the other hand, they got lovely mosques, monuments and historical sites, which are worth a visit. Just check the map.

:: Saudi Arabian Landscapes ::

It depends on your favours, but we loved them all. From the Rub al Khali over Najran, by Al Abha up to the north of Tabuk and Al Ula. Breathtaking. There is so much more to see in Saudi Arabia and this map is just a fraction (even though it contains the most stunning points) and you could spend years in this country.

:: Wild Camping Freedom ::

In the KSA you can park and stay nearly everywhere. Nobody cares… really.
If you wanna camp in the middle of Jeddah – just do so. You prefer the desert – got for it.
It is common for Arabs to be present almost everywhere in Saudi Arabia. It is their land and they utilize it for their comfort. Even if you might think, that it’s not a good idea to camp here and there: as long as there is no fence, just do whatever you wanna do.

Unfortunately, the freedom I mentioned earlier does not apply to the beaches.
Staying there can result in a fine, as camping is not allowed on any (!) beach. The required distance for campers is 500 meters, or you can choose to stay at some of the beach parks (which is possible, of course), but you will likely find that it’s not to your liking. We drove along most of the coastlines and were always asked to leave😕
The police and military might say: “It’s for your safety”, but we do not know the real reason.

:: Do you need a 4×4? ::

Short answer: No!
I’d say, that you can conquer any country with just any car, no matter what size, what power, what drive-train, but a 4×4 will help in certain or uncertain situations and that’s the reason, why we always would choose a 4×4. Additionally it brings you to places, where even locals cannot go with their Sedan.

You might be stunned, when you’d see, with what kind of cars the locals are trying to reach their targets, but at the same time, they always have failures, they always get stuck and they always are in more or less trouble. But: they are chilled about that😉

Especially in the deserts, a 4×4 is essential and you will get stuck with a 4×2 in no time, no matter what. It’s just a question of time and you find yourself in a situation, where you’ll need to dig out your car. And then imagine, it’s 50°C outside.

So having a 4×4 will safe you from stress, from time and it will save your money, but as I said:
As long as you’re not traveling too much off the road, a standard car will also do a great job and you might see lots of interesting attractions.

:: Tips for Desert rides? ::

Sure. You do not need a super fancy Offroad-Vehicle, but if you keep these steps in mind, it’ll give you a good time in the deserts.

Most crucial – and for us it’s the “swiss-knife” is: deflating the tyres.
Depending on your car, you might deflate down to 0,8 to 0.5bars, which sounds a lot and some drivers might think, that the tyre will come off the rim and yes… that can happen, but you can avoid it, by carefully driving.

Let’s explain our strategy:
Our Sprinter is a manual 4×4 with diff-locks and it weighs approx. 3.5T.
When we drive into the desert, we don’t use the 4×4 initially. At a certain point we get stuck, obviously.
Then I turn on the 4×4 and we can drive further, but we get stuck again. Then we deflate our tyres down to 1,5 bar (3,8 bar is our generic pressure). Deflating helps a lot and we do not need the diff-locks (I always try to do not use them). If we get stuck again, I deflate further down to 1 bar, then to 0,8 bar, which is the lowest at this stage. With these settings we are able to drive most of the deserts, up to a certain extent. When it is getting too steep, we must give up. Even a diff lock wouldn’t help (but later I’ll come back to this one).

If we get stuck with 4×4 and 0.8bar, I’ll use the diff locks. This will help in 60% of the cases.
If it doesn’t help, I’ll need to drive backwards, searching for another route. If it works, it works, if not, then I’ll search for another trail. After 3 tries we always give up and drive back.

Power
What we do not like, is the less power of our Sprinter. 109 HP, 220nm isn’t much.
But it’s a big advantage in the desert, because: we can not dig ourselves in. It’s impossible.
When the Sprinter gets stuck, the engine shuts down more or less immediately. If I start it again, it doesn’t provide enough power to spin the wheels, which prevents the Sprinter from digging itself into the sand and this is super great.

So once the car is really stuck, the only way is the way back – and this works in 95% of all cases. If it doesn’t work, I’ll deflate the tyres down to 0,5%. And this – in combination with some digging – is the last stage as sandboards aren’t any solution for us (even though we have them). I’ll take my spade, dig a little bit and I’m done, but taking off the sandboards is way too much work and in some cases I’m really too lazy. I do not need to get into any desert, just for the sake of being able to say, that I was there🤷‍♀️.

Be carefull!
I advise to not take the Arabian deserts lightly. Of course it seems to be a playground for desert-and offroad enthusiats, but lots of people also died there. Many arabs warned us to never ever go alone and that the desert might come with lots of quicksands, especially the Rub Al Khali (which is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world).
Always take enough water and food and beware of scorpions and snakes. A UV-light helps to see the scorpions at night. If you wanna go alone – and I repeat myself, to don’t do it – give your last coordinates to friends and tell them, in which perimeter or circumference you plan to travel.

Dune-Bashing
I know it makes a lot of fun, but it also can crash your car. Try to read the sand and try to read the shape and expansion of the dunes. Some sands are really soft and even with the strongest 4×4 you’ll be lost, some of these sands are harder and probably could be driven with a standard car. But the devil is always in the details, so the sand can have a strong surface which holds you, but once you reach it with your car, you immediately stuck.

We didn’t do any dune bashing with our Sprinter, but we did it a lot in Morocco with our Jeep Wrangler. It makes fun but must be mastered!

:: Drone Flying ::

Well, this is a topic that is often discussed and I must admit that many places are best appreciated for their holy beauty when seen from above. That’s why I always find it worth taking the risk of using a drone.
In general I can say, that it is not always forbidden to fly in the most of the countries, but of course you’ll need to do some research for every single one.
For Saudi Arabia I wanted to register the drone officially (DJI Mavic 2 Pro). I found a website and wrote them an email. I never got any response, as I barely got any email-response from any Arab. They do not seem to like email, even though I wrote them in arabic. (ChatGPT did a great job on that 😉 )

If you cannot register your drone, you are not allowed to fly. That’s just it🤷‍♀️.
But as I have been flying in more than 50 countries – even without a registration – I’ll go on with that. If you’ll be aware of where you are flying, I wouldn’t make a mind, because nobody would say anything, when you’re using your bird in the middle of the Rub al Khali, where there’s just nothing.

As long as you do not photograph or film any official building and as long as you’re not flying inside cities, you’ll be fine, I would say. That means on the other side, that your lovely movies never will contain any kind of public life on the beaches, in the cities or at any viewpoints, when there are lots of people. I do not care, I just don’t wanna run into trouble and in this case, I only fly, when there are no or very less people around and I never fly inside a city or a village. I always try to keep a distance of a few kilometers and rather prefer to zoom in later on, if I’m too far away from what I wanted to film.

:: Drone importing, when coming by land borders ::

Since 13 years I’m using drones now and the biggest one has been a DJI Phantom.
I took it in my flight baggage or I brought it through the borders and I never ever had any single issue.
I do NOT lie, when they ask me for a drone, nor I hide it obviously, but I found my communication-ways to distract them from asking further and I got my places to store it, so that nobody ever could say, that I “smuggle” or hide it on purpose.

That said, it is just up to you, your self-consciousness and your communication skills, how you deal with that topic. If you are uncertain, just leave it at home, because you need to know, that if they catch you in a very bad moment, you might get arrested and the drone might get confiscated. Like in Iran, you also might get arrested for a couple of years!
We had it in Jordan and Armenia, that I got caught and in Jordan, they wanted to arrest me and wanted to confiscate our drone. Most important is here: stay calm, never ever get aggressive, be very friendly and try to catch them by emotions.
Do not exaggerate, but explain them in a very pragmatic way, what your purpose is, that you want to support their country, show them your movies, offer them a coffee and have a nice chat. For us it worked all the time. Alhamdulillah

What worked for us, doesn’t need to work for others!
Always import and use your drone at YOUR VERY OWN RISK!

:: LGBTIQ+ ::

I never would have imagined, that I would talk about it, because I just do not care, what people are doing, how they are living and what they are. People are people. Everything’s fine here.

Not so in other countries but: do NOT despair!
It is nor a secret, neither a mystery, that this topic is a tabu in a lot of our 192 countries. Live with that!

But there’s always a “but”: Never, ever be so stupid to believe in western media. Do NOT do that!
People won’t be killed in Saudi Arabia (Sharia-blabla) just for being gay, trans or whatever.

We met (forgive me the term) an “obviously-super-gay-couple” in Ryiadh (more conservative) and I was shocked, that their appearance have been that – let’s call it – straight to the point.

One of them made me an offer:
“I really would like to marry you” (and hugged me in the middle of the city-center).
I asked them: “You guys are cute, but it seems, that you are gay, r8?”
“Yes… is it visible?”, they smiled.
“And you don’t get in any trouble?”
“No, as long as we’re not kissing in public, everything is fine.”
“OK, you really never had any issues?”
“No, why we should? Homosexuality is spread all over the world. People here are not talking about it, but it’s existent. That’s just it.”

Look, how easy it can be! Be what you are, but of course, be with a bit of caution.
That means: Do NOT be woke. At first: it’s not your right, to teach people and at a certain point, you might run in bigger trouble. Secondly: They never will understand!
But when I talk about “teaching”, it doesn’t necessarily mean, that you shouldn’t try to make them understand. Sometimes it works, as I tried it a few times!

They do not care about any so called “wokeness” and they do not wait for their enlightment given by you, but they might tolerate and might show respect – also here: it’s just up to your communication-skill.

Do not speak about politics if you don’t know how and don’t get aggressive, when they’re digging bad ol’ Adolf, do not try to convince them of any ways of living and mind-sets of western people. In this case, they are NOT interested at all. Keep in mind, that Saudi Arabia runs through a big transformation, as Mohammad Bin Salman (crown prince and absolute ruler of the KSA) changed a lot (to what we call “to the better”).
They at first need to get used to their new rules, apart from the fact, that Saudi Arabia was nearly completely isolated from the rest of the world until 2019. Just give them time. Rome also wasn’t built in 3 days!
It’s on a very good way – thanks to MBS – but it is still a very conservative country.

:: Saudi Arabia In The Summer – Not A Good Idea ::

You might think, that 32°C are hot. And you are right. I never could have imagined staying in a country like Saudi Arabia, where temperatures easily exceeding 40°C in no time.
But this is what happend and this is what happens every single summer.
Due to our Visa-Schedules we hadn’t any other chance to try to get used to it or to leave the country immediately. We decided to stay… and we made it.
Our hottest temperature has been 52°C so far and we stood for 6 months in this unbelievable heat, in conjunction with many sand storms. When I say storms, I mean storms, because the KSA has lots of “Sandstorm Areas“.
Fortunately, nothing bad happened to us or our car. However, our friends sent us pictures from within a storm, and this beast shattered two windows of their Landy. They just broke, apart from the fact, that it destroyed the brand new varnish of the car.

Not even we had to suffer. A friend called us from Ryiadh and told us, that his iPhone cable just melted. A few days later, nearly every single battery from our cameras, drones and powerbanks started to blow up.
10 batteries got completely unusable. 3 batteries from the DJI drone, 3 smartphone and one tablet battery, 2 new goPro batteries, as well as a huge powerbank (for starting the car) just gave up.
On top of that our charging booster melted as well. It just melted without melting the fuse itself.
That was a desaster and I didn’t count the dozens of plastic gadgets, which melted or broke. My NIKE Sunglasses (with visual acuity), dozens of knobs, hinges, handles etcpp.

After a couple of weeks, my skin started to change. It more and more felt like an orange and I felt sick more often. I was sweating 24 hours a day and I spent more time on cooling myself down, than enjoying the country.
But hey… we found ways to deal with that. Batteries and smartphones have been placed in the fridge, we bought additional fans and we used the evaporative cooling effect, by wetting towels completely and using them as a shield for preventing overheating ourselves. It worked and we got adapted the sooner or later.

Tip: What definitely does not work, is just hanging a wet towel anywhere. You always will need an airflow, generated by wind or by a fan. If you’re using a wet towel for your body, you immediately feel, how cold it gets and in many situations I needed to take the towel away, because it was getting too cold. No joke!

That said, nothing is impossible, it’s just the will, but nevertheless we highly recommend not to come to Saudi Arabia in the summer. We would say that November to March is a quite nice time to fully enjoy the country. Everything else borders on masochism, naivety… or: lack of time.

:: Things to take into consideration ::

Of course not everything in the KSA is shining bright and Saudis won’t like, when I’m talking about it.

Saudi Arabia has unbelievable amounts of trash. “Every-single-fucking-where”😭.
You might get shocked, others might leave the country immediately. We can’t find words for their behaviour, when it’s up to clean up their camps or picknick-sites. They just throw their trash everywhere.
Please: DO NOT judge it. Just be the audience, but do NOT tell them to take their trash. That is presumptuous and arrogant.
After such a long time in this country, we got used to all this tons over tons of trash. At a certain point we even didn’t see it anymore. This belongs to all the arabian countries and there’s no exception. After having vistited 74 countries, this one is the second most trashed country so far.

Where there is a lot of trash, there may be a strong odor, but there are certainly a lot of mosquitoes and horseflies. I’m not sure if “horseflies” is the right translation, but in Germany, they are called “Wadenbeißer,” and these insects are extremely annoying.

While Ramadan and/or Hajj (Haddsch) and in the very, very hot summer, lots of localities are closed and might only open at night (I bought my new laptop at 2am at X-Cite). In this case you’ll need to prepare yourself and you may find it annyoing to buy stuff, because either the shop is closed until the night or they close it for praying or it is closed because it’s too hot or it’s closed because they just don’t wanna open it🤷‍♀️.

They barely have forests or greenery and you might miss green gras… because here it’s often artificial one. They do not have any bigger trees – or lets say “less”, nor you really find any shadow, when it starts to burn. It’s a desert country, and that’s what you have to be prepared for. But that’s also why you choose to come to a country like this, right?

When it starts to get really hot, you might search for shadow, but maybe you won’t find any.
Either you start to visit the malls, but then you’ll need winter clothes, because temps are going down to 16°C, or you’re equipped with an air-condition or – like we – you decide to survive. We never went into hotels or any other accomodation, as it is against our philosophy. OK, we have an air-condition, but not in our living space, rather than in front of the car.

Political Situation
Even though I don’t wanna talk too much about it, you need to know, where you are.
Saudi Arabia is ruled by an “absolute ruler”. We might call it “Dictactorship”.
The rules and laws are strong and talking bad about the Kings-Family might bring you in lots of trouble and I highly guess, your phone will be spied (you always will get messages by the former “morality police”, asking you to bring any kind of “bad words against the Kings-Family” to attention).

We never made any bad experience and Saudi Arabia seems to be very stable, but of course they still suffer from terroristic attacks. That said, stay away from any demonstration or bulks of shouting and complaining people. You never know, what can happen.

Many people are still very conservative. They won’t tell you, but you’ll get it the sooner or later, once you’re talking to them. In this case, be a bit more carefull.

:: Do’s and Don’ts ::

I won’t enumerate every single “do that” or “don’t do that”, as I highly count on “common sense”, but here are some things you’ll need to keep in mind.

The “Do’s”

. Camp wherever you want, but not on the beaches (it might work, but mostly not).
. Wear whatever you want, as long as it’s not too “eye catching”.
. Don’t be shy, wear their dresses, if you like. They love it.
. Take the things, Saudis might give you. They appreciate it.
. Take invitations of course, but listen, how often they ask.
. Make political conversations, why not, but keep in mind: You are being listened to 😉
. If the police might be too “enthusiastic”: Show them their limits, but be careful.
. Of course you can deny to do “this” or “that”: Tell them, that it’s not your culture.
. You can visit Medina. It’s allowed now, but keep in mind: they are very conservative.
. Learn just some arabic words. They love it and you’ll get new friends immediately.
. Of course ask them to take off their shoes, when coming inside your mobile home.
. Be somewhat cautious when coming from the LGBTIQ community, but do not hesitate to come here.
. As a woman: If men are getting “too close”, show and tell them their limits immediately!
. Live your life and live your dream.

The “Don’ts”
. Avoid camping on beaches and keep a distance of 500m to the coast.
. As a couple do not kiss or hug in public. Keeping hands could work, I dunno.
. Do not give hands to women, nor touch them. They’ll come to you, if they want.
. Do not wear super tight “disco”- dresses.
. Don’t go for a swim in a bikini or a swimsuite.
. Never ever go to Mekkah, do not even try. A friend got arrested for one day.
. Never ever be rude, disrespecteful or offending.
. Never ever talk bad about the islam, muslims and the government.
. Never ever insist on rights you might do not have (“it’s my place, I was here before”).
. Do not even try to be too woke and don’t tell them to take their trash for instance.
. Do not take their trash instead. Leave it where it is. It’s a lot wasted energy.
. Better do not try to teach them. Their history is rich and they survived without western ideologies.
. Do not smoke or eat in front of locals, while Ramadan.
. Do not try to invite them for dinner: they never will accept😉

:: Last and least ::

There are three ways to travel in Saudi Arabia.
· The “touristic” way: Chilling at the beaches, sleeping in hotels, doing some sight-seeings and having a good time.

· The “travelers” way: Listening, learning, experiencing and conquering the country as much as possible.

· The “empathic” way: Feel, what they feel, try to be them, try to understand their way of living and be as tolerant and empathic as possible and do not judge.

You might not understand everything and nobody will judge you for that. But showing empathy will bring you much more forward and at a certain point, you might even understand the “Philosophy of the Sharia” (which is NOT as bad, as it seems).

To us they said: “Saudi Arabia is your country” or “You are real Kuwaitis” (getting goose-bumps, while remembering).

Do yourself and your mindset a big favour, take all the knowledge (or the most) you got from western media and just put it here: To Trash!

It’s not only the landscapes and nature, what makes Saudi Arabia so special and sometimes you’ll get disappointed, but there’s so much more which doesn’t meet the eye and that will enlighten you to an extent you never would have believed.
This is, what we did. Never ever we have been in so much contact to locals. We met thousands of people and spoke to hundreds of them. We spoke about the “Holy Quran“, the muslim way of thinking, their traditions, about politics and about what is good and what is bad. We learned so much from them and I hope, they learned from us as well.

Saudi Arabia is different, it’s special, it’s interesting and mind blowing and at a certain point you’ll forget, what makes this country also so “bad”.

Yours, Totti from TRAVELcandies On Tour

(All that being said, this article is 100% based on our own personal experiences. We did not rely on media sources to gather this information, although there may be some links provided that can further support our claims. If that is the case, we can confirm their validity)

:: Finally here’s our Saudi Arabia Map::
(click upper right corner to expand and jump to Google)

· Free to use, share and embed
· Approx. 500 POis altogether
· 250 Attractions (most with images and description)
· Overnight Places
· Logistic POI’s like gas stations, water sources, etc.
· Our recorded driven route (~ 15.000 km)
· Route recommendation (7500 km)
· Different categories and recognizable icons

The post SAUDI ARABIA – road guide appeared first on TRAVELcandies-On-Tour.

Travelcandies on Tour Archives - TRAVELcandies-On-Tour

DHL Express Shipping Tutorial: Step-by-Step Guide

DHL Express Shipping Tutorial – Step-by-Step Guide

In This Tutorial

DHL Express Shipping Tutorial

Step 1: Sender & Receiver

Passport

EORI Number

Private Use

Step 2: Shipment Details

Purpose of Shipment

Describe Each Item

Shipment Summary

Invoice Value

Master Reference Number (MRN)

Shipment Protection

Step 3: Add Your First Item

Step 4: Item Description – Let AI Do the Work

Step 5: Find the Correct Commodity Code

Step 6: Select the Correct Unit

Value

Weight

Step 7: Customs Invoice Details

Create Invoice

Additional Invoice Information (Remarks)

Declaration Statements

Additional Parties

Additional Customs Documents

Step 8: Package Size and Weight

Step 9: Payment and Delivery Options

Duties and Taxes

Incoterms

Step 10: Review the Price and Delivery Time

Step 11: Print Your Shipping Documents

Waybill

Commercial or Proforma Invoice

Customs Invoice

Transport Label

Shipment Receipt

One Last Recommendation

A Few Final Words

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

The Ultimate DHL Express Shipping Guide: Everything You Need to Know

The Ultimate DHL Express Shipping Guide: Everything You Need to Know

In This Article

Why DHL Express?

DHL Express is the one-eyed king among the blind.

What Is DHL Express?

DHL Express vs. DHL Premium vs. Standard Shipping

How Much Does DHL Express Cost?

Customs and Import Duties

Required Documents

Waybill (WaybillDoc)

Transport Label

Commercial Invoice

Shipment Receipt

DHL Express Tracking Explained

Tip

Common DHL Express Problems

Customs Requests Additional Documents

Shipment Stuck in Transit

Recipient Cannot Be Reached

Incorrect or Incomplete Address

Shipment Reported as Damaged

Practical Tips We Highly Recommend

1. Create your shipment online

2. Don’t use your smartphone

3. Be extremely precise

4. Use your own name first

5. Avoid hotels and campsites whenever possible

6. Stay inside the DHL network

7. Include documents twice

8. Make it obvious it’s for private use

9. Optimise package size and weight

10. Don’t ship unnecessary items

11. Keep the number of different items low

12. Pack professionally

13. Use English only

14. Keep every document

15. Photograph everything