Inside Saudi Arabia

We toured every compound in Riyadh, so you don't have to.
In this Inside Saudi episode, Carly and Vesna give an honest review of the best compounds in Riyadh, from Flow Granada to Palma 2, Vives, Wadi Qortuba, Al Nakhla and more, then answer your questions in a full Q&A.
If you are moving to Saudi Arabia or living in Riyadh, this is your guide to compound life: what it really costs, the Ejar rent freeze that can save you money, the best dog friendly compounds, how to actually make friends as an expat, nanny agencies and a scary nanny story, after school routines, nursery versus school, and more.
Inside Saudi is the English language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, hosted by Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic in Riyadh. New episodes every Monday.
with @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx
FOLLOW
Inside Saudi: instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia
Carly: instagram.com/caroverman
Vesna: instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx
CHAPTERS
0:00  Teaser
0:57  The bed episode, why we're recording here
1:52  Why we did a full compound tour
3:22  The Q&A questions we're answering
4:19  How Carly picked her compound online
5:02  Honest review of Flow Granada
6:55  What Flow is missing (kids and dogs)
7:46  The community at Flow
8:16  Touring the Azura compounds
9:14  Palma 2, the Bali villa compound
10:42  Carawan, the new luxe one
12:04  Hidden, a great location
13:46  Lamara, they listen to residents
15:11  Kaft, for work focused execs
16:07  Vives, renovating villas for residents
19:52  Al Nakhla and its 20 pools
20:30  Antara, the resort style pool
21:03  Renovate your own villa for 110k
23:06  Wadi Qattuba, green and walkable
24:37  The Ejar rent freeze hack
25:38  Honorable mentions (Arizona, Sedra)
27:53  The best dog friendly compounds
28:49  Compound hunt update
29:17  Why community is everything in Saudi
32:20  You pay a premium for compound life
33:15  Getting your UK house on Airbnb
33:39  Getting a job in Saudi
34:37  Travel plans, the Commonwealth tour
35:16  Nanny agencies and a scary story
37:33  After school routine with the kids
40:03  Nursery versus school
41:47  Is summer in Saudi humid?
42:28  Vesna's 40th and what's next

This one is bittersweet. It is our goodbye episode.
Carly and Vesna are back from summer and packing up their studio for the very last time. In this catch up they get into everything that went down over the break, the good, the dramatic, and the completely ridiculous.
From the nanny who left the baby home alone and then did a runner, to a 300 year old house falling apart, kids catching 12 fish spearfishing in Greece, dogs that look like they got run over, and the honest truth about why they are outgrowing their Riyadh compound. Grateful for the last year and everything that came with it and ready for the next chapter. Plus a big tease about what is coming next.
Inside Saudi is the English language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, hosted by Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic in Riyadh. New episodes every Monday.
with @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx
FOLLOW
Inside Saudi: instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia
Carly: instagram.com/caroverman
Vesna: instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx
CHAPTERS
0:00  Teaser
0:56  It's our goodbye episode
1:33  Why this is a new beginning
2:26  All good things come to an end
2:38  Coming back for year two, a different feeling
4:16  Carly's news: two months left, gave her notice
5:03  From a hobby to a real business
5:29  Carly's UK summer and the 300 year old house
7:04  The nanny who wore ball gowns
8:12  The nanny drama begins
9:14  She left the baby home alone
9:58  The nanny did a runner
10:44  Finding the new all rounder nanny
12:33  The dogs look like they got run over
13:25  The last day in the studio
13:49  Vesna's summer in Greece
16:39  The kids caught 12 fish
18:36  Setting up the apartment from scratch
20:07  Gyros and the Canadian accent
20:30  A summer of roaming free
22:44  Why we need outdoor space
24:29  Renting in Riyadh is insane
25:43  Outgrowing where we landed
28:54  Kids, dogs and needing more space
30:18  From a hobby to where we are now
31:09  What's next, a fan favorite guest
31:44  Signing off

This might be the most important conversation we have had on Inside Saudi.
We sit down with Sajid Khan, a child safeguarding and education expert who moved from Birmingham to Riyadh at 24 and has spent over a decade protecting children in schools across the Kingdom. We get into what safeguarding really means, why Saudi can feel safer than the UK, the neglect cases that changed how he sees parenting, how AI is creating a whole new risk for kids, why the teacher matters more than the school, and the exact questions every parent should ask before choosing one.
Whether you are raising kids in Saudi, moving here soon, or you just care about keeping children safe, this episode is essential listening.
Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, hosted by Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic in Riyadh.
New episodes every Monday. with @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx, featuring @sajidkhanfcct
FOLLOW
Inside Saudi: instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia
Carly: instagram.com/caroverman
Vesna: instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx
Guest, Sajid Khan: @sajidkhanfcct
🎧 Follow so you never miss an episode
💬 Parents, what would you add? Tell us in the comments.
 
CHAPTERS
0:00 Teaser
0:45 Intro
2:10 Meet Sajid Khan
2:40 From Birmingham to Riyadh, finance to education
4:46 Why he moved to Saudi at 24
6:03 Arriving at 2am to a cold, empty building
9:42 Becoming a lecturer, then building schools
11:08 What child safeguarding actually means
13:22 The coffee shop test, nobody had heard of it
15:02 Why Saudi feels safer than the UK
15:44 The gap in background checks
18:50 Affluent neglect, the Oreos case
20:46 How harm starts at school, and AI
23:58 Nannies, drivers and basic needs
25:26 The CCTV driver dilemma
29:08 When emotions are high, intelligence is low
32:49 Get a criminal record check for anyone you hire
35:47 Saudi is not a ski in, ski out resort
36:43 Investing in the Kingdom, hiring locals
37:16 The teacher is everything
38:06 Kids can feel if you care
41:29 Growing up online, the new dangers
42:32 The London school trip lesson
44:23 Saudi has its own child protection policy
46:53 The biggest gap he sees in schools
49:28 Teacher training and career pathways
54:49 Advice for parents, 10 minutes a day
56:35 Put the phones away at dinner
58:14 Friend versus friendly, boundaries
1:00:42 Discipline, respect and the good cop bad cop trap
1:03:57 Guilt syndrome and screen time
1:06:25 The questions every parent should ask a school
1:09:00 The grooming red flag nobody spotted
1:10:42 Why he would rather be extra
1:13:59 The UAE horror story that changed the law
1:15:13 Thank you and close

We went to our first Saudi weddings, and nothing could have prepared us.
This week Carly and Vesna break down everything they have learned about Saudi weddings and gatherings, from a total newbie point of view. Dinner served at 2:30 in the morning, glam that rivals the Met Gala, and the unspoken rules of what to wear.
We get into the real flow of a Saudi wedding, why you can never overdress, the coffee and chocolate before the 2:30am dinner, how the women only celebrations actually go, the gatherings that run until 3am, what to bring as a gift, and the best advice for anyone new here: say yes and be open.
If you are moving to Saudi, planning a visit, or just curious about the culture, this one is for you.
Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, hosted by Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic in Riyadh. New episodes every Monday.
with @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx
FOLLOW
Inside Saudi: instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia
Carly: instagram.com/caroverman
Vesna: instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx
🎧 Follow so you never miss an episode
 
💬 Going to a Saudi wedding soon? Ask us anything in the comments.
 
CHAPTERS
0:00  Teaser
0:54  Cold open, why we made this episode
2:28  Dinner at 2:30 in the morning
3:24  Saudi is a night culture
4:20  Walking in, it felt like the Met Gala
5:16  Weddings here are women only
6:44  What we wore, and underdressing the first time
8:54  The compliment: you look like Saudi girls
10:29  The second wedding, leveling up
12:09  The flow, coffee, chocolate, tea and dinner at 2:30
15:17  Perfume stations and flowers
16:00  You cannot be on time, arrive fashionably late
16:54  People watching and the perfect night
17:44  Dancing at a Saudi wedding
20:29  Saudi ladies gatherings
22:27  What to bring as a gift
23:38  Gatherings that run until 3am
24:16  Doing life with the locals
25:12  Tips if you get invited
26:00  Say yes to the DM, how we get invited
26:54  Wrap up

From night classes in Cairo to a runway at Paris Fashion Week. This week Carly and Vesna sit down with Pacinthe, the Egyptian couture designer behind two Vogue Arabia covers, a Paris Fashion Week show, and a client list full of Arab stars and red carpet moments.
We get into how she built her fashion house from the ground up, her signature draped corsets and sustainable line, dressing for weddings across cultures, and why she does her best creative work at 2am. We also go somewhere real: the burnout that led to an autoimmune diagnosis, the mum guilt, and why she believes you were never meant to do it all.
She finishes with honest advice for anyone dreaming of a career in fashion. Whether you love fashion, run a business, or just need to hear that slowing down is allowed, this one is for you.
Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, hosted by Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic in Riyadh.
New episodes every Monday.
with @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx
Find Pacinthe here: https://www.instagram.com/pacinthe_badran/
FOLLOW
Inside Saudi: https://www.instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia
Carly: https://www.instagram.com/caroverman
Vesna: https://www.instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx
🎧 Follow so you never miss an episode 💬
What is your dream career, and what is stopping you?
Tell us in the comments.
 
CHAPTERS
0:00 Teaser
1:22 Cold open, meet Pacinthe
1:47 How the hosts met Pacinthe
2:27 Shopping local and Egypt's design scene
5:23 How she got into fashion
7:19 Quitting her job to launch her own label
10:11 Three lines and the signature draped corsets
12:41 Getting to Paris Fashion Week
13:48 Vogue Arabia covers and red carpets
15:36 Expanding into Saudi
15:48 Wedding fashion, too fancy for a Western wedding
17:32 Saudi's booming fashion scene
19:22 Jeddah versus Riyadh
21:13 Cairo, chaos, and where creativity comes from
23:22 Why she creates at 2am
26:07 Burnout and an autoimmune wake up call
29:28 Mum guilt and making space for yourself
31:31 You were never meant to do it all
35:15 How men and women recharge differently
38:39 The Serenity collection and celebrating wins
41:19 Advice for anyone starting in fashion
43:29 Wrap up

One year in Saudi, and we finally figured a few things out. In this episode, Carly and Vesna swap the ten lessons they learned after their first year living in Riyadh, going back and forth without knowing each other's list.
We get into being kind to yourself through the move, whether you really need the big compound, why making Saudi friends changes everything, the truth about getting help at home, what drivers and nannies actually cost, what to pack and what to buy once you land, road tripping across the country, and the real cost of living in Riyadh. We finish on the honest part: the peaks, the valleys, and why everything here takes time.
If you are moving to Saudi, thinking about it, or already here and nodding along, this one is for you.
Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, hosted by Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic in Riyadh. New episodes every Monday.
with @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx
FOLLOW US:
instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia
instagram.com/caroverman
instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx
🎧 Follow so you never miss an episode
💬 What was your biggest lesson from your first year abroad? Drop it in the comments.
 
Chapters:
00:00:00 Cold open00:01:10 Welcome, and why we are doing lessons learned00:02:16 Lesson 1, Be kind to yourself00:02:48 Lesson 2, Do you really need the big compound00:06:44 Lesson 3, Put yourself out there and make Saudi friends00:08:07 Lesson 4, Getting help and being a good manager00:12:46 Lesson 5, Drivers and nannies are normal here00:14:39 Lesson 6, What to pack and what to buy in Saudi00:17:10 Lesson 7, Explore Saudi by road00:19:16 Lesson 8, The real cost of living in Riyadh00:21:33 Lesson 9, Do not pressure yourself, it takes time00:22:07 Lesson 10, Peaks and valleys are normal00:23:55 Kids adjusting to a new school00:25:41 Wrap up and where to listen

We've never done a two-parter, but there was too much to cover. In Part 2, Victor Barrero is back to talk about the next chapter: Vision 2030, Expo 2030, and what it actually takes to build a country at the speed Saudi is moving.
 
Victor helped launch Flow in Riyadh, close to 1,000 households across four communities, stood up in a matter of months after landing. In this conversation he pulls back to the bigger picture: the wave of development sweeping the kingdom, why capital from around the world suddenly wants in, how the compound model has changed since the Aramco era, and what separates a project that sells from one that struggles. We get into the airport that now greets you with "welcome to my country," opening a company through WhatsApp, the hidden cost of moving senior talent halfway across the world, and why Saudi "rewards patient, not fast" even in a race to 2030.
 
If you're trying to make sense of the Gulf right now, as a resident, a professional weighing a move, or just someone watching from afar, this is a wide-angle view from someone who's been in and out since 2009.
 
New here? Go back and listen to Part 1 first for Victor's story of how he got to Saudi.
 
with @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx
 
FOLLOW VICTOR HERE: https://www.instagram.com/victorinriyadh/
and follow us for more:
https://www.instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia/
https://www.instagram.com/caroverman/
https://www.instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx/
 
00:00 Cold open01:25 Welcome back: what Part 2 is about02:30 Recap and picking up where we left off03:00 Launching Flow: 1,000 homes on an ambitious timeline05:59 What makes Flow different to live in07:30 The development wave and building blocks of hospitality10:40 Saudi capital vs. foreign capital11:00 Before Vision 2030: compounds, Aramco and family offices12:55 International co-living models arriving13:55 Expo 2030: getting a country ready16:40 The scale: 100+ countries and a temporary city18:22 What's left behind after the Expo18:38 The Formula One analogy20:07 The airport test: welcome to my country21:55 Digital life: Nafath, SIMs and banking on WhatsApp23:00 Setting up a company in Saudi24:17 What makes a project sell vs. struggle27:35 What the market actually wants: hospitality29:55 Families vs. single professionals32:25 The hidden cost of senior talent34:22 UK or Saudi? Not apples to apples36:28 Saudi rewards patient, not fast39:00 Advice for newcomers: observe, then sprint40:18 Being a connector: 40 nationalities in a day42:34 No back alleys: a transparent platform44:44 Five years from now47:04 What success looks like47:59 Closing
 
Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, hosted by Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic in Riyadh. New episodes every Monday.
🎧 Follow so you never miss an episode 💬 Questions for a future episode? Drop them in the comments

One of us has had a live-in nanny since September. The other has a cleaner for three hours a week and a robot vacuum called Robbie, who has just broken down.
A year into life in Riyadh, Carly and Vesna compare notes on help: how to find it, how to manage it, and what it costs you when you refuse it.
Carly walks through the two routes to finding a nanny in Riyadh, why she asks to see an iqama live in Absher rather than a screenshot, and why the one week trial she recommends should probably be a month. She is also honest about what she got wrong from day one, which was never setting expectations out loud.
Vesna has never had help. She grew up watching her mother do everything and did the same in Australia, until a back injury and a growing podcast made that untenable. Her teenagers, for the record, do not want a nanny anywhere near their rooms.
They close on mum guilt, the guilt of having help, and the boundaries they now actually hold.
If you've been here longer than us, tell us what we're still getting wrong in the comments please. 
 
Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi
Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, co-hosted by two moms in Riyadh, made for Saudis, residents, and anyone trying to make sense of the Gulf during Vision 2030.
With @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx
Follow us for more:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia/Carly: https://www.instagram.com/caroverman/Vesna: https://www.instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx/
 
Chapters: 00:00 A year in, real and raw01:11 Why this one is for people in the Gulf02:27 Finding a nanny in Riyadh: the two routes04:10 ~ Checking status and documentation properly05:44 Why a trial period matters, and how long it should be07:58 Hiring from abroad: agencies, timelines, cost11:00 ~ Qualifications, first aid, and keeping kids independent12:23 What I'd do differently: expectations from day one14:30 ~ Weekly check-ins and positive reinforcement16:32 I did everything myself, until I couldn't20:30 Robbie the robot vacuum, and outsourcing the small stuff25:24 Having help here is normal, so why the guilt27:30 Mum guilt and the boundaries we hold now29:31 Send us your tips
 
 

In the summer of 2009, Victor Barrero typed "life in Saudi Arabia" into Google and got scared. He came anyway, on an eight-week flynas internship, a 25-year-old from Mexico who packed a camera and a checklist: camel market, old Diriyah, the grand bazaar. None of it looked like the photos. Diriyah was boarded up. He got into Kingdom Tower only because a guard mistook him for a diplomat.
Then a friend in Mexico sent one Facebook message introducing him to a Saudi named Sultan. Sultan took him to lunch. Three weeks later Victor was at an istraha an hour outside the city with thirty Saudi men, dates and Arabic coffee, getting mistaken for an Egyptian who wouldn't come pray. That single introduction turned the whole summer around.
In Part 1, Victor tells Carly and Vesna how Riyadh went from a place Google warned him about to the place that felt like home, why he taught himself to read Arabic in three weeks, what revenue management at an airline actually is, and the family decision that brought him back in 2024.
Part 2 is next Monday. Listen: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi
FOLLOW VICTOR HERE: https://www.instagram.com/victorinriyadh/
and follow us for more:
https://www.instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia/
https://www.instagram.com/caroverman/ 
https://www.instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx/ 
 
Chapters:
0:00 Teaser: Landing in Riyadh, 2009
1:13 Welcome to Inside Saudi
2:15 Victor Joins the Show
3:07 First Landing in Riyadh, Summer 2009
5:43 Adjusting to Saudi Business Culture
8:19 Failed Sightseeing & Early Misconceptions
13:07 The Facebook Message That Changed Everything
13:50 Straha Nights & Saudi Hospitality
17:58 Deciding to Return & Starting a Blog
20:20 Going Fully Local
25:04 Revenue Management at Flynas
28:29 Insider Flight Booking Tips
31:40 Leaving Saudi & a Career Around the World
35:55 Pandemic Reinvention
37:42 Costa Rica & Wellness
39:41 Lessons from a Math Teacher
41:34 The Power of Real Relationships
42:24 The Fire That Shaped Everything
45:01 Returning to Riyadh in 2024
47:21 Riyadh Transformed
49:02 Joining Flow
49:45 What Expats Get Wrong About Housing
52:07 Selling a Lifestyle, Not Just a Villa
55:01 Advice for People Relocating
57:05 The Kingdom's Vision for Quality of Life
59:36 Take It Slow: First 90 Days Advice
1:01:26 Adjusting to a New Culture
1:04:31 Wrap-Up & Part Two Teaser

A year in, Carly and Vesna re-priced their whole life in Riyadh: what's gone up, what surprised them, and what they'd tell someone running the numbers before a move.
This is the granular version of the cost conversation, from the two biggest line items down to the ones nobody warns you about. They walk through compounds across four tiers, from the common 300 to 350K range to the half-million luxe end, plus what an off-compound option like Sedra actually trades away. International school fees land near 100K per child once trips, uniforms and deposits are counted, and they're honest about the math that forces real choices: cheaper school or more travel, space or community, save or spend.
 
They get into the Chinese cars they both bought outright, fuel so cheap it changes how you move around the city, a four-tier map of where to grocery shop, and the beauty, abaya and travel spend that adds up quietly underneath everything.
 
No invented numbers, just what a year of living it has actually cost them.
Follow Inside Saudi so you never miss a Monday episode.
 
New here? Start with our cost of living and relocation episodes.
Follow us:Show: @insidesaudiarabiaCarly: @caroverman on insta / @carlyoverman on tiktokVesna: @vesnapetrovicx
Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi
Got a question we didn't cover? Drop it in the comments and we'll get to it in a future episode.
Listen wherever you get podcasts
 
Chapters:
00:00 Cold open01:01 Welcome and what this episode covers02:47 The biggest cost: schools vs compounds03:37 Is Riyadh expensive? London, Sydney, Vancouver04:27 Housing: compounds and your top-three list06:47 The common tier: 300 to 350K compounds09:11 Apartment-style compounds: 150 to 250K13:53 Off-compound: the community trade-off14:42 The luxe end: half a million to one million16:35 Less is more: what a year taught us17:28 Utilities, electricity and internet19:17 School fees: roughly 100K per child20:50 Uniforms, ECAs and the trips that add up24:40 Visas, exit re-entry and premium residency25:58 Cars: why we both bought Chinese, outright28:22 Fuel: the one genuinely cheap thing29:08 Groceries: weekly spend and where we shop31:00 The grocery map: Spinneys down to corner shops34:31 Beauty: nails, Botox, finding someone you trust39:35 Abayas: 50 riyals to a few thousand42:30 Clothing and kids' clothes44:20 Help, nannies and cleaners45:00 Travel: why living here makes you want to go46:01 Wrap-up