Alright, let's have a chat about my three-day stopover in Dubai.
Dubai is one big giant theme park. Think Vegas, but on steroids (and we all know how I felt about Vegas). I heard so many good things and bad things about Dubai. To be fair, what I heard was bias for each side of the argument. Majority of the positives came from seasoned travellers who truly suck on the marrow of life wherever they go and rave about each experience when asked. The negatives come from immigrants who suffer from political choices. Nevertheless, my personal experience is one that sits on the fence. I sit in the nonchalant centre because I was only there for three days and I don't live in the UAE, so I'm not widely affected by the political choices. I will say, my review-blog is more for the female solo traveller. I bolded the identifier because being a female in general is hard, but being a female in a country that is culturally and spiritually patriotic, it is helpful to keep in mind that as Western tourists, we still need to be respectful if their practices in their spaces. As a woman, there were some spaces where I felt unsafe and needed a male presence.
As efficient and proper as all staff were from the entry point to the main tourist areas, I would not recommend doing too many independent trips outside the colossal man-made-theme-park-city. These are the safest parts for inexperienced travellers, solo female travellers and young families. For a short stopover like mine, there are so many activities that family and friends can do: beaches, theme parks, a trip to the Dubai Mall Zoo and Aquarium or, the ultimate activity, shopping. Dubai houses more malls than I can count or even remember. There are so many hop-on-hop-off tours that take you from mall to mall. But if you want a more authentic experience, as a female solo traveller, I have some tips:
- Budget to pay for or have an escort to and through the Souks. Although the hop-on-hop-off buses will take you there, they will not guide you through these markets. Essentially, book a guided tour rather than taking one of these self-guided tour buses. They're good for the site seeing, not for the authentic shopping experience. Remember the aim of these market places is authentic-advertising, that is, ALL of the store owners will confidently come up to you like a stand-alone-stall sales person in a shopping centre.
- If you're wanting to do outside-of-Dubai overnight tours, book tours that require numbers. Remember: power in numbers. This is not about sucking the fun out your trip with fear, it's about thinking logically and to get more out of your experience. The key is to make friends. Usually a "surrogate mother" will appear on these trips, believe me they can be a God-send when you're feeling unsafe.
My last tip is just a general one, it's for travellers who just want a taste rather than the full experience: stay in the city proper. There are lots of people minding their own business in the main tourist areas, you will always feel safe in these areas. These are the three main things I wish someone told me when I was travelling. If you have family in Dubai this won't be an issue at all.
I hope that was helpful, apologies for the less light hearted post. I thought it was essential to share this for my fellow solo travellers.
Until next time,
sL xxx
PS. Here are some highly recommended guided tours: https://www.viator.com/en-GB/Dubai-attractions/Dubai-Gold-Souk/d828-a1623