Travelling To Dubai: Pack A Lot of Sunscreen And Prepare For A Lot Of Air Conditioning

The first time that I visited Dubai, I had no idea what I was in for. I was staying with friends, so I didn’t have to worry about accommodations or travel, but never having been to Dubai, I didn’t realize what was in store for me once I got there.

And boy, was it a surprise. So, everyone knows Dubai is hot. It’s in the desert, that’s to be expected. But since we were going in the summer, nobody warned me that the weather would also be extremely humid. Now, when I saw humid, I’m not talking about a little moisture here and there. When I first walked out of the airport, I literally couldn’t breathe for a few seconds because it was so humid. Forget about makeup and sunscreen if you’re going outside, it will melt right off.

Anyway, thankfully everything in Dubai is air conditioned, and by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Hotels, cars, transport, everything.

So anyway, my friend picks me up from the airport. The first thing I notice is how amazing the infrastructure was. Think New York, but without the pollution, the dirt, or the sheer amount of people. Dubai’s like the Capitol in the Hunger Games, a utopian excess of architectural beauty. We didn’t see a single person out on the streets on the way to her house, and I find out later that if most people want to go outside, they do it during the evening or night. Apparently, people regularly faint from the heat stroke during the day – not very surprising.

Anyway, after the initial shock of the heat wore off, we went shopping at the Dubai mall. There are a LOT of malls in Dubai, because that’s one of the only things you can do during the day there, especially during the summer. Eventually, after the sun set and it got a little nicer outside, we ended up traversing downtown. The nightlife in Dubai was incredible, with so many choices. All the clubs looked like they belonged in Las Vegas, and while everything was incredibly expensive, the people made it worth it. Expats, foreigners, tourists, locals, royalty. We were lucky and our friend managed to get us into the VIP section into one of the clubs, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much cash flying around in my entire life. Basically, it was Vegas on steroids.

Overall, I would recommend Dubai to anyone who doesn’t mind the heat and wants to travel to the Middle East without having to deal with the cultural restrictions that may arise in other places like Saudi Arabia or Iran.