My First Time in Dubai – 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before

- By Anamika Mishra

Happiness is ticking off things from the bucket-list and fulfilling the travel resolutions made! Dubai has always been on my bucket-list since long. In fact, I made plans to visit in 2020 but then pandemic happened and things changed for me – professionally and personally. But 2023 started with a big bang and in feb 2023, I suddenly planned to visit Dubai with TripSkipGo as their brand ambassador. So so thankful for this wonderful opportunity. This is everything I learned and you must know if this is going to be your first time in Dubai.

People start to plan for international trips months before but I had only a week to plan. In fact, I was already travelling when things to finalised and hence, had next-to-no time to plan. So, I decided to go with the flow.

Dubai is indeed a dream come true. It instantly made its place in my heart. So much cleanliness, so much beauty, so much of advancement in terms of technology, I am a Dubai fan for sure. But there are some things that I wish I knew before. So, if this is trip that you are planning is your first time in Dubai, then take a note of these 10 things before you start to pack and plan.

My First Time in Dubai – 11 Things I Wish I Knew Before

1. I was told that many places have proper dress code. Shorts and sleeveless is not allowed and may have to pay fine. Because of this I packed only jeans and full dresses. I was confused because I saw photos of people in shorts and bikinis but I didn’t know what was the scenario, so I didn’t carry any. Actually, there are 2 sides of Dubai. One, where you need to dress moderately and the other, where you can wear anything you want. The other side is usually seen in the beaches like La Mer Beach, but if you wish to take a city tour and visit public places then you must dress moderately. first time in Dubai

2. Dubai can get very hot, especially in the summer months. Be sure to drink plenty of water, wear loose and light clothing, and avoid staying out in the sun for too long. I took my half-used sunscreen tube but actually you must carry a full and huge sunscreen with you, if you don’t want to come back tanned and sunburnt.

3. There are certain rules for Dubai for public behaviour. Although, I didn’t face any issues because your girl is single and was travelling solo with a tourist group, but I must tell you refrain from public display of affection. It might get you in trouble

4. Talking of troubles, I must tell you, you must not show thumbs-up in public, especially to natives. People get offended.

5. Drinking alcohol in public place is not allowed. first time in Dubai

6. If you have been hearing that Dubai is cheap and amazing for shopping, well I will partially agree with this as Dubai is indeed amazing for shopping but not that cheap. You won’t even know how many dirhams you have spent. Electronics is 15-20k cheaper than India but its not like you will get something at half price. If phone is priced at 1.50 lakhs in India then you might get it for 1.20 or 1.30 in Dubai.

7. Whatever you buy, if you take the bill and if VAT is added in it, then you can claim the tax at the airport. But the bill should be more than 50 dirhams. After the security check, you can visit any VAT claim counters and show your bills to claim it back. Also, during shopping ask the shopkeeper to put the sticker on the bill.

8. Public transport is really good in Dubai. You can get a NOL card from any metro station and use it for metro, bus and govt. taxi. Apart from this, if you are travelling in a group than meter taxi will be more cheaper and will save you time.

9. Do lot of bargaining when shopping from local markets. If a vendor quotes 70 dirhams for 1 bottle of oud (perfume) then you can start the price with 40 dirhams. They will close it somewhere near 50-60.

10. Go for at least a week. I did this mistake thinking that I can cover majority of Dubai in 4 days. It was not enough. I missed exploring things in depth. I love to travel slow. I prefer spending time at one place and explore it properly. Our itinerary was so hectic that I could hardly explore places properly and just be there. For instance, I wanted to chill at the beach or explore the Dubai Mall properly, but since I had only 4 days, I had to cover everything fast fast. If I would have known this, I would have extended my stay and explore Dubai properly.

I hope these tips will help you in making the most of your first time in Dubai.