1. Exchanging money
There is no need to worry about exchanging money prior to or during your travels in Dubai. Use your debit/credit cards and the ATMs and you actually end up getting the similar if not even better rate than what the exchange companies are offering. Sometimes, I managed to get a rate that was actually similar to the exact market rate itself! There are plenty of ATMs scattered around the Emirates like any other major city you will not miss it. If you are struggling to find one, just know that the Metro stations all have an ATM in them. Also, do let your home bank know that you are traveling as sometimes they block your card suspecting some fraudulent actions.
2. SIM card
Even though your hotel will most probably have free wifi, most tourist attractions have free wifi, most major malls have free wifi, even the metro has free wifi, it is still useful to have to not rely on anyone else. You may be out on the beach for example or you may want to use the local Uber (Careem – see number 3) and having a local SIM will just make your life a whole lot easier. Also, we’ve noticed that logging onto the free mall wifi can sometimes be a little tricky using your home SIM. Upon entry if you go through the gates with a person (as opposed to the smart gates) you’ll be handed a free SIM card with a certain amount of free data for a certain period (this may change when you go). This free SIM card is provided by Du, which is one of the main networks along with Etisalat. You can just take that and then top it up later on or you can get an Etisalat SIM card, for some reason I’ve always opted for this one and it has done me well. The network coverage has always been good and has actually never let me down. There’s a simple and easy to use APP, which you can use to top up (using your home bank card) or check how much data/minutes you have left. As with many things in Dubai, SIM cards are not cheap, but in my opinion very much worth it.
3. Careem
This is the local Uber (well Uber actually purchased it recently) and they operate in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. The prices aren’t actually too dissimilar to Uber, which is so typical of Dubai, but hey it is what it is. I only say this because the Uber alternative in Malaysia and Singapore is Grab, and that was such a find – dirt cheap prices compared to Uber. Anyway, with Careem you now get to hail taxis as well as cars. Taxis will be cheaper and certain routes are even discounted at certain times. So, it is worth using Careem to hail a taxi as opposed to just getting one the old school way from the street. The driver will come knowing the location (usually, don’t expect London efficiency) and the rough price will be known to you. The more rides you take you’ll accumulate some discount codes, which can be handy. To be fair, the Dubai taxis are all metered anyway, so you won’t have to worry about haggling or anything. But Careem is definitely something useful and you should definitely download this APP on your phone and set it up ready for use in Dubai. Also, it means you have to carry less cash with you as you can set up you bank card on the APP too.
4. Metro
It is fantastically clean and organised and it runs straight down the middle from one end of Dubai to the other. You definitely should use this while getting around in Dubai. Read this dedicated post for more details (click here).
5. Dress code
This is going to be a bit of rant. Everywhere you go – parks, tourist attractions and malls – you’ll see signs outside informing the people of the rules of the place that you are entering and that they must be followed or you risk being thrown out, fined and in some cases even imprisoned. From those rules is one that is literally consistently ever present and that is about the dress code. We are told quite explicitly to dress modestly and appropriately. Now certain aspects of what is modest and appropriate will differ from culture to culture, but there are certain aspects that all cultures will agree as being modest and appropriate. No one is being told to wear the niqab, the hijab or even the abaya. Nope. Just cover parts that would usually be considered as inappropriate if shown i.e. upper thighs, bum cheeks, cleavage, belly button – whether you are male or female. I don’t want to be seeing no one’s bum when I’m out shopping or just having a nice family day especially in a country that explicitly actually forbids it. Please be respectful of these rules and cultural norms. If someone approached you or complained to a security guard about you, they’d be fully in their right to do so and as a result you’ll be in trouble. Just wear normal clothes – the body parts I’ve mentioned above – I’m not being and Dubai isn’t being unreasonable for asking you to cover them up. Right!?
