Dubai Before and After

While traveling from South Africa to Europe I got the chance to take an extended layover in the UAE and explore Dubai. I jumped at the opportunity but was also unsure what to expect. When visiting Dubai it is necessary to do some research or your wallet will be very upset. I hope my Dubai before and after outlooks may be able to help prepare you. Before arriving in Dubai I didn’t really know much about the UAE at all. I knew it had a lot of money and a lot of large scale buildings. I arrived at the DXB Dubai International Airport early in the morning and had around 30 or so hours to explore.

5 Very Interesting Fact About Dubai

1st Visiting Dubai Fact

The first interesting piece of information I found out was that the Dubai International Airport is the busiest airport for international travel in the world. DXB has held this title for 5 years in a row. That could be a very useful trivia fact.

2nd Visiting Dubai Fact

Next, I wanted to take a deeper look into the geography of the UAE. Seven emirates make up the United Arab Emirates. You can think of an emirate as being similar to a state. Dubai is one of those emirates.

3rd Visiting Dubai Fact

Alcohol is not illegal in Dubai but it can be very hard to find and it can be very expensive. Most of the venues I came across were either private clubs or bars attached to hotels. While walking around the city I was told by locals that there is a ladies’ night about every night of the week. Dubai is a city where meeting locals beforehand can do you wonders.

4th Dubai Fact (Favorite Dubai Story)

You can be refused hotel check-in if you and your travel partner are not married. Furthermore, if you are meeting someone there after your arrival, you cannot just have them come up to your room. I found this out the hard way but it ended up working out and I got a really funny story now.

Upon arrival in Dubai, I got to my hotel rather early and wasn’t allowed to check-in for several hours. I dropped off my bags and decided to begin exploring. Along the way, I ran into a travel buddy that I had met a few months prior. This happens way more than you would think. After walking around the mall and getting some food we decided to go back to my place and check-in.

Here is where my Dubai before and after changes……….

While checking in they ask for my ID, credit card, & marriage certificate. 😆 When I heard that I smirked and told him one second and reached into my bag like I was going to find the marriage certificate. I followed this with my hand coming out of my bag empty and me laughing. I thought it was 100% a joke, I thought the guy was just messing with me. 😆 He was not, they were asking for our marriage certificate because myself and her identification cards had different last names.

The initial check-in employee refused us being allowed to go up to my room because we were not married. I tried to explain that we were just friends that were going to hang out before more city exploring. This room’s price was more than 100$ and there was no way I was letting this go. I asked to see his superior and the manager attempted to say the same thing before I told him I needed to see his manager. Finally, I got the fourth manager in the hierarchy and was able to come to an agreement. Let my inconvenience be a lesson to you, make sure you understand an establishment’s rules and regulations before booking. The last thing that you want to have happened is to arrive at your destination after a 10+ hour flight and get denied entrance.

5th Dubai Fact

Taxis are cheaper than Uber rides. This was astonishing to me because I had never had this happen before. While commuting from the airport to my hotel I used Uber like I usually do when arriving in a new city. It is way easier to get on my phone and order an Uber rather than attempt to hassle with the hustlers trying to get me in their cabs.

My hotel was less than 3 miles away from the airport. I love walking from airports but I usually keep my limit to under 2 miles. The Uber ride cost 18$ USD. This was a bit high but I had defiantly paid more in other arrival cities so I didn’t let it bother me. Here comes the twist. While trying to get an Uber to return to the airport the following day I kept having WiFi connection issues and finally I just told the check-in guy to grab me a taxi. I had already spent over 250$ in less than 30 hours in Dubai so I was over fighting about money.

The taxi showed up and drove me 3 miles back to the airport. The taxi driver spoke English very well and we had a nice conversation. As I got out of the cab he looked back and said that would 4$ USD. 😆 Once again, I thought he was kidding but he was not, I asked him if that was the normal price and he said yes. He said I seemed like a cool guy but no one gets free rides here. 😆 He then explained that Uber overcharges tourists because they can and tourists are not even aware of the price difference. The tourist just assumes that it is very expensive for transportation in Dubai.

Moral of the Story for Visiting Dubai

Every country and or city offers new experiences and new challenges. The more you travel the more you will learn to roll with the punches. Dubai offered some unforeseen complications but also some amazing attractions. You never know what you are going to get when you arrive in a new country. Try and remember to smile and let things go. I’m not always great at rolling with the punches but one thing I have gotten very good at is letting things go. Don’t hold on to negative vibes and let them fade away.

Check out my other article on Dubai: Dubai tourism & 5 attractions you can’t miss in Dubai