Travel Quarantine Blog!

It’s been a while since my last blog, as I wanted to write a fresh idea that I can share with my readers. My original plan was to feature my supposed to be trip to Philippines – I already had my travel plans and that is to explore Philippines domestic destinations, unfortunately, as nobody anticipated and this corona virus thing came and shocked the whole world.  The government, in its effort to prevent the spread of corona virus implemented travel bans, and ordered its people to stay home; and suddenly the lockdown was in effect everywhere. As if the whole world stopped!  

Airline companies had no other choice but to cancel all international flights (inbound and outbound). In UAE it was 13th of March 2020 that the government had announced the lockdown and ordered all residents and citizens of this country to just stay at home. 

As there was no other choice, we had to postponed our travel plans for this year due to the pandemic. Not only our much-awaited trips but also other business and personal plans that we had for this year had to be put on hold. 

So, while in quarantined (during the lockdown) I had the liberty of time to write this blog.  Allow me to share some facts about UAE and few ideas to explore this beautiful country, that we now call our second home. 

Enjoy reading!

EXPLORING UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  

United Arab Emirates, Before I start sharing with you my awesome travel experience in Dubai, this Emirates is a fascinating ultra-modern city to say the least. I consider Dubai as a “tourism haven”.  One of the safest places I’ve been to, you feel safe even walking late at night and generally, people here are friendly and English language is widely spoken, so no language barrier here. Let me help you understand better the things you may not know about the United Arab Emirates. It is composed of Seven (7) Emirates’ that make up UAE such as Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain and Dubai which happens to be the center, global city in UAE where people from across the globe come together.  

Abu Dhabi is the federal capital of UAE, and is the largest of the seven Emirates. A well-planned modern city with several high-rise buildings, impressive palaces, beautiful corniches and architectural mosques, one of the largest mosque-domes in the world.  

Yet, Dubai is the most populous, with the biggest fraction of the population composed of migrant workers, like the rest of the country. For many, it is a land of opportunity. Much of the economy is driven by foreign migrant workers, which make up 80% of UAE’s population and 90% of its workforce.  

Dubai is also the most popular destination among tourists, registering an estimated 16.7 million visitors in 2018 alone. Dubai has become the region’s banner city for opulence and grandeur. It is well-known for its ambitious projects like its artificial offshore islands and towering skyscrapers like Burj Khalifa, the tallest man-made structure in the world.  

WHEN TO VISIT DUBAI? 

The best time to visit Dubai is during the colder months from October to May, so you can really hang out in outdoors, even at night. During these months you can enjoy many activities that Dubai has to offer, also many interesting places to visit. 

During Ramadan but, if you happen to be there, just made sure not to eat, drink, chew gum or smoke in daylight and in public, otherwise, you will get a fine.  

Moreover, during Ramadan, many bars close, there is barely any event going on and, basically, life stops pretty much. Seriously, if you can avoid it, don’t come here during Ramadan.  

WHERE TO STAY? 

This entirely depends on your budget. Each place especially if you want to stay within Dubai bears different hotel rates as it enormously varies by area. So, if your plans are to find the most affordable hotels, I highly recommend you doing some proper research before choosing which area to stay at. I know there are quite a lot of hotels in Deira where you can stay while on a vacation in Dubai.  

TRANSPORTATION:  

Metro – There are 2 metro lines which take you to most touristic sites. The metro has plenty of air conditioning and it is pretty modern. A single ride costs less than a US dollar but just bear in mind that distances in Dubai are huge, so going from one place to another may take some time. Also, the metro goes to the most common touristic places but, beyond that, you will be very limited.  

Taxi – The way to go. If you count the price per kilometer, it is inexpensive but, since distances are long, moving around can be costly. The shortest ride costs around 15AED (4USD). Going from the Marina to Old Dubai may cost around 60-70AED (16-19USD).  

Bus – There’s a bus every twenty minutes from 6am to 11pm, from the Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Dubai that takes you to Abu Dhabi. The buses are great, complete with air-conditioning and the cost from Dubai to Abu Dhabi is a mere 25AED (7USD).  

TOURS AND ACTIVITIES IN DUBAI  

Are you looking for exciting things to do in UAE? 

These are just some of popular activities that you may not missed: 

• Dubai Burj Khalifa ticket Floor 124 & 125 – Climb the tallest building on Earth 
• Louvre Abu Dhabi – Skip-the-line tickets – Skip the endless lines of the museum 
• Dubai Hot Air Balloon – This is the ultimate desert adventure complete with a lavish breakfast spread in an authentic Heritage camp nestled in a Royal desert retreat. After an unforgettable morning in a magical setting in the desert, you’ll return to Dubai with your appetite for adventure (and breakfast) fully satisfied! 
• Desert Safari – Enjoy our desert safari tour that provide you an ultimate adventurous experience with Dune bashing on the sand dunes in a 4X4 vehicle. 
• Dubai Aquarium & Burj Khalifa combo tickets – The tallest building on Earth and one of the most outstanding aquariums 
• Dhow Cruise – Enjoy cruising for 2 hours on board the wooden Arabic boat called a dhow. Cruising through Dubai Marina in the midst of the opulent city escape. The perfect way to a romantic evening with your loved one, carefree time with friends, or even a delightful outing with family.
• Speedboat tour around Marina, Palm & Burj Al Arab – Take a thrilling 90-minute sightseeing tour by speed boat around the coastal landmarks of Dubai.
• Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Mosque tour – Tour to the most breathtaking and one of the world’s largest mosque in the region. Captivating architectural designs from different Muslims civilizations. This tour should never be missed when visiting the United Arab Emirates.

CULTURE OF DUBAI The ‘culture of Dubai’, an emirate of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE culture mainly revolves around the religion of Islam and traditional Arab culture. The influence of Islamic and Arab culture on its architecture, music, attire, cuisine, and lifestyle are very prominent as well. Though, Dubai is considered to be a modern city but still we have to keep in mind to show our respect to their religious belief, culture and old traditions.  

On our next blog we will be featuring a virtual travel as leisure travels for most countries are still not allowed. Please share with us which particular Emirate (among the 7 emirates) would you like us to feature for our virtual travel? We will do our best to feature the most requested places to visit in one of the Emirates.