You have heard and seen all the hype about UAE and you want to move to Dubai? If YES, here are 21 truths your travel agent won’t tell you about living in Dubai.
Dubai is one of the top destinations today especially when it comes to travelling for work, vacation and shopping. It is no wonder that travel and tour agents that help people secure Dubai visas and flight tickets are always smiling to the bank.
No doubt, Dubai is one of the most beautiful places you can visit on planet earth, and securing a visa to Dubai is as easy as having the money to pay for it. Yes, there are loads of beautiful places to visit in Dubai, world-class shopping malls, jobs and good life for expats and these are the selling points that travel agents will use to convince you to travel to Dubai.
The truth is that aside from all the mouth-watering offers, there are some things that are not too pleasant about Dubai and no traveling agent would want to tell you about them.
If you are planning on living in Dubai, here are 21 truths your traveling agent won’t tell you;
21 Truths Your Travel Agent Won’t Tell You About Living in Dubai
- Dubai People are Difficult to Please
If you are a business person or worker coming from a country where you easily receive praises and admiration from your customers or bosses at work, you are likely not going to get same if you put in same effort in Dubai. Most of the citizen of this great Emirate are quite hard to please as they are used to a high standards, and you must be ready to accept this attitude.
- Be Ready for Unusual Long Staring from Locals
If you are a foreigner, white or black, and you intend working and living in Dubai, then you must be ready to accommodate locals that will give you weird looks whenever you are passing by. Although Dubai population is made up of more foreigners than locals, but if you per chance go to the outskirts of the city where there is a higher concentration of locals, then you will feel awkward when people start staring at you unnecessarily. No travelling agent will tell you this, but you must accept it as a way of life in Dubai. Mind you, they don’t mean any harm.
- Brace-Up for Cultural Adjustment
Another truth your traveling agent might not tell you if you are planning on traveling and living in Dubai is that you must brace-up for cultural adjustment. This is because United Arab Emirates where Dubai is located is not just a Muslim country but also an Arab country. Trust me, there are loads of things that are tolerated in the West that are frowned at in Dubai.
For example, being a practicing Muslim country, the call to prayer five times a day can mean that non-Muslims may have to wait a bit to continue their business until Muslims return from prayer. During the holy month of Ramadan, work slows to a creep level and most restaurants will be closed during the day or serve a limited menu. No alcohol will be served until the fast is broken at sunset.
- Don’t Expect to Get an Outright No when You make an Offer
If you are from the united states of America, you will agree that the average American is trained to say No when they mean No without playing around with words, but it is not so with people in Dubai. The locals in Dubai are Arabs and Arabs are generally gracious people.
It is deep-rooted in their culture to not make anyone lose face. Hence, they say “no” in such gracious ways that sometimes one is not certain that they have said so, and this can be confusing for expats not used to this type of feedback. Your agent might not tell you this but it is obviously one of the truths that you need to know before embarking on your journey to Dubai.
- The Internet is Highly Censored in Dubai
One of the bitter truths that your travel and tour agent will not likely tell you if you are planning on living in Dubai is that the government blocks all websites that it deems “offensive” to the “religious, moral, and cultural values” of the UAE. If you are an American or anyone from the Western world that loves freedom, you might have to reconsider your relocation plans to Dubai.
In Dubai, all VOIP access and related websites are blocked and you can only make calls using the analog service provided by the government-owned telephone monopoly, but it will cost you a whole lot more. In fact, your frequency of calls will be greatly diminished if you can afford them at all.
The government says VOIP is blocked for security reasons and if you are bent on going to Dubai, then your only option is to get a quality VPN and you must ensure that you get it prior to entering Dubai or United Arab Emirates in general.
- Dealing with Real Estate Agencies and Landlords can be Complicated
If you are from a country like the United States that rents are collected on a monthly basis, then you must brace up to pay annual rent in Dubai. Besides, maintenance of buildings can be sporadic and absentee owners who do not pay their fees can mean the renter will experience restrictions on the use of some of the amenities of the building.
Your travel and tour agent might likely not tell you this. As a matter of fact, in Dubai or in any location in United Arab Emirates, annual rents on apartments must be paid in full and up front. Please note that an agent is required to complete a rental agreement or else it is null and void.
So, you will need them, but the right approach to go about it if you don’t want to get frustrated and even duped is to get recommendation from someone who knows the landlord of the property you want to rent or a trusted realtor that you can work with. If you are lucky to be hired by a good company, they are likely going to help you secure an apartment and then deduct the amounts monthly from your salary.
- Brace-up for Government Bureaucracy
Your travel agent might not tell you that there are loads of government bottle-neck and getting official paperwork, such as resident and work visas, utilities set up, bank accounts opened and mobile phones connected can be a bit frustrating.
This is because navigating the government bureaucracy in Dubai can be really tedious for a foreigner who is coming from a country where the system is working. As a matter of fact, a whole lot of your documents will have to be translated into Arabic or else it will be turned down when you approach any government agency. Just ensure that you get a good agent to help you handle this so as to ease the stress of getting your paperwork sorted.
- Setting up a Business in Dubai can be Exasperating
If you plan on setting up a business in Dubai, your travel agent might not tell you that setting up a business in Dubai can be time-consuming and exasperating. The United Arab Emirates’ government regulations can be a maze and difficult to understand; it can even be difficult to get the same interpretation when working through the process. There are times when one department is not connecting with another and applicants can run around in circles. There is also the question of ownership, in some cases.
- There is an Emirati Agenda
Another truth that your travel agent might not tell you if you plan on starting a business in Dubai is that you must be ready to play by the rule as it relates to the ‘Emirati Agenda’. Part of the Emirati agenda requires that if you are a foreigner who wants to establish a business in Dubai, you must get an Emirati sponsorship and your Emirati sponsor must own at least 51 percent of the business.
Emirati agenda or Emiratisation is an effort to increase the presence of Emiratis employed in the private sector. It is indeed a high priority for the government and it is a serious consideration for all private sector companies. The implication of this is that you must be ready to make do with less qualified Emiratis as against more qualified expats for same job openings.
- The Road Network is not Welcoming
Most likely, your travel agent might not tell you that the road network in Dubai is not welcoming. If you have been to Dubai, you will agree that driving in Dubai very difficult when compared to driving in America.
No travel agent will tell you that the road system in Dubai is difficult to navigate and if you mistakenly make a wrong turn or take the wrong exit, then you are likely going to spend more than 30 minutes to get back in the right direction again. The bottom line is that driving can be erratic and fast, especially on the major expressway and there are limited street signs. So also, not all streets have names in Dubai and directions are given in landmarks.
- The Temperature is Unfriendly
One other truth that your travel agent might likely not tell you or may want to play down is that the temperature is usually unfriendly in most parts of the year. Yes, your travel agent might discuss the weather with you, but trust me they will not tell you the unpleasant part of the weather. The truth is that the temperature in Dubai is always to the extreme.
The temperature is as hot as 120 degrees with nearly 100 percent humidity on a normal day. During the months of June, July and August temperatures can soar up to 48 degrees Celsius, making it difficult to step foot outside. The temperatures certainly are intimidating, but the UAE has adopted many ways to work around these temperatures.
It is usually far too hot to walk any distance in Dubai and you can only get a relief between November and March. Plus, every building, even the bus stops, are air conditioned in order to cushion the effect of the very hot weather during the day. In fact, the air conditioning is so cold that people carry sweaters around with them in the peak summer months.
- It is Illegal to Protest in Dubai
If you are used to joining your colleagues to protest whenever you feel cheated at work, then you should think twice before making the move in Dubai. This is because in Dubai, it is illegal to protest no matter the condition. It is the practice for some companies to hold back paychecks for months at a time especially if you are a lower cadre staff and you don’t have the right to protest about it. As a matter of fact, in Dubai, when the workers strike for whatever reasons, they will be jailed.
- No Standard Address System in Dubai
Another truth that your travel agent might likely not tell you is that there is no standard address system making mail-to-the door delivery impossible. One will wonder why a city that is as highly developed as Dubai does not have a standard address system and has no record of having a full post system.
The fact that people don’t really have home addresses means that if you want someone to deliver something to you, you will be forced to give detailed description to the postman making use of nearby landmarks. As a result of lack of standard address system, online shopping is not as popular as it is in other parts of the world.
- If You Love Nature, Then Dubai is not For You
Trust me, your travel agent will not tell you that in Dubai there are too few trees, plants, and grasses – or living things. The only thing close to nature that you will see around are the roadside gardens planted and nurtured day and night by the government. Although if you go far in the outskirt of town, you might see very few natural habitats, but majority of the things you see in Dubai are artificial.
- Shopping is Expensive in Dubai
There are loads of people that go to Dubai just for the purpose of shopping. It might interest you to know that goods are far more expensive in Dubai when compared to China, London, Paris, the United States and most big cities in the world.
Of course, your travel agent will not tell you about this; you would have to find out by yourself and it’s likely going to cost you some money. Although cost of living is very expensive in Dubai, but if you are coming in as an expat, you will be well – paid so much so that you won’t feel that the city is expensive.
- Living in an Apartment is the Way to Go
Having your own house or villa is not an easy feat to accomplish in Dubai because it is way too expensive. In essence, you must be a multimillionaire for you to be able to acquire a duplex or housing facility in Dubai. The bottom line is that properties are expensive in Dubai and it is commonsensical to choose to live in apartments.
The truth is that the system is designed in such a way that you won’t fee like you are living in an apartment, because the apartments in Dubai are mostly new developments with spacious living areas, windows that let in lots of light, and are fixed with state-of-the-art amenities. Plus, most apartments are equipped with facilities such as gyms, parking, and even banquet halls. These are what you would have spent your money on if you choose to buy your own villa or duplex.
- Fewer Police Officers in the Street and CCTV Cameras Everywhere
Interestingly, you can hardly see police officers in the streets of Dubai. As a matter of fact, you might have to drive through the city for over 12 hours before coming across a police officer. The fact that there are no police officer in sight does not mean that you can commit a crime and go free because there are CCTV cameras everywhere you go in Dubai.
Dubai is perhaps one of the cities in the world that has the highest number of CCTV cameras installed in one city at a time. So know that if you commit a traffic offense, you will be fined and if you fail to pay your fine within a period of time, your car will be impounded.
- You Will Need Alcohol License
If you love alcohol, then you would need to apply for alcohol license for you to be able to purchase and take alcohol to your house. In Dubai, it is an offence to carry alcohol from one location to another without an alcohol license. Most likely, your travel agent might not tell you about this when processing your travel documents.
- It is a Crime to Eat on Metro Train
Another thing that your travel agent might not tell you is that it is a crime to eat in a metro train in Dubai. Dubai’s humongous and brand-new metro system that opened in 2009 is of course the largest driverless public transport system in the world. In its first three months of existence it transported 3 million passengers.
Please note that if you are caught eating on a metro train, you can be fined up to £25. So, if you don’t want to spend that much on paying fine, then you must make sure you endure your hunger until you get out of the metro train or don’t be tempted to carry food along when entering the metro train in Dubai.
- You can Easily Be Scammed with an Employment Offer
In Dubai, job seekers are easily scammed hence you cannot confidently say you have gotten a job until you sign the necessary documents and perhaps resume work. It is a wise decision to always be very careful of any employment contract that is offered to you.
Before accepting any employment offer in Dubai, make sure that everything is writen up front, including salary, end of service payout, health insurance, et al. The truth is that a good number of companies in Dubai are known to take advantage of their workers.
- It is a Crime to Post Any Negative Comment About the Ruling Families, or Local Religious and Cultural Traditions.
Lastly, if you are the type to write whatever you feel like, especially about the ruling class on Social media, then you should think twice before heading to Dubai to live and work. This is because it is a crime punishable by the law in United Arab Emirates for any residence to write and post anything negative about the ruling families, or local religious and cultural traditions. Most likely, this is one truth that your travel agent might not tell.
All you need to do if you want to continue to stay in Dubai while making use of your social media handles is to make sure that you take caution if you have to make comment about the ruling families, the local religion and their culture because you never can tell when you will cross the line from harmless comments to what is perceived as insults.
In conclusion, it is important to state that as at the point of writing this article, these are what are obtainable in Dubai, but we are not ruling out the fact that some of these things might change within the shortest time possible hence everything written above is not cast on stone. For example, the government might decide to work on the mailing and address system and make it easier and more accessible to foreigners.