Not long ago, one of my newer coworkers asked if I’d ever been to Dubai. I said no, and he seemed surprised. “You’ve been all over — why not there?” he asked. And honestly, I didn’t have a better answer than: “I just don’t see the appeal.”
I originally wrote about this a while back, and a lot of you weighed in. Some agreed with me, others were eager to prove me wrong. A few told me I should give it a chance. And after reading through the replies… well, I still don’t think it’s for me, but I can at least see why it might be for you.
We Don’t Travel Like Everyone Else
There are plenty of places we’ve skipped over the years simply because they didn’t match our travel style. But sometimes, a shift in plans has led us to destinations we might not have considered otherwise, and we’ve been pleasantly surprised. That’s how we visited Helen, GA, Panama City Beach, FL, and Hilton Head Island, SC. They weren’t on our original list, but a change in travel due to the pandemic nudged us in new directions — and we found things to enjoy in each.
Iceland was another great example. We took a chance, and it was one of our favorite trips ever.
We know our interests don’t always line up with what’s trendy or luxurious. For instance, we’ve had a long-standing tradition of returning every summer to our favorite water park in the world — and yes, we absolutely love it. Our kind of fun might not involve five-star hotels or high-end shopping, and that’s okay. We like going where we’ll feel comfortable and curious. Sometimes that’s a place we’ve never heard of before, and sometimes it’s somewhere we’ve already been ten times.
Why Dubai Still Doesn’t Click (For Us)
When it comes to Dubai, I keep coming back to the same reasons it doesn’t grab me:
- We’re not into ultra-luxury hotels or restaurants.
- We don’t spend long days at the beach or pool.
- Shopping isn’t our thing.
- We avoid generic, overbuilt tourist attractions.
From the outside, Dubai feels like a curated showroom for the ultra-rich. Skyscrapers, mega-malls, man-made islands, indoor ski slopes. It feels engineered to impress — and while that’s great for some people, it’s not the kind of travel we seek out.
I also wonder how much of Dubai is real versus replicated. We love cities like London and Tokyo, where the modern and historic coexist. If everything is brand new, where’s the story behind it?
But the Comments Made Me Think
Some of you made excellent points in the original comments, and they did make me reconsider a few things:
“Dubai has more to offer than all the luxury hotels and fancy restaurants… we stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn, took the metro to the old town, visited the souks, had camel milk ice cream, and learned about Emirati culture over dinner. Oh, and sat next to an Emperor Penguin.”
“As a digital nomad, I found Dubai full of kind, thoughtful people from all over the world. I’m going back again soon.”
“I’ve lived in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for 15 years. It’s absolutely more than glitz — nature, culture, and history are there if you look.”
“If nothing else, the Burj Khalifa is a bucket-list building. It’s twice as tall as any other occupied structure on Earth.”
Others backed me up:
“I had a 12-hour layover and couldn’t even fill six hours. It felt like a boring tourist trap with no real identity.”
“I sort of feel the same way you do, but I’d go just to see the Burj.”
And one comment summed up my vibe perfectly:
“Never been myself for some of the reasons you listed… I suppose if you ever went you could call it ‘A Skeptic’s Tour Of Dubai.’”
So… Still Not Rushing to Book
At the end of the day, Dubai still hasn’t made our short list. But I’ll admit the comments made me more curious. If we’re ever connecting through the region, maybe we’ll stick around for a day or two and see what’s beyond the ads. And if we do? That skeptical tour might happen.
Until then, Dubai doesn’t feel like a fit for us — but hey, Your Mileage May Vary.
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6 comments
YMMV should display authorship credit so the reader knows if Sharon is writing or not.
Unless one is flying on the less common fifth freedom flights on Emirates, the flight will stop in Dubai. What better way to see a little during a stopover and decide whether to visit again.
Other than one night stay at an airport hotel due to a cancelled flight, I’ve never stayed overnight in the Netherlands. Thanks to KLM connecting flights, I’ve been to Amsterdam or Utrecht about a dozen times for a few hours, often seeing only one museum or one site during each visit. That might be the way to see Dubai without a dedicated trip there.
Are you saying that because you think that Sharon wrote this post? Because she didn’t.
If you’re wondering, we do have the option to include the author, but didn’t think it’s necessary because it’s always one of the two of us writing.
Have never regretted seeing any place in the world, but am with you — having been there twice, I don’t see why Dubai would be a selected destination without some other reason to be there. It is kind of like Vegas to me (I’m not into clubbing or crazy nightlife). That said, if you have reason to stop over or go for business, why not? Always something to learn in a new place. Some amazing Indian (including regional specialty) and Filipino food and street food and a few sights to see.
I concur. I’ve “done” Vegas, Orlando, NYC and a few others that just left me unimpressed. Give me the off-the-beaten-path places I can explore like Billings, MT., Portland, ME., Burlington, VT., and the like. And I’ll never visit Cancun. If I want to hang out with drunken Americans I can do that in St. Louis for far less expense.
Even if you did nothing but travel your entire life you couldn’t see everything, not to mention the notion of how much of a feel you really get for a place if you only spend a few days there and/or go just once. And no place is the same as it was five or ten or twenty years ago. So do you return to a previously enjoyed experience for more of the same or to see what’s new, or go someplace you’ve never been? Everyone has to prioritize and curate their travel wishes according to their personal interests/whims. Dubai doesn’t make the cut here, either.
I was expecting the heat in Dubai, but not the humidity. Dubai does air conditioning better than anywhere else in the world though.
Dubai is a city built by marketing. Glamour, glitz, and super luxury abound. But get off the main drag by two blocks and its bombed out Beruit. It’s sad to see the poor so close to the ultra wealthy.