Tips for a Foreigner Traveling to Dubai for Tourism or Business

Dubai, a modern and progressive desert city filled many exotic and grandiose structures, is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). With a large immigrant population, English is widely spoken around the city and it is used as second language, especially in commerce, after the official language ofArabic. It is also common to see English signs around this independent city-state.

Basic Health and Electrical Information

Because of Dubai's desert environment, sunburn and dehydration can pose health risks, especially to foreigners who are not used to dry desert air and climate. Sunburn can happen quickly, especially during the summer season. It is advisable to always wear sunscreen and hat, especially when outdoors. Always bringing drinking water to avoid dehydration. As a guide when bringing gadgets, Dubai uses 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. A variety of adapters are typically available in stores.

Dress Code

Compared to other Middle Eastern cities, the dress code in Dubai is relatively very relaxed and casual. However, it is not ideal to wear clothes that expose the shoulders, the middle section and the thighs, especially in more traditional areas. When inside shopping malls, the aircon is also very cold and it is highly unlikely that a revealing outfit would be comfortable to wear. Although baring some flesh is typical when in the beach or in a bar within a hotel, it is important to wear more conservative clothes during the time of the Ramadan to pay respect to the country's Islamic culture and traditions. The Ramadan usually happens for about a month within September or October each year.

Shopping, Dining and Tipping

U.A.E. is a haven for shoppers because it is a tax-free shopping hub. The legal drinking age in Dubai is 21. It is not customary to see a person drinking out in the open. Alcohol is also not sold out in the open, but it is usually available in hotel clubs and bars. Many hotels, restaurants, clubs and bars add anywhere from 10% to 16% service charge to bills. In such cases, tipping is not necessary. If such charge is not included in the bill, a customer would typically add 10% to the bill for the tip. Providing gratuities to the hotel staff is at the person's discretion. Meanwhile, taxi drivers, supermarket baggers, bag carriers and window washers at gas stations are typically given tips that can start at about 2 Dh (UAE Dirham).

Laws

It is important to read on local laws to avoid possible hassles including fines or even imprisonment. Dubai implements strict rules on public display of affection, illegal drinking and other related activities. There are no customs duties applied to personal belongings. However, since the U.A.E. is an Islamic country, non-Islamic religious items, propaganda materials, sexy magazines and multimedia storage devices with such content are not allowed. Copyright laws are also very strict. Any pirated material and illegal computer program will be confiscated. Illegal drugs and controlled substances are banned and there are severe punishments when caught with them.

Safety and Security

Generally, it is safe to travel alone in Dubai because of high level of security and police visibility. Policemen and guards are typically seen at the corner of just about every street. However, for women, it is possible to encounter some people, local or tourist, staring at them. In some cases, there could be people that may make some annoying comments. Simply ignoring them could make a tourist's or business executive's vacation more worthwhile. If already feeling harassed, making some noise can easily get the police's or security's attention, which will most probably drive the person away. Wearing conservative clothes and using sunglasses and hat especially when outside could also help in avoiding such minor issues.