Dubai Travel Tips.

Whether you are traveling to Dubai on business or for pleasure, keeping these few handy tips in mind could save you from a lot of inconvenience – and make your trip a greater pleasure.

If you have the time, make your travel arrangements well in advance. Flights to Dubai are often booked to capacity, and if you delay too much, you might find yourself inconvenienced. This is especially true during the Dubai Shopping Festival, which takes place during the first quarter of the year, when flights to Dubai get rather competitive. The UAE’s flag carrier, Emirates operates flights to Dubai from many nations in the world, as do many major airlines (more than 120 to be precise). Fares and airline service vary greatly, and it makes a lot of sense to do an extensive research or consult an experienced travel agent for the best deal. You might also need a visa to travel to Dubai, and you are well advised to consult the relevant embassy for advice.

Climate-wise, Dubai is a hot desert. The days are rather hot, and you will need light clothing, whereas the nights are colder and call for warmer attire. Now the lighter clothing for the daytime can get rather tricky, especially for ladies, since they have to conform to certain standards of ‘decency’. A good cap will come in handy during the day time to prevent the risk of sunburn. During the summer months of June to August, temperatures can rise up to 40 degrees Celsius, and this can be extremely uncomfortable, especially for visitors from temperate countries.

Getting around Dubai is quite is easy, thanks to a well developed transport infrastructure. The city has a well organized bus system – and a remarkably good road network to boot. There are also taxi’s and car rental services if you wish to travel in more privacy. The city’s metro system is currently under development. There is also a boat service, across the Dubai creek.

The main spoken language in Dubai is Arabic, but the English speaker is not likely to have much trouble here, as it is also widely spoken here.

The unit of currency is Dubai is the Dirham is the UAE Dirham, and there are many Forex bureaus in town. It won’t hurt to compare rates for the best deal if you have the time.

Dubai is located in the ‘Islamic Holy Land’ and as such there are certain cultural sensibilities to keep in mind, especially in regard to dressing and the general code of conduct. Don’t be surprised also if your best social networking site does not open in Dubai, as the city employs technology to filter web-content which the authorities feel is contrary to the very basic Islamic values. Naughty web-sites are filtered here too.

Keeping these tips in mind could greatly ease your Dubai trip.