Why Traveling to Dubai Should Be a Priority

When the typical Westerner makes his or her bucket list of places to travel, Dubai isn’t typically a list-topper. There are many reasons for this. Dubai is a young city, by some criteria less than a century old. It doesn’t have the history or literary romanticisation of somewhere like Rome or Paris. But then, no one travels to Dubai to take in the history. Dubai is, in many ways, the world’s most modern city. There are cities that are bigger, there are cities that are more comfortable to the average person, but nowhere else on the planet will you experience anything quite so boundary-pushing as Dubai. Here are three reasons why.

• The Grandeur. If you haven’t heard by now, you will soon hear someone talking about the opulence and grandeur of Dubai. And while your mind might gravitate to ancient Middle Eastern images, this is not what Dubai is like at all. Dubai made its fortune many times over in oil, and it has and is using the money to create a city unlike anything else on the planet. We have man made islands in crazy shapes, the Burj Khalifa towering over everything else, and enterprising design and architecture everywhere the eye can see. It’s a city of new money, and it doesn’t try to hide that fact even remotely. If you want to see what mankind can create when we’re trying to do something truly over the top, stay at the Zabeel Saray hotel and then hit the town.
• While retail may be fading in most parts of the world, it is bigger and better than ever in Dubai. Dubai has settled on an identity of being the world’s best shopping experience. The cult of consumerism is a state religion in this part of the world, and all around the city you can see what the profits are creating. Dubai has the world’s most opulent Apple store, as well as UAE businesses and brands that will be unfamiliar to all but the locals. Bring your credit card and just try not to blow your budget.
• The Desert. Dubai is a city in the desert. And while sandstorms and intense temperatures still strike the city, this municipality has adapted. You will not find a more air-conditioned city anywhere on the planet, making the desert much more enjoyable. If you’ve never visited a desert before, that’s a draw on its own. The desert by Dubai creates one of the starkest contrasts on the planet between civilization and wilderness. Tours and journeys are available for the intrepid, but others will be content to look out across the eternal dunes from the comfort of a hotel room or restaurant.

Dubai is unlike any other city in history. Modern technology and the economics of the 20th century oil boom have created a city made of money. You don’t have to splurge to afford a trip to Dubai, but you’ll have to be selective about what you buy and participate in. There is more to do than a mountain of wallets could afford, after all. And that’s a good thing.

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