Dubai
Every year the girls and I plan a trip somewhere for anything up to a week, it gives us a chance to catch up properly away from the day job and it means we also get to explore new places and eat great food. The past two years had us making memories in Europe but this year we really upped our travelling game and headed to Dubai #swansontour
I’d never thought about booking Dubai as a getaway but with RB out there it clearly became the most obvious location for our next trip. Boy was it worth it! Not too expensive a flight and not too long a journey at a swift 9hrs (including EU stop both ways). They are only 3hrs ahead too so easy enough to counteract that jet lag!
I’m not going to lie, we had an absolute blast and we managed to pack so much into a week and didn’t break the bank either. Now the first thing I’m going to do is break those misconceptions because truth be told… I heard them all from ‘It’s so expensive’ to ‘you’ll have to be covered up from head to toe’ I call BULL! It’s funny how everyone has an opinion based on newspaper ‘facts’. I decided to ignore the masses who hadn’t been there and listen to the experiences of those who have, something I’d say to all of you about any future travel venture.
So, I’m going to try and clear up 3 of the myths that seem to be commonly shared byt those who have yet to visit Dubai. Let’s get to it.
1: ‘You’ll have to be covered up from head to toe’ 
Totally not true. There are many places that are still very traditional but it’s a matter of respect for the culture not adopting a persona for the time you’re out there. Over the week we went to Mirdif Shopping Mall, we were meeting our contact for the desert safari there . Mirdif is waaaay more traditional than Dubai Mall but did we cover up completely? No. It was a hot day and 40o+ the whole week but… We made sure our tops weren’t too low cut.
As we were off to the desert afterwards we did all have shorts on. Apart from the odd look from the more traditional families it was all good and we definitely didn’t get arrested.
2: ‘It is so expensive’
This one is up to you, seriously. When we were sorting our itinerary (yes we plan outside of school too) RB said we could make it as cheap or expensive as we wanted to and that is so true! Being the inquisitive folk we are LR and I made sure we did everything we wanted to. We ate out A LOT, we went ‘out out’ we shopped and even did brunch at Saffron in The Atlantis, throw in taxi’s everywhere and we came under budget at £700 for the week. This does include the handbags and purses we bought too so if you’re not a shopper take that down to £500.
3: ‘It’s so showy off’
Yes and no. The buildings are out of this world like seriously, an aquarium, floor to ceiling water feature and an ice rink all just in Dubai Mall. We did see some swanky cars but are you telling me it’s not the same in the most affluent parts of any country? Don’t get me wrong, during our vacay I did have a few ‘this is how the other half live’ moments but it was more a case of knowing I wasn’t working but got to spend the day at beach clubs, eating brunch and shopping instead.
One night we had dinner at the Burj and the colour changing lights combined with the fountains topped off another ace day. If you get the chance to, watching the fountains is a must.
Soooo, now that I’ve busted some of those myths, I hope you go ahead and experience it for yourself. The girls and I had an amazing time and if the opportunity comes up again I’d definitely grab it with both hands.
Here’s to travelling and I’m definitely counting down the weeks until my next adventure : )
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