Habibi, will you come to Dubai?

After Ukraine, before Bali, I visited Abu Dhabi and Dubai for a total of 8 days to experience the life of a digital nomad. There is not much to say about Abu Dhabi, it is a hot capital city with a lot of modern construction. There is a lot to say about Dubai... 

But to be honest, I made a mistake. 1 week is really not enough time to fully describe the digital nomad experience here. I promise that I will visit Dubai again for at least 2 months.

Still, what I have seen and experienced is enough to give you a general idea. If you have prepared your cold drinks and filled your wallets with dollars (because I can't stop saying it's expensive :D), here goes.

1. Getting to Know Dubai - United Arab Emirates

- General Opinion: 

First of all, the visionary leaders of Dubai should be congratulated. It must not be easy to turn a small piece of land, a desert to be more specific, into a magical center of attraction for people from all over the world. Of course, the resources and the money they have has a lot to do with it, but it's not something that can be achieved with money alone, it really requires vision.

It has become a magnet for the offices of huge companies, for smart business people and employees from all over the world, and for digital nomads. Our focus is, of course, on the digital nomads, but the presence of companies and an active working quality population also creates a great network and opportunity for digital nomads to do business together.

Of course, the country is expensive in every sense, but this is actually an important motivation to get to that level and to sustain the presence there. The other day I saw a post like this on Instagram and I liked it a lot, I accepted it as a goal for myself :D 

Dubai, as far as I have experienced, is divided into two parts; the city center and the palm grove area. I guess there is no need to say that transportation is fast and easy since it takes 1 hour to drive across the city. There are big and modern living places everywhere. I only came across one place where there were low-rise and more housing estates, and I think they call it the green zone. 

The city is very organized, there are strict rules and everyone obeys them. Especially traffic rules are obeyed without hesitation. I was questioning how they don't speed on such beautiful and wide roads with such luxurious, powerful and expensive cars. It turns out that traffic fines are really upsetting :D 

- Language and Communication: 

Arabic is the official language, but English is widely spoken. I didn't experience any communication problems or difficulties in any way. It is very easy to get along. 

مرحبًا: Hello (Mrhban)

شكرًا لك: (Shkran lika) Thank you

نعم: Yes (Naem)

لا: No (La)

لو سمحت: Please (Law samahta)

مع السلامة: Goodbye (Mae alsalamati)

2. Digital Nomadism in Dubai

In Dubai, you'll find an active community of both digital nomads and expats. Whether it's co-working spaces or cafes, you'll find expats working on computers everywhere. Even when I checked on Nomad List, there are currently around 5,800 members in Dubai, which is a huge number.

3. Working in Dubai

- Co-working Spaces: I haven't visited any co-working spaces, but I know there are some great co-working spaces, and I'm passing along the names of a few to give you an idea.

Modern Working

Cloud Spaces

A4 Space

WrkBay by Ayana

The Co Dubai

- Wi-Fi and Cafes: You don't even need to look for Wi-Fi in Dubai, there is internet in every place and without any problems. And it is very possible to work comfortably in beautifully designed, air-conditioned and scenic environments. Here are a few places you can visit. 

Mitts and Trays

Roseleaf Cafe

Tom & Serg

Bikers Cafe

The Cycle Bistro

4. Living in Dubai

- Accommodation: We stayed in a nice hotel in Palm Jumeirah since it was our first time in Dubai and we were going to stay for a short time. Of course, this method was very expensive (350 USD per night) :D My recommendation would definitely be Airbnb for short-term stays. For long-term stays, there are many different options. As I said, there are actually options for all kinds of preferences, as long as you know what you want, it is easy to find. For example, I know that next time I will stay in one of the residences around Burj Khalifa. 

- Cost of Living: Dubai is known for luxury, and it lives up to that reputation. There are actually no upper limits and boundaries for both accommodation and living. But to give you an average, if we were to rent a nice apartment in a nice place with AirBnb for a short term, we would spend 700 USD per week, as I said, there is no limit on food, drink, transportation and entertainment, but I would allocate around 1,000 USD per week. In this way, you can live comfortably in Dubai without feeling any deficiency.

5. Exploring the City

- Transportation: There are metro and buses in Dubai, but I didn't use any of them. Taxis are quite common and it's not that expensive for a service compared to Dubai prices. There is only one thing that surprised me, Uber was about 1.5 times more expensive than normal taxis. I don't know if it's because the cars are more luxurious, but I didn't like this difference and I always used a taxi by hand. By the way, taxi drivers are very polite, understanding and helpful. I was satisfied with this service.

- Safety Tips: Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world, I have experienced this myself. Of course, you should take your own precautions to put your mind at ease. But to give an example of a few things I came across; people do not lock the doors of their houses. I'm not talking about the doors that you open by inserting the key, I'm talking about the doors that you open by just turning the latch like you open a room door. Because nobody is attempting to steal or anything like that. I also visited one of my investors in Dubai and we went to his house and I opened the door with my hands and there was no lock, I was really surprised :D This feeling of being safe also affects the quality of my time there. You can live to the fullest with zero precautions. 

6. Free Time and Exploration

- Tourist Attractions: Don't miss Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and Palm Jumeirah. By the way, there are various activities in each of these places. If I count them all, I would have to write another article. So the best thing is to experience it yourself, do whichever activity you like. There is also Dubai Eye :D It looks very beautiful from a distance, it is one of the symbols of the region. But it doesn't work, I think there was a mistake in its production or there was a problem later, there are only light shows in the evenings. It looks beautiful from a distance. 

(Here, with my investor Kamil Guclu, we are choosing a floor for our future NomadVibe office :D)

- Food and Cuisine: Dubai's cuisine is as diverse as its population. But I did not see a local flavor, I could not find it :/ There is at least 1 representative from all world cuisines. You can find whatever you crave. But I couldn't find a special flavor for Dubai :/ Still, the food is very delicious and high quality. But the point where they won my heart is the service. They are very attentive and you feel the high level of quality. This part is very nice. I would definitely recommend the place where we had dinner the first day we visited: Amazonico. Go first, you can thank me later :D

- Entertainment: The entertainment life in Dubai is of course, as you can guess, quite colorful :D As a person who likes these things a little bit, I also liked Dubai. Although the entertainment continues as long as you have money. Because again, as you can guess, alcohol and nightlife are expensive in Dubai :D 

7. Challenges in Dubai

Of course, one of the main challenges is the climate. It is hot, really hot. So your clothes should be suitable for this climate. In the winter it is sometimes cool in the evenings. You have to be prepared for that too.

I think there is also the air conditioning problem. Some places are very cold, so when you are inside you feel cold. When you go out, you get hot. If you do this in and out frequently, there is a possibility of catching a cold due to sweating and cooling. 

Finally, you need to respect the rules and traditions. I will not personally say do this or do that, but if you receive a warning, it will be useful to listen to that warning. After all, this is a country with really strict rules on some topics. 

8. Final Thoughts

Dubai offers a truly unique environment for digital nomads, where modern construction and traditional ways of thinking are embraced. You should definitely experience Dubai for yourself, a city that is easy to get to and easy to leave, a city with features that will attract many people, a city where I think the world of the future is being built. It is definitely a place that will change and improve your perspective. 

And as I said at the beginning of the article, 1 week, 10 days, maybe even 20 days may not be enough for this place. I plan to stay there for 2 months the next time I go there to fully understand the mindset there. Hope to see you in the article I will write based on my experiences at that time :)

For more tips and insights on digital nomadism, check out the NomadVibe Instagram account.

And as I always say, until the next post arrivederci folks :)