2021 DUBAI TRAVEL GUIDE 🇦🇪

Dubai, a city from the future that is living in the present with over 3.3 million people living here. You will be surprised that 85% of those people are expats or immigrants. This city has everything from the highest forms of luxury to the tallest building in the world. And in this video guys, we're going to share with you a complete travel guide on how you can navigate this city from start to finish. So make sure you stick around to the end so you don't miss out on any of this amazing content we have to help you guys learn as much as possible before getting to Dubai. What's going on guys and welcome back to the channel. Sadly, this is going to be my last video of Dubai, but I have some great content coming after that. Anyways, first off, I just want to mention if you guys are new here, my name is Mack Candy, also known as World Nomad, and I'm currently traveling all around the world making videos like things to do, travel guides, cost of living, and so much more. So make sure you hit that subscribe button if you haven't already, and let's go ahead and hop right in. So the first thing I want to cover on the list is transportation to and from the airport. So you just arrived to Dubai and you've got to figure out how you're going to get from the Dubai airport to where your accommodation is. So there's three different ways you can get there. Three most common ways. Number one is going to be, you can take the Metro. That's going to be your most inexpensive option. And it's very simple to get to the Metro because it's actually connected to the airport. Number two on the list is you can hop in a taxi or you can hop in a Kareem. Kareem is basically like an Uber, you can also get an Uber as well, but Uber is usually going to provide more higher end cars, so you'll pay a bit more than you will for Kareem. And your third and final option is going to be, you can get a rental car. Just keep in mind that when you were driving in Dubai, there are a lot of speed traps, so you don't want to exceed the speed limits there. I know a lot of people have gotten quite a few tickets in the mail. Gas is very cheap though in the United Arab Emirates. So the nice part is if you are doing a rental car, you won't spend too much money. In general, transportation around Dubai is actually quite inexpensive because of those fuel prices. And like I said with the Metro, it's a very inexpensive way to get around as well. So next on the list is going to be, where should you stay? I'm going to give you four recommendations and I put them in the order on which I think are the best, but I'm going to explain to you each one's perks and you'll maybe figure out which one you think is the best. So number one on the list I would say is staying somewhere right in the Dubai Marina. And in the Dubai Marina, you're going to have just so much near you, you're going to have a really beautiful area when you have lookouts from, if you're staying at a Airbnb or apartments or a hotel and you have a balcony, amazing, amazing views. And also there's so many restaurants in those areas and a really great area just to be able to walk around. Number two on the list, which is kind of near the Dubai Marina, which is actually the Jumeirah district. And in this area, you're once again going to have a lot of perks, like you're going to have a beach very close to you. You're going to have so many things to do and restaurants and a really nice ambiance to it. Number three is going to be Business Bay. I included this one on here because Business Bay is where the Dubai mall is, where the Burj Khalifa is. So obviously it's a hotspot for tourism. There's a lot of great places to walk around in that area. And so depending on how much time you have in Dubai, if you want to hit some of the main things in Dubai, like yeah, the Burj, the mall, and some of those other top, top things to do, most well-known iconic things to do, then maybe staying in that area would be best for you. And number four on the list is going to be staying at the Palm Island. So like I talked about in another video, if you saw on things to do in Dubai, there is a beautiful, beautiful manmade Island, a $12 billion Island that's in the shape of a palm tree that you can see from outer space. And there would be an amazing place to stay. You're probably going to pay a little bit more out there. Things are a bit more higher end, but in general, you're going to see similar pricing throughout these different places I've told you, but that's going to be one of the most iconic places to stay at. I put it as number four because it's not the most budget friendly in most of the places, but it is beautiful. So you kind of get what you pay for. And then for types of accommodations in general, you're going to have like what you find in most cities, you're going to have high-end hotels. So option number two, which is usually my go-to in most cities, you can stay at Airbnbs. I stayed in an Airbnb for the entire month that I was there. And I really prefer that just because I like to have the apartment style living. I will say that you can find some really high-end Airbnbs, or you can find some that are a bit more modestly priced. It just depends on where you look. And number three, you can actually find some hostels in Dubai, surprisingly. You would think with such a modern and expensive city, they may not have hostels, but they actually do, and they have quite a few options for hostels. And you can get them for as cheap as even $20 per night, $20 per night to be able to stay in them. Next, I'm going to share with you apps that you'll want to download prior to going to Dubai. They're just going to help you out so much. Number one on the list is to download the Kareem app. The Kareem app, like I said in this video earlier, it's going to be similar to Uber, but it's more modestly priced. Uber is going to be a bit more expensive. They're usually driving higher-end cars, which is more money for you to spend. Whereas Kareem connects you with taxi drivers, and it works the same way as Uber, where you make the payment through the app, order it, get dropped off, and you're tracked the whole way. So a very safe way to do it. Number two is going to be the Kareem bike rentals. All around Dubai, there are basically bikes that you can rent, and they're stationed all over the city. So if you want to do a quick bike ride to get from place to place, that option's available for you, and so you might as well get that app downloaded so you have it. Number three on the list is going to be the Dubai Mall app. The Dubai Mall is actually the largest mall in the world, and it is so big that you can easily get lost. So if you download the Dubai Mall app, then you're able to actually type in the store you want to go to when you're already at the mall, and it'll give you a walking GPS directions on how to get there. So it's super helpful. I went to the Dubai Mall maybe 10 times, and I used it basically every time. And number four is RTA Dubai. RTA Dubai is going to be for all of the transit information. So whether you're taking metros, buses, all of that, you can find schedules and information in that app to help you get around the city. And so the next section I'm going to share with you is getting around the city. So I briefly talked about getting to and from the airport. There's going to be some overlap with what I'm saying, but I'm going to go a little bit more in detail with things like the metro so you can get a better understanding of how it all works. So you can take the metro, and that actually runs the entire length of Dubai. So it was my go-to for transportation. Number one, because it was super cheap, and number two, it was very, very efficient. So when you're taking the metro, you actually have two options. You have the normal class, and then you have the gold class. Use your gold card, and that can get you into the first class cabin. So usually it's less crowded, and you have more of a chance to find a seat. So I'll show you once we get in there as soon as the train arrives. This is the gold cab. As you can see, there's not as many people in this metro as other ones. You have a little more space, comfortable seats, and it's a bit more breathable. So for me, since I was going all the way to the airport from the Marina area, which will take me like an hour, I decided I'd pay a little bit more just because it would be worth it to be able to have a seat, get a few things done while I'm on the train, more productive. So just an option for you so you know. Because the main cabin area, you have a lot of the workers in Dubai transporting during most of the day's hours, and so it can be very tough to find a seat, and you'll be standing for a while. And so for me, sometimes I would take the gold cabin, but if I was trying to save money, then I would just take the normal cabin. Make sure when you enter the metro, you enter in the center cars. The first day I arrived here, I didn't see the massive signs on the floor that say women and children only, and you'll see that either at the front or the back of the train. And so you can actually get fined as well if you're going in those areas and you're not a woman or a child. Two, you have rental cars, of course, and two options. I mean, you're in Dubai, everyone's renting Lamborghinis out there, so know that is an option. You're just going to obviously pay quite a bit of money for it. I don't have a specific supercars recommendation for you because I didn't rent one while I was there, but when you're there, you see Lamborghinis everywhere. You see Ferraris, you see so many exotic cars, and a lot of people love to do that while they're in Dubai. So that's an option for you if you're interested in that. Otherwise, you can rent basically like a standard rental car for pretty decent prices actually. But as I mentioned already, just make sure if you are renting a rental car, you're driving at max the speed limit or below, or they will be sending you a lot of tickets. I know some people that have gotten quite a few. And number three, if you're looking for the efficient way to get around, if you're going out drinking, if you're going out for some fun, then it's important to know that you have, like I talked about already, Uber and Kareem to get you from point A to point B. The prices are quite reasonable. If you're used to prices like I am in the United States, they're very similar, I would say, in terms of what it costs you to take an Uber or a Kareem around the city. As I mentioned also, the Kareem bikes, I talked about the app already, so just know once again, I'm going to repeat myself, but you have the bike options to get around the city as well. Last but not least, you have the option to walk around. This is my preferred way if I'm not going too far. If I'm just going a couple of miles, I'll stroll around because that's a really great way to get to know the city. I know this one kind of goes without being said, but Dubai is a very walkable city if you're in a specific district. If you're going from the Dubai Marina to the Burj Khalifa, you need to take some mode of transportation, otherwise it would take like five hours to walk there. The city is very, very spread out because it's not like a normal city where it's all surrounded in one specific area. It's all kind of stretched out along the coastline and that gives you the whole Dubai. And so it's very stretched from that point. So you can't walk the whole city, but you can definitely walk quite a bit of it. Moving on to our next point, whether you should use cash or you should use credit. So Dubai is a futuristic city. You can probably imagine that basically every single business accepts credit cards, which is really nice. You don't have to carry cash on you. And if you're like me, you can still get your credit card points, rewards points by swiping with your card instead of paying in cash. So I will say the only time I needed cash when I was in Dubai was when I was in old Dubai and I had to pay for a couple of very small cost items, both at like a souvenir shop and then also to cross the Dubai Canal. I hopped on like a one Durham boat to cross and they wanted to have cash. And so other than that, I never needed cash in the entire month I was there. So just keep that in mind. It is nice to have some cash on you anyways, just in case something comes up. And here and there, if you've had some really nice service, sometimes it's nice to leave people a few Durham's tip as well. So I would recommend having some cash, but don't think that you need to have a whole bunch with you. One thing I'll say, if you are paying with credit cards, make sure that they don't have foreign transaction fees. Otherwise, it's going to cost you a lot of money and it'll negate those rewards points you're going to get. Next on the list is dining out. There are so, so, so many places to dine out in Dubai. I could talk about this for hours, but in reality, anywhere you go in the city, you're going to have so, so, so many options. For me, my personal favorite places to go out to eat were in the Dubai Marina area. There was just a limitless amount of restaurants from basically every type of culture you could ever imagine. And number two on the list is the Dubai mall. I loved the food there. There were so many options, so many really great restaurants. But keep in mind at the Dubai mall, you actually cannot purchase any alcohol at the restaurants. They don't sell them. It's against the regulations. Some of the other restaurants that you go to in the Dubai Marina, you can find it. So that's just something to note. There are some places in the city that sell it, but it's not like in the United States where every single restaurant, basically every single restaurant you can buy alcohol. And number three on the list that I'll mention would be the Jumeirah area. So in the Jumeirah area, you are going to find all of these restaurants right along the coast. It's also called in Google Maps, the Marina Beach area. So just keep that in mind. But yes, so many good restaurants in that area. You will be in love. And speaking of eating, if you want to get groceries, the good news is, is there are grocery stores everywhere. You can find them at pretty much every other corner throughout the city. And you can get pretty much any type of products you need. I personally ate out for basically every meal. So I only went to the grocery stores a couple of times to buy some snacks. But in case you plan on making more of your meals, they are very readily stocked with basically anything you need. I didn't run into any issues where I was not able to find what I was looking for at the grocery stores. Okay, so next on the list is things to do in Dubai. Let me first off mention that I'm only briefly going to cover this section. And the reason being is because I created two separate videos that covers a total of 30 things you should do in Dubai. I spent a full month in Dubai. So let me tell you this. I know this city very, very well. And I guarantee you, if you check out some of my other videos, the five best things to do in Dubai, plus 25 things to do in Dubai. I'll put the links in the description below so you guys can check them out. They are super, super beneficial. But in general, you can do some super luxurious activities in Dubai, some adrenaline junkie type activities, whether it's ziplining at the longest urban zipline in the world, or taking a helicopter tour around Dubai, or even skydiving over the famous Palm Island. The list is endless for you adrenaline junkies. If you're looking for more of a bunch of beach days, this place is loaded with beaches all along. It's built right on the water, and the weather's warm basically all year round. Honestly, sometimes too hot. So you'll spend a lot of time at the beach to stay cooled off. And also, there are day trips you can do outside of Dubai. There are a lot of places a little bit further out in the desert. You have Abu Dhabi that is just about a two-hour drive away. So you really have so many different types of things you can do for pretty much any type of person. So next section, we're just going to cover some other miscellaneous tips that might be helpful for you. Let's say you need to get a haircut. I just want to mention that you'll pay between $25 to $30 for a good haircut, but you have barbers, you have salons all over. You can open up Google Maps and just type in barber, hairdresser, whatever, and you'll be able to find a lot of different options. I found one place just by walking past it when I was in the Dubai Marina area, and it was one of the best haircuts I've ever gotten, so I went and saw them twice. Number two is you'll have gym options. There are gyms readily available for you all over. The good news is, though, is a lot of the large skyrises, they have gyms in them. A lot of the hotels, they have gyms in them. So if you're just coming for a short period of time, you might be able to check that box there. But if you are looking for a larger gym that has basically every possible machinery or equipment, they have those all over the city. I personally did not go to any, but I did see them when I was exploring the city. I had a gym inside of my Airbnb complex, and so I was able to work out there. So next on the list is going to be coworking spaces. I've recently added this section into the travel guides based on a lot of people requesting it, and we're going to share with you a couple of great options that I explored. Specifically, two of them that are more of like an internet cafe coworking space, and then one is more strictly a coworking space without the whole restaurant scene of it as well. So today I'm in the El Quaz Industrial Area, El Quaz Industrial 3 to be specific, and I'm spending my day working here at TechArk, which opens every single day at 9 a.m., and it is a free coworking space. So let's go on in and show you guys what this place is like. So guys, it's got a really nice and comfortable environment. There is plenty of space to come set your laptop up and make a full day working here. There are two levels here. So on your first level, you got a really nice ambiance to this place, and you have a bunch of different desks, outlets, everything you need, and they have food, beverages, so you're taking care of all day. This is where I'll be posting up for the day to get some work done, and I'll show you guys the upstairs as well. And right over here, you have some spaces right inside where you can get a little more quiet space because it's glassed in for the most part, outlets and everything. And then guys, up here on the second level, we have more coworking space right here, a little bit more secluded area as well, so you can get some of that privacy. A nice view. I really love that it's very much like open air, and it just feels like a place where you can come and hang out all day and get so much work done. All right, guys, so we just got to our next spot here, which is actually at Culture House. So come on in. We'll show you around. All right, guys, so we just got here to Culture House, which is centrally located down in the Jumeirah 1 district. This place is super cool because as the name says, Culture House, it basically integrates a bunch of different cultures around the world to create this really cool environment, very well decorated, that's perfect to come spend a couple hours or a full day getting some work done, enjoying some delicious coffee, and trying out their all-day breakfast. So I'll give you guys a quick tour of this place. The first spot we're in here, there's a bunch of booth seating through here. You can come just by yourself or with some friends and hang out here. Going into the next room, you can find a bunch of various cultures here, all integrated with photos. We have designs and some cool walls here to mix it all together. And then going on out to the patio, this is where I'm going to be spending a little bit of time getting some work done. I personally love being outside. It's a great way to be able to think, get my creative energy going, and work on videos like this for you guys. Ooh, and my favorite part of the day, guys, which is it is time to eat breakfast, which I think has definitely become my favorite meal of the day. I've got this amazing avocado toast. Like, the presentation of this food is literally perfect. Like, every square inch of it is perfectly curated, and it's making me that much hungrier. Right here, if you guys know me as well as you think you do, a little acai bowl. Ooh, granola, some berries on there. This is going to be so, so good. All right, guys, and that wraps up our time here at Culture House. It was an amazing experience. From the food, the delicious options, I feel so refreshed, ready to get a head start on this day. See you at the next spot. All right, guys, so I just got here to the Design District, and specifically to ReUrban Studio. It is a very cool and trendy co-working space that's right in the heart of the Design District, where there are restaurants surrounding it, and a lot of good spaces where you can work. Whether it require group spaces to collaborate, private offices for your own space, or community tables, you have everything, including coffee, that you need for a typical office experience. All right, guys, so that pretty much wraps up this travel guide. I really hope it's been beneficial to you. It covers basically everything you need to know at a general point of how to get around Dubai, where to live in Dubai, where to stay, where to go out. And of course, if you want to know more about the things to do, I definitely recommend you guys check out my five best things to do in Dubai, and also the 25 things to do in Dubai video that I put together. They cover so, so many things to do, and I think it'll be really helpful in figuring out what you want to do while you're in Dubai. And so, guys, if you've enjoyed this video, make sure to smash that like button. It helps so much, and I really, really appreciate it. And so, if you want to see more videos like this, make sure to hit that subscribe button below, and we will see you guys in the next video, where we're going to be in Egypt.