Backpacking in Dubai

Dubai is fast emerging as one of the world’s top tourist destinations, so it should come as no surprise to learn that it is also becoming very popular with backpackers. The rapid growth of airlines such as Emirates has made it much easier to get to, and it is now a common stopover for backpackers on their way between Europe and Australia. You can fly to Dubai fairly cheaply if you book online with DialAFlight.

It has been estimated that expatriates make up a staggering 85% of the total population of Dubai. The main attraction for most of these incomers is money, as the average wage in Dubai is substantially higher than in most other countries, and its tax-free status means that citizens get to hang on to more of their income than they would in other countries. Most of the money in Dubai flows from their highly developed oil industry, although the rapid expansion of Dubai’s tourism industry has also played a significant role. For example, Emirates alone employs about 6,000 cabin crew, most of whom are young and well paid with a lot of spare time between flights. This means that the nightclubs in Dubai are never short of customers, no matter what night of the week it is.

If you are smart about it, you can party fairly cheaply in Dubai, as there are always plenty of special offers and happy hours available. While alcohol laws in Dubai are fairly strict, visitors are allowed to drink in licensed venues, as are ex-pat residents with a drinking license, which most of them have. Nightclubs are licensed until 1am, although there are always plenty of house parties going on afterwards if you want to stay out. As is the case in most cities, the clubs in Dubai tend to cater to a specific crowd, so it is worth finding out which clubs do the type of music that you like before you head out. The line-ups at nightclubs here tend to change more frequently than in most other places, so it can pay to get hold of a listings magazine such as Time Out Dubai.

Besides the nightlife, there are plenty of other fun attractions in Dubai, such as the Wild Wadi water park, which has the highest freefall water slide outside of the US and an uphill waterslide. There is also the highly unlikely Dubai Ski Centre, which is basically a giant freezer filled with real snow slopes. Alternatively, you could go camping amidst the beautiful and mysterious scenery of the Arabian desert, where you can hear the closest thing to complete silence you will ever find without going into orbit.