Moving to Dubai: What I’ve Learnt So Far

It’s been almost a year since I moved to Dubai from the UK. It’s been a good experience.

Here are a few things I’ve noticed. These might help if you’re thinking of moving here.

1. Dubai drivers are a bit wild. They’re not as polite as UK drivers. They can be aggressive. If they flash their headlights, it means “Get out of the way!” In the UK, a flash often means “I’m here” or “You can go.” It’s the opposite here. Sometimes I flash to let people in, and they just slow down, trying to let me go. I think the crazy driving is partly because of the road layouts. It feels like a toddler made some crayon drawings and they made the road layout out of it. The tricky clover leaf intersections and short lane merges and branches mean you have to be a bit aggressive. As the memes say, “you miss an exit and will end up in Saudi!” But, on the good side, it took me only 15 minutes to change my UK driving licence to a UAE one.

2. You can’t just drink tap water here. I still buy bottled water. But you can get big water bottles delivered regularly. Or you can have water filters put on your taps.

3. Places stay open late. Supermarkets, malls, and restaurants often stay open past midnight. This means you can actually go out and do things after work, unlike in the UK.

4. But places open late too. Unlike the UK, most shops open after 10 or 11 AM. If you need something very early, it can be tricky.

5. They deliver fuel to your home. There’s a service called CAFU. A green truck comes to your home after you book it with an app. I usually leave my fuel flap open overnight. Then I book them to come and fill it up while I’m asleep.

6. There are many food delivery apps. Talabat, Careem, Noon, Deliveroo, Smile. All these have loads of restaurants and cafes. You can get fast food or healthy meals. Even Keto or low-carb choices are available.

7. Service is cheap. We have a maid once a week and a gardener three times a week. The gardener also washes my car once a week. It’s much cheaper than in the UK. Many people in Dubai even have live-in maids or nannies for a good price.

8. They have an app for everything. Going out at night and need a temporary driver to take your car home? There’s an app for that. Want a handyman to put up your TV? There’s an app for that. Want your trainers cleaned and made new? Yep, there’s an app for that too.

9. You need an Emirates ID for most things. This includes renting a home or car, setting up bank accounts, and getting medical insurance. Mine took a month to arrive.

10. Most things happen on WhatsApp. It’s normal to do business this way. People even share scans of their Emirates ID or passport on WhatsApp.

What I’ve Learnt So Far

Moving to Dubai has been a big change, but a good one. Things are different here, from how people drive to how you get your water. But the city offers a lot of convenience, like late-night openings and many handy apps. It’s a place where things are always happening, and there’s usually an easy way to get things done.

If you are thinking of moving to Dubai, sure, it’s getting a bit overcrowded, but still “Habbibi! Come to Dubai!”