Dubai is truly a city built on dreams. Everything is bigger, better, tastier, more fun, and covered in gold. If you've ever wanted to live like a king for a day, Dubai is the place you should visit...
The Burj Al Arab Luxury Hotel
This hotel is covered with an absurd amount of gold leaf. The interior of the hotel has 1,790 square meters worth of 24-carat gold plated all over it. Imagine the walls being covered in 46,265 Mona Lisa's worth of gold.
Fashion is Huge
Dubai might not be what you think of when you consider the fashion capitals of the world. But, the city is an up and coming fashion hub that's chock full of young and exciting designers. Dubai is quickly making a name for themselves on the world stage, especially since their culture is so different from the rest of the fashion Meccas.
A Hub for Pearls
Initially, Dubai was a city that built its money on the pearl industry. It wasn't until the beginning of the 21st century that Dubai became a hub for the oil trade. Pearls are still considered to be a huge portion of the cultural income of the area, but they don't bring in nearly as much money as petroleum does.
Massive Class Divides
As Dubai gets larger, the divide between the upper and lower classes becomes wider. The majority of the occupants of Dubai are immigrant workers that live their day to day lives in uncomfortable impoverished conditions. Emirates natives get their rent, education, and medical bills paid by the government, and the other foreigners typically have high paying jobs that keep the poverty line low.
The Largest Indoor Ski Mountain
This artificial ski slope measures in at a total 22,500 meters large. This is by far the largest indoor skiing facility in the world. The mountain peaks at 85 meters high and this facility has the only indoor black diamond route on Earth.
Skyscrapers Are Coming Up
In 1991, Dubai only had one skyscraper. Now, over 400 skyscrapers decorate the vast skyline of downtown Dubai. That number is projected to double in the upcoming 20 years as well.
Going Up
Just 15 years ago, Dubai was really just a few buildings in the middle of the desert. Fast forward to now, Dubai is one of the largest and most lively cities on Earth. Due to a massive influx of wealth and culture, Dubai has quickly become one of the most popular global destinations to visit.
Wealth and Consciousness
Dubai, unfortunately, has one of the greatest wealth disparities in the world. With the rich being ultra-rich, the poor being ultra-poor, and not much in between, the city of Dubai has devised some paths of generosity from one side of the fence to the other. During Ramadan, the wealthy members of Dubai are encouraged to donate money to provide food for the poor.
The Largest Theme Park
This vast expanse is literally called "Dubailand." This theme park gives Disney World a run for their money, Since 2003, $55 billion has been pumped into this theme park. But, because of the current state of the world, Dubailand has closed its doors temporarily.
Tourism Highlights a Cultural Gap
Dubai is ruled under Muslim law, which requires women to dress modestly. When women from the western world visit Dubai, they are often shocked by how the public depicts their standard outfits as inappropriate. The people of Dubai have become more tolerant of the customs of the west, but they suggest that when visiting, you conform to the status quo.
Keeping Crime Low
Despite the abnormally strict laws and regulations in Dubai, there is a very low crime rate. However, it's assumed that the extremely harsh penalties for petty crimes are what keeps criminal activity at bay. If a crime happens, it's usually committed very carefully.
Building Artifiicial Islands
There are several natural islands off the coast of Dubai that have been bought up and artificially expanded upon in the past few years. Pictured here is the Palm Jumeriah island chain, which some in Dubai claim is now the eighth wonder of the world. This particular island system was built with enough sand to fill two and a half Empire State Buildings, and it's available for anyone to tour.
Luxury Cars Get Abandoned Frequently
Sharia Law states that if you are behind on or stop making car payments altogether, you will be sent to jail. So, there are hundreds of abandoned luxury cars just sitting around in Dubai. It's assumed that the majority of these cases are from car owners that fled from the country when they were unable to make their payments.
The City Within the City
The Mall of the World is almost done with its construction. This building will be the largest shopping mall on Earth, outfitted with over 20,000 hotel rooms and 50,000 parking spots. The entire building will be 500 million square feet large when it's finished.
Tourism is Huge
Although tourism isn't Dubai's main industry, it's definitely one of the most impactful ones for the city. Global celebrities and wealthy folk are all beginning to notice Dubai as the new up-and-coming city to visit. The Kardashians were some of the first celebrities to alert western society to the lavish lifestyle that one can live in Dubai.
Everything Must Be the Biggest and the Best
The philosophy behind Dubai is "enormous expenditure provides enormous results." Currently, Dubai is home to the tallest building in the world, as well as the largest indoor ski facility, shopping mall, amusement park, and aquarium (previously mentioned, but we're repeating just in case you missed it). In Dubai, bigger is better.
Dubai Vs. The World
The city of Dubai is constantly trying to one-up other places that have similar amenities. Currently, New York is the wealthiest city on Earth, but officials in Dubai are trying to change that. By offering incentives to wealthy investors, the city of Dubai may one day become the wealthiest place in the world.
Shop Till Ya' Drop
The retail economy in Dubai is huge. It's encouraged that every single person spends a fair deal of their time purchasing and consuming goods. Consumerism has become one of the only methods of entertainment in the city, and if you don't have enough cash, you won't be able to join in on the fun.
Gold Rules Everything
The inhabitants of Dubai show their social standing through extreme displays of wealth. You can buy gold virtually everywhere you look. Metalworking can be a supremely lucrative business if you're someone on the ground floor in Dubai.
Being Too Handsome Can Be a Crime
This is Omar Borkan Al Gala, a journalist and male model from Dubai. Recently, he was swarmed by women at a music festival because of how handsome he is. Due to this, he was asked to leave the festival and never return to Dubai.
Luxury Traffic Jams
Believe it or not, this is a fairly common sight in Dubai. Since there are so many luxury cars on the road, pretty much every traffic jam could be an automotive show. The traffic in Dubai is constantly backed up due to the influx of people and constant construction going on around the city. This exact scene could happen any day.
The World's Longest Gold Chain
This may come as a no-brainer when you're talking about the city that's obsessed with gold. But, Dubai is home to the world's longest gold chain. This 22K chain is roughly 18,116 feet long. That's as long as 78 Boeing 747's lined up back to back.
Big Fish Tank
The city of Dubai has made it a point to attempt to collect some of the largest and most expensive things in the world. Included in that list is the world's largest aquarium. In addition to that, the world's largest candy store is located within the world's largest aquarium.
Stopping to Smell the Flowers
It appears that everything is a competition that the city of Dubai is prepared to win. Dubai just recently set the world record for the largest flower structure in the world. This is a life-size recreation of an Emirate Airbus A380 made out of flowers. No, it does not fly.
Playing Tennis in the Sky
If you thought life in Dubai couldn't get more indulgent, this one is going to blow you away. Dubai is home to the world's highest tennis court, located on top of the fourth tallest hotel in the world. If you have enough cash, you can play a game in the clouds.
Zip Up
Extreme sports fans need to start counting their pennies and packing their bags right now, there's a new thrill in town. Although it's not as death-defying as sky diving, rock climbing, or paragliding, taking the Dubai Zip-Line is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This zip-line stretches 1.7 miles longer. Those who dare to hop on the line need to be prepared to get up to speeds of 90mph on their way down.
Every Day is Hot
Most days in Dubai settle around 75 degrees Fahrenheit and fall down to 56 degrees Fahrenheit at night time. However, the daily temperature of Dubai regularly goes over 100 degrees during the day and sits in the high 80's during the night. If you're going to travel to Dubai, remember to stay hydrated.
Love is In the Air
If you were planning on popping the question sometime soon, you should consider taking your special someone to the Love Lakes in Dubai. These manmade lakes are one of the most popular spots in the city for lovers to propose to one another. You can even set up a fireworks display to go off on your cue if you have enough cash to do it.
Separating Different Lifestyles
The western style of dressing isn't completely banned in Dubai. Very specific places are carved out for the western style of dress, but they are few and far between. Generally, it's a good rule of thumb to just follow the local ethics, if not, you might run into some trouble with the police.
Life is Better Where It's Wetter
If you have ever wanted to fulfill your little mermaid fantasies, you can in Dubai! Planning a trip to stay in the Atlantis underwater suite is pretty easy. However, finding an available spot for you and your loved ones may set you back a few months (or years) if you don't get lucky while booking.
Population Diversity
This may be shocking, but only about 17% of people living in Dubai are actual citizens of the UAE. The city has a huge population of global foreigners that travel to Dubai to make money. Since the markets in Dubai are so young and strong, this may come as a no-brainer.
Dubai is Chock Full of Exotic Pets
When there is extreme wealth, there will be exotic pets. Having dangerous and endangered animals as pets has become a fashion statement for those in Dubai. These animals are technically illegal to own, but when you have enough money, there is always a way to get through the law.
Water in the Desert
Sitting in front of the largest building in Dubai (also the largest building in the world) is the Burj Khalifa Lake. This fountain hosts the world's largest choreographed water system that holds two-to-three shows a day. The show can be seen clearly from across the man-made lake (which is nearly 5 kilometers long).
Robot Camel Jockeys?
This is no joke. robot camel races are a thing. In fact, betting on robot camel races is a multi-million dollar industry that is fairly stable. Similar to horse racing, the robot jockeys stabilize the camels and make sure they run on the track, the camel that runs the fastest wins.
Oil is Constantly Being Produced
Just because Oil isn't the largest market in Dubai anymore doesn't mean their production isn't insanely impressive. Every single day, the city of Dubai makes enough oil to fill four and a half Olympic sized swimming pools. That's roughly 50,000-70,000 barrels worth of oil.
Never Stop Growing
Dubai is quite literally always under construction. Currently, Dubai has the highest concentration of construction cranes in the world. In fact, literally 25% of the construction cranes on Earth are in Dubai right now.
Business is Booming
Expansion real estate is an enormous market in Dubai right now. There are no signs that the real estate market in Dubai is going to calm down within the upcoming years, so the city is trying to allocate its money into hiring direct contractors for its residents. In 2017, Dubai's budget for real estate growth was $12.88 billion.
Massive Expansion
Dubai is expanding as fast as the world will allow them to. But, the sheer number of people that are beginning to flock to the city has clogged up the public amenities faster than the officials expected. Traffic in Dubai is absurd, and there are not enough construction crews in the area to keep up with the expanding demand for wider roadways.
The Heat is a Problem
Since Dubai is located in the middle of a desert, heat is a pretty serious problem for the city's inhabitants. On top of that, frequent sandstorms threaten the livelihood of Dubai dwellers too. To combat that, buildings and houses need to be properly air-conditioned, and there are plenty of safe places for people to duck into if and when a sandstorm comes along.
Literal Gold Dispensers
This is one of the things that you can't find anywhere else but Dubai. Anyone with enough cash or credit can step up to this machine and purchase as much gold as they want. Seriously, it's that luxurious.
Separating Female and Male Police Officers
The police force in Dubai has a special unit for female officers only. This task force is employed when problems that are otherwise inappropriate for male officers to address. Over time, the field has widened and allowed female officers to become more deeply ingrained in the lucrative business that is being a police officer in Dubai. However, there is still a strict gap between male and female officer's interactions.
There Are No Addresses
One of the things that the city officials have put off since massive infrastructure growth started happening in Dubai is naming the streets. So far, nobody in Dubai has a real address. Most people address their homes with map coordinates and spoken directions.
Texting and Driving is a Huge Problem
Dubai is at the forefront of many industries, but its driving culture is extremely reckless and dangerous. Distracted drivers are the cause of the majority of car accidents that happen in Dubai. Many of these accidents are caused by young drivers who were texting or using social media before they crashed.
The World's Largest Automated Parking Lot
The city of Dubai has almost completely automated the parking lot process. An automated program will instruct you where to park, and it will alert you when you need to be back at your car. This took jobs away from thousands of individuals in the city, but nobody seems to pay any mind.
Absolutely No Debt Tolerance
Dubai can be alluring for outside folks. With high paying jobs, a tax-free income, and regular accessibility to the finer things, lots of people chase the high life here. But, if you start to fall behind on your payments, or wrack up any debt whatsoever, you will be deported or jailed without a second chance.
Custom License Plates are a Display of Wealth
Believe it or not, selling license plates is a multi-billion dollar industry in Dubai. A fair deal of unique license plates can go for over $10 million, but single-digit license plates can go for over $1 billion. License plates are a symbol of power, status, and prestige, so they are highly coveted by the upper class.
The Dubai Airport
The Dubai airport brings roughly $22 billion to the United Arab Emirates GDP annually. Believe it or not, oil is no longer the chief profit material for individuals in Dubai. Now, transportation, e-commerce, trading, financial advisement, and retail sales dominate the field.
Everything is 3D
Dubai is the host of the world's only completely 3D printed house. The house was printed with cement, it took 17 days to print out all the necessary components of the house. After that, designers only took two days to construct the home.
The Risk of Having an Exotic Pet
Unless you have special qualifications or a specific license to handle exotic animals, it is otherwise highly illegal. Depending on who you are, if you're caught with an exotic animal in Dubai, you can face up to a $140,000 and 6 months in jail. Those who have less money are typically punished harder than those who have more.
Premarital Sex is Illegal
Engaging in sex before marriage is a serious offense in Dubai. If two individuals get caught in the act, they can face long jail sentences or even deportation. If you chose to travel to Dubai, it's best to refrain from any sort of PDA, even holding hands can bring you negative attention.
The Western Gap
The citizens of Dubai tolerate a lot from their western tourists, but their policies on public displays of affection are a mainstay. Only married couples are allowed to hold hands in public, but that's generally frowned upon. Any physical contact between members of the opposite sex is prohibited. Sven shaking hands with a member of the opposite sex can land you a prison sentence.
Even the Cops Have Nice Cars
You won't see a police officer riding around in a normal car in Dubai. Each cop is given a foreign muscle car to both display the city's ample wealth and so they can catch people violating traffic laws in their own muscle cars. However, the crime rate in Dubai is so low that this is rarely an issue.
Cover Your Car in Gold
This may sound like we're joking, but gold plating your car is very popular in Dubai. Once more, this city's inhabitants pride themselves on their extraordinary displays of wealth. Gold plating their cars is just one more flex that people can perform if they have enough scratch.
Indulging in Ancient Past Times
Camel racing is the oldest sport in the UAE. Strangely enough, due to weight restrictions on camels, children used to be the jockeys in these races. Over the years, the sport has changed and replaced the children with lightweight robots that can be controlled remotely.
The Bubble Might Pop
You can only push an economy so far so fast. This rapid growth is projected to not be sustainable if things keep expanding at the rate that they do. The infrastructure of Dubai deeply relies on the retail industry and charitable donations, and if that dries up, Dubai is probably going to have to stop building upward.
You Can Get a Custom Cellphone
Nobody wants the newest version of the iPhone in Dubai. The wealthiest and greediest individuals are constantly seeking for a way to separate themselves from others, so they hire specialists to create custom cellphones for them. Lots of these phones function on the same operating system that android phones operate on, but they're typically 100-300x more expensive.
Air Conditioned Bus Stations
Even the most high-class individuals regularly take public transportation in Dubai. The bus stations that are strewn around the city are all air-conditioned and weatherproofed. We bet you wish they had these in your hometown.
So. Many. Camels.
Camels are actually an important part of the general economy in Dubai. Not only can you pay to ride a camel pretty much anywhere, but you can also purchase camel meat and milk in the markets. However, you won't find very many restaurants that sell camel meat because it is associated with the lower class.
Dating is a Struggle
Since romantic relationships are taboo in Dubai, they have yet to modernize their dating scene. People still get together and eventually marry by using the classified section of the newspaper. Typically, Dubai native's parents are the ones doing the matchmaking.
Safe Places for Tourist Families
Typically, you're supposed to keep your body covered at all times when you're on the beaches of Dubai. However, due to the tourism industry being so prevalent, it's impossible to request that all beachgoers refrain from showing a little skin. You can find places for you and your family to safely tan, but be sure to cover up before you head back into the city.
Marriage is Extremely Important
Marriage is considered a huge milestone in Dubai natives' lives. Divorce is highly frowned upon unless there were any outward circumstances. Once you commit to your marriage, that's your partner for life.
Fireworks are Extravagant
Fireworks displays are just one of the amazing things that you can run across when visiting Dubai. Typically, they're set up around holiday times, so if you book a trip for New Year's Eve, you'll be in for a treat. In 2018, there were 500,000 fireworks launched over the course of six minutes.
Bars Are in Short Supply
Dubai is a Muslum city, therefore the consumption of alcohol is not particularly popular. If you are a tourist and you want to consume alcohol. you need to purchase a license from the city. If you're caught drinking in a public place, you will be punished harshly. Some punishments include huge fines, jail time, and even a permanent ban from the city limits.
The Future of Transportation
Dubai is on the verge of creating the greatest metro system on Earth. Currently, their monorail train spans nearly 46 miles worth of open space and it's completely driverless. On top of that, getting on the metro is free!
Nightlife Like No Other
Despite being an overtly conservative society, Dubai natives know how to party. In fact, the city of Dubai organized a world record DJ relay session over the course of 4 hours in 2015. Since then, their record has been smashed by independent Manchester DJs.