• Home
  • About us
    • Get Updates from Women Travel
    • WomenTravelBlog.com meets WomenTravel.info
  • Tours for women
    • Stories of Tours
  • Accommodation
    • Accommodation Stories
  • Retreats
    • Retreat Stories
  • Local Guides
    • Local Tour Guide Stories
  • Tour Companies
    • Tour company Stories
  • Cheap Travel Insurance
    • OnLine Booking

Women Travel The World

Women Travel - stories and news for women travellers, solo travelers

womentravelannimated banner

  • Story Map
  • Destination Stories
    • Europe
    • North America
    • Asia
    • Australasia and the Pacific
    • Africa/Middle East
    • Central/South America
  • Niche Stories
    • Women Travel India
    • Women Travel New Zealand
    • Adventure Tourism
    • Budget Travel
    • Business Travel
    • Cycling Women
    • Eco/Sustainable Tourism
    • Food and Wine
    • Girlfriend getaways
    • Lesbian Travel
    • Packing Tips
    • Photography
    • Travel Resources
    • Volunteering
  • Links
    • Women Travel Links – our pick of the best
    • Rosemary’s Pick of Links For Volunteer Links and Work Exchange Travel
  • For WT Business
    • About Women Travel
    • Advertise Women Travel Businesses
    • Women’s Travel Business – Join us
    • WTW Promotional Items
    • Updates from Women Travel
    • Link to Women Travel
    • Login NOW
  • Travel Writing
    • Guest Bloggers Welcome
    • Women’s Travel Writing

Travelling as a Single Woman in Dubai

June 18, 2013 by Rosemary

Guest blog By Megan Claire – her Blog is Mapping Megan

Megan
Megan Claire in Dubai – travelling alone as a single female in the United Arab Emirates

While I now travel with my husband, I have spent the last 7 years travelling alone, and as a woman I am a huge advocate for travelling solo.  I was never willing to forgo a trip just because friends didn’t want to come along, and the experiences I gained from travelling solo have done wonders for my confidence and really shaped who I am today.  Not only does travelling alone completely push you out of your comfort zone, it forces you to interact with those who you wouldn’t normally interact with.   You’re free to wander at your own will, and don’t have to compromise your bucket list or itinerary to suit the needs of others!

While travelling alone as a single woman may have been a strange concept in the past, today it is very normal and quite common – everybody’s doing it!  I have honestly never really found myself in a position where my gender made it harder or more inconvenient for me to travel; however challenges do still exist in some countries despite the world generally being more open to women who choose to travel alone.  One such country is the The United Arab Emirates.

The United Arab Emirates is a Muslim country with very strong religious roots, and as with any country, travellers are expected to respect the local culture and customs while there.   The UAE is one of the safest places in the world to visit – however I learnt pretty quickly while in Dubai that women travelling alone are somewhat of a novelty, and attract a LOT of unwanted attention.  Never once did I feel unsafe while in the UAE, and my trip overall was a phenomenal one; however there were many instances when I felt incredibly uncomfortable.

As such, here are some tips for travelling through the UAE alone as a woman.

Dressing:

dubaiwomen
Local women resting in Dubai after shopping. Photo Credit: Flickr CC user emmamilley

The biggest challenge I faced was respecting Islamic traditions while trying to dress for the desert heat!  Being a Muslim country, modest dress is expected.  Revealing, tight or short clothing is not appropriate by any means, and you will genuinely offend residents by not adhering to a modest dress code.  I was asked to put clothing on by a hotel security guard at one point while making my way from the hotel pool back to my room.  Singlet tops, spaghetti string shirts or dresses, shorts or short skirts should be left at home.  Not only will clothing like this offend the locals, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb, and you’re asking for sexual harassment.

Don’t be overly friendly:

One of the biggest reasons to travel is to meet new people, and form new friendships.   Immersing yourself fully into another culture and becoming friendly with the locals is how travellers truly experience a destination.  However in the UAE, be mindful that acting in a friendly manner, while normal in your home country, can be misinterpreted as an ‘open invitation’ by Muslim men.

Engagement-ring
An Engagement Ring helped…

I spent a lot of time at the private beach facilities offered by my hotel, which was a big help in escaping unwanted male attention, however there were some times I couldn’t even escape this while on the hotel grounds.  During one of the days spent at the hotel, I became lost while walking around the Atlantis water theme park, and ended up underneath the slides in a ‘staff area’.  A kind young gentleman escorted me back to the main area of the park, and we engaged in general conversation on the walk.   At the end, however, instead of a handshake he went in for a kiss, and only narrowly got my cheek after I turned to avoid his mouth!

I promptly spent $40 on a fake engagement ring to wear around during the rest of my time in Dubai!

The best way to handle unwelcome attention is to completely ignore it.  Ignore the wolf whistles – there will be many – and do not engage in eye contact with any strange men trying to grab your attention on street corners.   Ignore any unwelcome comments, and if you are being directly harassed, making a lot of noise generally embarrasses the person involved.  Police in the UAE take sexual harassment extremely seriously.

Don’t Drink:

emirates
Even airline stewardesses employed by Emirates are expected to dress modestly. Photo Credit: Flickr CC user Ammar Adb Rabbo

The laws in Dubai are incredibly strict when it comes to alcohol consumption.  While alcohol itself is not banned, you can only purchase it at Duty Free Shops when entering the country – residents of Dubai need licenses to purchase alcohol from liquor stores, so you won’t be able to as a tourist.  Drinks can be purchased at bars, hotel clubs and in restaurants; however it’s honestly not worth it.  Being drunk in public is just as serious an offence as drinking and driving.

Benefits:

As mentioned above, travelling alone has many benefits.   The great thing about being a woman in the UAE is that women are normally seen first at post offices, banks and police stations, and quite a lot of places have queues set up just for women!

Bio

megan

Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging around the world for the last 7 years to inspire others to embark on their own worldwide adventure!  Her husband Mike is an American travel photographer, and together they have made the world their home.

Meg has recently launched “Mapping Megan”, an up and coming travel blog which aims to give you the best tips and advice on travelling, volunteering, living, working and holidaying abroad.  She hasn’t been everywhere, but it’s on her list!

write essays for me

You can follow her journey on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram also.

zp8497586rq

Filed Under: Featured writers, Middle East, Other women's blogs, Solo Travellers Tagged With: Dubai, solo traveler

Comments

  1. Maryl says

    June 19, 2013 at 7:28 am

    This is very helpful information. I’ve been intrigued by Dubai and hope to travel there soon. Something else to consider that I just became aware of and posted on my blog is hiring a personal tour guide when traveling alone or with a small group, http://bit.ly/11MAkVX. I included a resource where you can find local guides from all over the globe too. That way you could learn the customs quickly too Thanks for the info.

    • Rosemary says

      June 19, 2013 at 4:52 pm

      I have added a Local Tour Guide search on my Women Travel Website, to list and find women guides around the world. There are some great ones I already know about – Istanbul, Rome, Venice…. http://www.womentravel.info

  2. Frank says

    June 23, 2013 at 2:09 am

    Good post, not many go to UAE and I was curious. Can’t believe that guy went in for the kiss – curious how awkward that must have been!
    Keep up the good work!
    Frank (bbqboy)

Keep in Touch with Women Travel

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
email list sign up

WTW Quick Links

  • Accommodation for Women Travelers
  • Womens Tour Calendar
  • Womens Tour Business
  • Women Local Guides
  • Retreats for Women

More Stories here

Local Websites

wtnz Women Travel India

Great Packing Advice

whattowear

Women Travel NZ Blog

Rosemary Neave PO Box 17727 Sumner Christchurch 8840 New Zealand Phone +64 27 289 0383 Email Rosemary

Women Travel the World

Accommodation and Tours for Women in New Zealand around the World

Women Travel the World Blog

Stories from Women Travelers

Web2Blog:

Would you like a website like this? You can have one! Contact Rosemary

Rosemary on Trip Advisor

Follow Rosemary's travel and reviews around the world

Tags

Adventure Women Bali Indonesia Barcelona Bushwise Women Camino de Santiago de Compostela ceridwyn parr Cooking classes Cruises cycling holidays cycling women Food and wine India Italy Kerala keralablogexpress Ladies trekking Club Lesbian Lyn Taylor Morocco New York New Zealand Paris Tour pilgrimage Portugal Rensina van den Heuvel retreat for women road trip Safari sailing shopping skiing solo traveler Solo Women travel Spain Sustainable Tourism Thailand tours for women Tuscany Venus Adventures volunteer travel Walking Tours what to pack Wild Women Expeditions women travel women trekking
Olivia Jones Uluru Photo
Olivia Jones Uluru Photo Uluru base ride
Olivia Jones Uluru Photo
Blue Walk Walking Vacations - mindful walking
Global heart journeys
Wild women expeditions

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in