Dubai

yep, i don’t know exactly about the cheapest fly but i may help you about few things ….what do you need to know exactly ?

Dubai, cheap? The good news is that the dirham is pegged to the dollar, so if you hold Euros, you’ll do well in Dubai.

I actually would like to know what it’s like to live there? Permanent! At least for some time. So any info would be very appreciated.

Sidharth Siva, a lightstalker member might be able to help you. But hey its a hot place.His email id sidsiva@gmail.com

hey any specific questions…be glad to help..have been in dubai for 2 years now

Hi Sarah – I’ve been here since mid 90’s and would be glad to help with any queries. Quite frankly I’ve had enough and am flying to Australia next week.
Also, check out http://vic77.tripod.com/vguide.htm
Regards
V

hey sarah, i was living in dubai since 1983 ~ 2003. If u plan on living there, these are few things to consider:-

1. Is ur workplace IN the city of Dubai, and not anywhere else in the UAE?
2. Can you or are u willing to go thru rush hour traffic crossing cities?
3. What is ur budget for the rent?

A lot of people who work in dubai, live in Sharjah; a neighbouring city to cut on their rental cost. But they then have to go thru the rush hour traffic commuting to Dubai (in the morning and evening). But they do save a lot. Also, in dubai itself there are areas of extreme cost of rent and areas that are almost comparable to some of those of sharjah. So its going to be a bit of a homework for you to find out.

The best way is to get down there, and look for urself and assess the pros and cons.

regards,
ali

hi Sarah -

i’ve been living in Dubai for about four years, and am on my way out of here in a few days back to Canada.

i think in general it’s a really really good place to be based if you plan to do a lot of work-related travel. in fact, it’s an excellent hub and you can be anywhere in the Middle East or South Asia within a few hours. this is perhaps its greatest virtue. the weather is also quite excellent for most of the year. and it’s multicultural..

however, yes, it’s extremely expensive and i would not recommend it if you are freelancing and are often between jobs. you require a solid income. other cons – there’s constant construction going on everywhere which is something to get used to. it’s a car culture and commuting is generally terrible. socially, too it’s a bit limited and takes quite a lot of time to develop a proper network of friends and relations.

there’s a good website for expats where you can get a better sense of things. http://www.dubizzle.com

as mentioned above, if you can invest in a visit here then you’d find most of the answers you’re looking for – including whether or not this place is for you. it happens almost instantaneously.

good luck.

- john

Hi Sarah – I’ve been here 30years. let me know if you need any specific info. Em or call me..Mohamed

Sarah!

I agree that Dubai’s greatest asset is the fact that its airport is the middle east’s busiest and that you can be in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka etc in only 4 hours. that is excellent. However the city itself… i’ve been there on three occasions in the last few years and i found the lack of history and middle eastern culture ( as opposed to Cairo, Damascus, Istanbul, Tehran and Beirut) very off putting. As in i would personally not like to live there. I don’t know how important that is for you but i thought you might want to know. That having said, the beaches are BEAUTIFUL!!

Good Luck

Dubai’s population is about 80% ex-pat. Most of these are peniless Indians and Pakistanis on 2 year visas. The CIA reckon the sex ratio is two men for every woman, it could be higher. Most housing is ethnically based (eg. looking for Shri-Lankan batchelor for flat-share), and this segregation can be found in the different parts of town. As a European, you will be expected to pay European prices.

This reply may be too late and you may already have made your decision but..

Dubai is great for expatriates. Two great sites that you may find useful:

http://www.emiratesvillage.com – A free classified site for the UAE helping you setup

Secondly, http://www.dubaijobspot.com – Jobs in Dubai Search Facility
Don’t worry, you’ll love it!!!