Additional Coverage:
- I took my kids to Dubai for our first international trip. It would’ve been better if we’d avoided these 4 mistakes. (newsbreak.com)
On our first family trip abroad, we visited Dubai. Our group included myself, my husband, our two children, and my mother-in-law.
According to global market researcher Euromonitor International, Dubai was ranked as the second most popular city destination last year, which made it seem like a great choice for us. Excited for our 10-day adventure, we looked forward to the numerous attractions Dubai had to offer.
Unfortunately, we stumbled along the way, missing out on fully utilizing our time. One key mistake was our lack of time management at each destination.
A prime example of this was during our visit to the Dubai Mall. We had planned to catch the renowned musical fountain show, which occurs every half-hour until 11 p.m., but got carried away exploring other attractions like the mall’s aquarium and waterfall.
By the time we finished our meal, we had missed the final show for the evening. Moreover, we didn’t realize until too late that attractions like Legoland Dubai and Motiongate theme park required more time than we had allotted, resulting in our kids missing out on certain experiences.
We also discovered that operating hours for attractions can vary by the day. For instance, Louvre Abu Dhabi closes its galleries and exhibitions at varying times throughout the week and is closed on Mondays.
Our timing was poor, and by the time we arrived, it was nearly closing time. Additionally, we missed the opportunity to visit Dubai Dolphinarium due to it being closed on Tuesdays, our only available day.
Another lesson learned was the importance of booking ahead. We did not arrange tickets in advance for the highly recommended Museum of the Future, only to find out that the next available tickets were months away. Our failure to reserve early meant missing out on what could have been a highlight of our trip.
Furthermore, since our daily activities involved a lot of walking, not having comfortable shoes turned out to be a significant oversight. Our entire experience made us realize the importance of more practical footwear for such a trip.
In retrospect, a little more planning and awareness about operational details would have greatly improved our experience in Dubai. Next time, we’ll be better prepared to tackle the city’s adventures.