My first trip out of the country that I remember was to Dubai (when I was a little girl I went to Spain but I don’t really remember).
Let’s start from the beginning: packing my bags to Dubai. It was quite challenging. To be completely honest, it was a nightmare. I had no idea how to dress in Dubai and every blog I read made me even more confused. Some of them said we could wear whatever we wanted: bikinis, short dresses, shorts, etc. Others said we had to cover ourselves from head to toe. And then, do I wear a bikini or a bathing suit? Where do we stand? As I couldn’t reach any conclusions, I decided to pack everything. As a result, I took a heavy suitcase full of clothes for only three days. So I’m here to help you avoid that!
You can basically wear whatever you want but be prepared to be stared at. Malls have signs instructing customers to cover their shoulders and knees. Despite that, when I went to Dubai Mall, half of the women were wearing short shorts and skirts. If you can deal with the unwanted attention, that’s up to you. Personally, that’s something I don’t feel comfortable with so I was extremely careful.
The most awkward situations happened on the subway. It was the place when I felt most uncomfortable. Men really stare at you and not with disapproval but with lust which is so repulsive.
What to wear
Dubai is a very developed and modern city but very conservative as well, especially if you are planning to visit Old Dubai and Deira, so please respect the local culture.
I always covered my knees and my shoulders and had a cardigan with me in case I needed to cover my arms. It actually ended up being really useful.
I would also advise you to have a scarf with you just in case you need to cover yourself a bit more or you need to cover your head.
Make sure to choose skirts or dresses that reach the knee and tops without cleavage that cover your shoulders. Jeans and trousers are fine and long dresses too.
If you want to go inside a mosque, there are very strict rules for your entrance and I mean very strict rules! I had to wear black leggings under my already long dress because you could still see my ankles. I mean, it’s an ankle. And my friend had to wear a scarf under the cardigan because it was a white cardigan and you could still see her skin tone. Women must cover the hair and entire body. They will also ask you to remove your shoes.
Even though I didn’t get to go to the beach, I decided to pack a one-piece instead of a bikini.
If you go on a safari, bring along a light cardigan because you can easily burn your arms in the desert. Also pack a hat or two as the sun can be intense. Don’t forget to pack a good sunscreen and sunglasses as well.
What to avoid
Revealing clothes will be considered disrespectful. Avoid short shorts or skirts, tank tops, crop tops, bikinis and cleavage in public. Sheer or tight clothing is also inappropriate.
Now you know how to dress in Dubai. As you can see, I kept all my shorts in my suitcase for the entire trip.
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