Travel Safety

Dubai is becoming ever more popular for British travellers with well over £1million holiday makers seeking the sun last year. Dubai is also home to more than 100,000 British nationals and is becoming a favourite for the rich and famous too! The majority of holidays to Dubai go without a hitch, trouble free, you turn up with your family, enjoy the hotel and the break...and then head back home. However, as with any holiday there are a few things that you should look out for, to make your stay as happy and safe as possible.

Passports and Money

• Whenever possible, leave your passport in the hotel safe, not in an empty hotel room, and not packed in your luggage.
• Your passport is the most valuable document that you will carry abroad. Please guard it carefully. Do not use it as collateral for a loan or lend it to anyone. It is your best form of identification.
• You may find that you have to carry your passport with you because you need to show it when you cash traveler's checks or the country that you are visiting requires you to carry it as an identity document. When you must carry your passport, hide it securely on your person. Do not leave it in a handbag.
• One family member should not carry all the passports for the entire family.
• Instead of cash, carry travellers cheques whenever possible.
• Coat pockets, handbags, and hip pockets are particularly susceptible to theft. Thieves will use all kinds of ploys to divert your attention just long enough to pick your pocket and grab your purse or wallet. These ploys include creating a disturbance, spilling something on your clothing, or even handing you a baby to hold! You can try to prevent theft by carrying your belongings in a secure manner. For example, consider not carrying a purse or wallet when going along crowded streets. Women who carry a shoulder bag should keep it tucked under the arm and held securely by the strap. Men should put their wallets in their front trouser pockets or use money belts instead of hip pockets.

Top Tip: wrapping your purse or wallet with a few rubber bands makes it very difficult to pull from your pocket (without you noticing)...give it a try!

General Rules

• Street crime is rare in Dubai..
• Female visitors should avoid travelling alone at night, if you have to travel call a reputable taxi firm.
• If you are travelling at night and see a disturbance or accident at the side of the road, drive on and call for help from your mobile or the nearest phone.

Common Sense

We do not wish to state the obvious, or offend anyone...but every year tourists are arrested at foreign airports. This is usually when exiting the country with over 1/3 held on drug charges, this is a global problem and is not limited to Dubai! Despite repeated warnings, and programmes showing how young (and old) people are conned and coerced - drug arrests and convictions are still a common occurrence. Many countries have stiff penalties for drug violations and strictly enforce drug laws. If you are caught buying, selling, carrying or using any type of drug - from hashish to heroin - you will be arrested!