Where to go from Dubai?

December 17, 2008 9:24 AM

Where to go from Dubai? I'm going to Dubai in April with my Executive MBA program. I've read great posts on Dubai, but what would be the best place to go after for 4-5 days without breaking the bank. Sri Lanka? Cairo? I love history and sightseeing and likely won't get another opportunity for extensive global travel for some time. Basically, what's the best use of our time in this part of the world? Flying directly from Houston, so connecting cities are out.
posted by williamms to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

India? No shortage of history or sights there...
posted by Theloupgarou at 10:07 AM on December 17, 2008

Oman. Syria. East Africa. Nepal.

FYI: the job market is brutal in Dubai.
posted by nazca at 10:30 AM on December 17, 2008

If I were you, I would consider going to Istanbul, Turkey or look at taking a quick trip to Tunis, Tunisia. I think that you would get a nice taste of other cultures that are out of the Western cultural norm but are not as outrageous an over the top as Dubai. Additionally, these place are relatively close and safe (when viewed from the perspective of the rest of the Middle East/Northern Africa).

Here are some tourism related links:

Tunisia

Official site of The Tunisian National Tourism Office

Lonely Planet: Tunisia

US Department of State: Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets for Tunisia

Turkey

Official site of the Turkish Ministry of Tourism

Lonely Planet: Turkey

US Department of State: Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets for Turkey
posted by lrkuperman at 10:35 AM on December 17, 2008

Second India. Mumbai is 3 hours away, and i guess you can get some great deals there at the moment..... It's a great city full of life and well worth the trip.

Also consider more locally. Oman is really interesting and you can get there by car or plane.
posted by Fezzer at 11:03 AM on December 17, 2008

India or China. Both offer lots sightseeing options and a very different culture from UAE.
posted by xm at 12:05 PM on December 17, 2008

Syria. Definitely. Friendly, not too touristy, cool, fun, good food, lots to see and do, safe, you name it!

Just don't publicly announce your dislike for their dictator and there is nothing to worry about. You will not be bothered by anyone more annoying than an overzealous salesman in the souk (well maybe a taxi driver that tries to rip you off).
posted by Pollomacho at 12:30 PM on December 17, 2008

If you have any desire to go to Cairo, take this opportunity. I lived there for six months and could have spent another year. Never ran out of things to do and see. Watching the Pyramids grow and grow and grow as you ride toward them is simply one of the most amazing sights you will ever encounter. The Egyptian Museum is badly curated, but there is just so much stuff that I spent two entire days there one weekend and was still mad at myself about how much I missed seeing.
posted by Etrigan at 2:05 PM on December 17, 2008

Jordan.

Petra and other delights

I don't know if it might be too far for you, but flights from the Gulf to central Europe are pretty cheap. Prague, the Croatian coast, all of that is easy to get to from the Gulf. My best friend's brother lived in Kuwait and her husband was in Bahrain for a couple of years - both of them would visit central Europe pretty frequently without any sort of hassle.

If you make it over to that side of the Mediterranean, Pula is really gorgeous. There's also a train from Pula to Venice - takes about 3 hrs, and goes through Trieste and along the coast.
posted by Grrlscout at 1:01 AM on December 18, 2008

Air Arabia is a budget airline based in Sharjah (the next emirate, but a very short taxi ride nonetheless). They have great discounts sometimes and will get you anywhere fro Kiev to Kathmandu.

Damascus to Istanbul is a good trip, if you can manage in that time.

Oman is fantastic (but I live here, I'm biased - and it's pricey on travellers).
posted by xanthippe at 10:57 PM on December 18, 2008