Habibi, come to Dubai! Five tips to ‘ball on a budget’

Dubai is one of the cities that have touched the bucket list of many, but for most, the concern is affordability. While the flights may be more reasonable than other destinations for South Africans, the cost of living… or visiting, is often exorbitant. 

Here are five tips to travelling and exploring Dubai on a budget.

1. EAT FAST FOOD 

One of the best ways to save money while in Dubai is to eat at fast food chains rather than sit-down restaurants. Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and many other malls will have fast food outlets such as KFC, McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s and more.

The average cost of a basic burger meal in fast food chains in Dubai range from AED 45 upwards. This equates to around R231 in rand with the current exchange of R5.15 to 1 AED.

2. USE THE METRO 

Commuting from one place to another is one of the costs that we don’t always account for, but often add up real quick. The first way to be wise about your spending on transport, is to visit places that are nearest to each other on the same day. 

Another good tip would be to use public transport such as the Metro. This may involved some walking, but it’s a scenic city.

From my personal experience, I found that using metered taxis was relatively cheaper than using an Uber or Kareem in the city. 

3. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE ENTRANCE FEES 

There are lots of places you can visit in Dubai that do not require an entrance fee. This includes The Dubai Mall, Dubai Fountain, Marina Beach, Old Town Dubai and more. 

4. MAKE BOOKINGS IN ADVANCE

You are likely to receive some kind of discount if you plan your itinerary ahead of time and make online bookings for each of the items on your list.

5. TRAVEL OFF SEASON

You can save a couple of thousands by travelling in off-peak seasons. For Dubai, the off-season is usually from April to October. During this time, you should be able to get cheaper flights and accommodation and there will be less crowds.

However, the down side of the off-season is that it is summer in Dubai from June to September. Temperatures range between 30 degrees celsius to 45 degrees celsius and sometimes even higher.

This does unfortunately make it a bit more difficult to visit tourist attractions in the day as the United Arab Emirates is still excessively hot, even in winter.

If you’re in Dubai, you may want to consider taking a trip to Abu Dhabi, which is just an hour’s drive away. One of the greatest tourist attractions is the Grand Sheik Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi.