Dubai

My daughter and family have lived in Dubai for 8years....H and I have been over to them about 20 times and I love it...did all the 'tourist ' stuff on first visit....we now go to more off the beaten track places....but do still visit Deira and the souks.....give it a go MayBee70 🙂

Cape Town? Overnight flight straight down and NO jetlag whatsoever.

12 hours is a bit jet lag’y. Dubai is 7 so not too far. It’s worth noting, though. We were verbally abused in Dublin a few years ago. It was very unpleasant. We’d only wandered slightly away from the main tourist streets.

Belize?

About 12 hrs to LHR. Zip-line, beaches, scuba, jungles, Mayan ruins.

My husband was pick-pocketed - but I was in London. That's life.

We stayed in Dubai for 2 nights to break a journey to South Africa. We hated it. We didn't like the fact that you couldn't walk anywhere at night time. Our hotel faced an 8 lane very busy highway and we were surrounded by other high-rise hotels (the hotel was lovely, but we like to walk out and about in the day and especially in the evening after dinner). I honestly wouldn't go even if you paid me - for us, apart from the hotel, Dubai had no redeeming features whatsoever. A total waste of money. Much prefer to visit a country with history and culture, little of which was evident in Dubai.

Witzend

Hetty58

Witzend, a beautiful landscape, warm weather and the opportunity to earn really well - still, I can't just (conveniently) 'leave aside' human rights. Whether they're exploited, too, by others elsewhere - makes no difference. I wouldn't spend my money there (as I have scruples).

I wouldn’t call Dubai a beautiful landscape!

Sand dunes, Oasis and The Old Town.

There is more to Dubai than Hotels and Shopping Malls.

Hetty58

Witzend, a beautiful landscape, warm weather and the opportunity to earn really well - still, I can't just (conveniently) 'leave aside' human rights. Whether they're exploited, too, by others elsewhere - makes no difference. I wouldn't spend my money there (as I have scruples).

I wouldn’t call Dubai a beautiful landscape!

MOnica
I have a friend who worked for the MOD and spent many years in the Gulf States.
He often spoke about the disdain the Arabs have for other races.

Almost all of the above is true. We've stayed in Dubai. It is a rather artificial place created by enormous oil wealth and a matter of taste. It's human rights are about the same as some other Islamic states. I wouldn't bother going a second time unless it was a stopover or cruise joining port.

North Norway? Exciting things for youngsters to do. Husky sled rides, wolf experiences, ice hotels? All a bit different.

I only saw a bit of Australia as we were joining a cruise ship in Sydney. We had a few days in Sydney and went to the Blue Mountains, toured Sidney, and saw the Australian wildlife at the wildlife park. The cruise ship’s first port was Melbourne where we did a walking tour. I enjoyed it all. Then we cruised to New Zealand and saw a lot there. However Maybee says this holiday is only for a week, half term maybe? So Australia or New Zealand aren’t practical. I’m wondering if the family have been to Norway? Or Sweden? America is doable in a week, but only one destination, so Florida, or New York, or New Orleans?

I loved Australia although I didn't expect to! Of all the places I've been I liked it best.

I'd like to revisit Singapore but someone we met there said she thought it was too sanitised, she preferred Vietnam and Cambodia.

MayBee70

halfpint1

My son worked in Dubai on a 2year contract, no amount of money would make him stay longer.
I have visited Morroco twice in spring , loved it, perfect temperature.

I know a few people that have worked there but have lost touch with them. I did have some friends that lived and worked in Singapore for many years. It set them up financially but t sounded like an awful place to live, especially with the humidity. They sent one of their children back to England for schooling for a while: something I could never have done. I never thought of what maps look like in Australia: it makes my head hurt a bit trying to do so. I was supposed to be having a holiday in Australia a few years ago but wouldn’t leave my dog in kennels as she was getting a bit old. I’d love to travel again. So much of the world I haven’t seen.

I never thought of what maps look like in Australia: it makes my head hurt a bit trying to do so
It's something I never thought of either, Maybee until i saw them in bookshops.
That's the reason we didn't get another dog, it would have been impossible to spend months over there frequently, we couldn't leave a dog even with family, for that length of time.

Witzend, a beautiful landscape, warm weather and the opportunity to earn really well - still, I can't just (conveniently) 'leave aside' human rights. Whether they're exploited, too, by others elsewhere - makes no difference. I wouldn't spend my money there (as I have scruples).

Leaving aside the qs. of human rights, migrant workers, etc* , we lived in the area (Abu Dhabi and Oman) for many years. Oman is certainly less touristy and much more spectacular scenery wise, but there is v likely more to amuse older children/teens in Dubai.

The general area is great for virtually guaranteed warm sun in the depths of the U.K. winter, plus nice beaches, and reasonably warm - or at least not 🥶 - sea.

When we were resident, lots of grandparents, inc. both our sets of parents, came more than once for Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it.

*I would just add that many of the migrant workers in dh’s company came from India, and IMO were exploited most by the Indian agencies who arranged the jobs - taking a lot of their initial earnings, a lot more than seemed fair, as I heard more than once from disgruntled workers.

In the course of my job at the airport I had to reply to scores of letters from Indians asking for jobs - there was certainly no shortage of people more than willing to come for considerably higher wages than they’d have got at home.

I particularly remember dh telling me of a man in their plant yard (maintaining and fixing their many vehicles) who was doing a fairly menial job, but who had a degree and had been employed in a graduate capacity at home, but had taken this considerably better paid work in order to be able to save.

halfpint1

My son worked in Dubai on a 2year contract, no amount of money would make him stay longer.
I have visited Morroco twice in spring , loved it, perfect temperature.

I know a few people that have worked there but have lost touch with them. I did have some friends that lived and worked in Singapore for many years. It set them up financially but t sounded like an awful place to live, especially with the humidity. They sent one of their children back to England for schooling for a while: something I could never have done. I never thought of what maps look like in Australia: it makes my head hurt a bit trying to do so. I was supposed to be having a holiday in Australia a few years ago but wouldn’t leave my dog in kennels as she was getting a bit old. I’d love to travel again. So much of the world I haven’t seen.

Joseanne

Oh MayBee70, this has been an emotive thread for you, a bit of a roller coaster ride or buggy jump (since we're talking holidays!)
Please don't be upset, for what it's worth, I agree that once your family and particularly the children are being attacked, I think it is time for you to get the thread removed.

I have both explained and apologised

I just cannot understand why anyone would want to visit - or finance - that place. Surely, we want to support human rights?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Dubai

My son worked in Dubai on a 2year contract, no amount of money would make him stay longer.
I have visited Morroco twice in spring , loved it, perfect temperature.

That wasn't meant to be unkind, btw
It just made me giggle.

Of course, if you look at maps in Australia and New Zealand, Iceland is near the bottom

It's certainly taken an unpleasant turn.

Although, before it goes, I'd just like to say that this made me laugh, Maybeee:

They’ve done Iceland. Found it amazing. Said it was impossible to top it.

Only the Arctic tops it?

Well some of these posts have lost me… a parallel universe or what ?

Oh MayBee70, this has been an emotive thread for you, a bit of a roller coaster ride or buggy jump (since we're talking holidays!)
Please don't be upset, for what it's worth, I agree that once your family and particularly the children are being attacked, I think it is time for you to get the thread removed.

We love it. Have been several times.