Dh still wants to book a holiday to dubai in Oct?

[Redrobinrose]

He think this will all soon blow over

Reasons for going there, it's not too far to fly, the sea is nice and warm, and the beach nice, nice standard of hotels and restaurants

I’d wait until this conflict is finished tbh

Yawn

There are lots of hot countries, and places with shopping malls. Tell him you'd rather go somewhere not in a war zone.

I can't see the appeal of Dubai at the best of times but it's nuts to think about going there now. I know October is a way off but still.

Book refundable tickets. I'm assuming it'll blow over soon. We've been to Dubai before, it's nice there. We went in December. October is slightly warmer but at least it's not August.

Your DH is being an idiot.

It will no doubt all be over by then.

But - I’d be waiting until far later in the year to
book…! You’ll probably get some good deals in the weeks following the end of this conflict ;)

Ok yes your right, a handful of decades of suddenly wealthy camel herders paying low wages, exploiting workers and forcing poor living conditions and restricting movement is way way worse 😃.
Spain on the other hand built itself with only a few centuries of slavery (were talking real slavery here where people were genuinely owned, forced to work for nothing, raped and murdered at a whim). Spain only abolished slavery about 150 years ago.
For centuries Spain built itself on massive scale genocide and colonisation. But I guess if you like Paella and Rioja you can look past that 🤦.

I very much doubt that it'll be easy or even possible to book a holiday in Dubai with most providers. Not while this is ongoing. Nobody knows how this is going to pan out and the infrastructure might take a real hammering (Iran knows that hitting the airport and resort sites will harm Dubai's tourist economy).

I know MNers are currently looking down on 'Dubai bashing' threads but honestly OP, there are so many other places you could go for winter sunshine. (or maybe just accept that it's cold in winter, we have seasons for a reason, and go somewhere only moderately warm and just enjoy that it's not the UK?) Dubai is built on indentured labour and abuse, and it's not nice to Westerners who spend lots of money there but then slip up 'morally'. (like being in a same-sex relationship, or 17 years old and out there with a boyfriend, etc)

My thoughts exactly. I wouldn’t go to Dubai even if someone offered me an all expenses paid week in a 6 star hotel. Fake place, full of fake people with a horrible fake lifestyle.

I have a conscience and I have been there.

Butlins Skegness but take your thermals.

I wouldn’t be going to Dubai even if this madness wasn’t happening right now. Go somewhere with natural beauty and that isn’t built off the back of slave labour.

You would have got more helpful responses had you posted in the travel section. We have a holiday booked at the end of March as a surprise birthday present for dd. We are going to contact Emirates regarding a refund tomorrow. As it is an emerging situation it is very difficult to know how long it will go on for. Personally I wouldn't book for October now. If you are able to travel by then and still wish to you may well find a cheaper deal at that point as they look to recoup costs. You could set aside the money and decide then or of course book somewhere else.

Oh come off it. Of COURSE Spain has historically done terrible things as a colonial power, an enslaver, a religious terror regime ... so has England. Portugal spearheaded the slave trade in the 17th century and nobody talks about boycotting their timeshare in the Algarve.

We have a different mindset now. We think that enslaving people, or forcing them to work whilst taking their passports, is sort of wrong, and that maybe you might not feel that cosy on a luxurious holiday built on that work.

I mean, Dubai must have something going for it given the huge numbers of people who flock there from the UK. My aesthetic objections can be dismissed as snobbery so there's probably no point in saying, there are plenty of Mediterranean locations where you can upgrade to as much luxury as your pure affords, plus lots of interesting historical sites for when the beach gets boring, plus you can kiss your boyfriend in public... but to say that everywhere else is equally tainted is disingenuous.

Yet ANOTHER Dubai-bashing thread! This is getting silly. How many of you people who are full of criticism have actually been there or are you just repeating stories you have read on social media? We are in our 60s, have visited Dubai several times and we love it - we are obviously not influencers or party-goers or anything vaguely newsworthy but love it for the gorgeous hotels, great food, great weather, interesting history and yes - shopping! Did you know that women hold most of the wealth in the ME - they are dripping in gold under those abayas!

And why so much outrage that their culture frowns on people kissing and hugging in public? Surely you can go a few hours without clinging to and kissing your partner? They do turn a blind eye to unmarried couples sharing hotel rooms now so there is plenty of time for all that once back at the hotel. At least you don't see drunk young women staggering down the road in clothes which leave nothing to the imagination!

I am very sad to see the damage and destruction which has been inflicted on Dubai and Bahrain - another lovely place to visit.

Has he always been this hard of thinking?

The Canary Islands are not to everyone's taste, however the sunshine etc will be there in October. As an alternative example.

This. Not to mention it’s HR record for local women and lesbian/gays is atrocious. And you can get arrested for carrying codeine for migraine/pain relief and pretty much any ADHD medication. We were briefly tempted by a job offer there a year ago. Thank god we decided to stick with the UK.

tell him to hold off a few days/weeks and there might be a much better deal on flights and hotels
i personally found it boring, hot as fk and not appealing at all, but wouldn't judge anyone going. and i think it will definitely be fine before october, but have good travel insurance anyway
all of this obviously if you want to go as well, it should be a shared decision

This is a staggeringly rose tinted view. You talk of them turning a blind eye. It is clear you are very much turning a blind eye to the real issues.

And yes I've been there, not through choice. I have seen the slave buses with my own eyes.

It's very bracing.
No security guards at Thelma's Gift Shop, though. So crime free!

Take a look at where Dubai is on the map, at the surrounding countries. If the British Army have to come and get you, how are they getting through the countries at war? There are plenty of other destinations to go on holiday

The situation could be ongoing still by then

Your comment here and the ways in which you express your preferences is very telling.