Is Dubai Desirable for Digital Nomads?
With an exciting future for many of us in remote working and the ability to be more flexible with the way we work, alongside the launch of a number of different remote working visas over the past year too, there are a huge number of opportunities emerging for those looking to make the most of the opportunity – Dubai has often been pegged recently as a great destination for digital nomads and is certainly one that has grown in popularity with a travel and remote work visa of its own – but what are some of the pros and cons you need to know about if you’re thinking of choosing it as your next temporary home?
In terms of a working environment, the pros are certainly very easy to see – it’s a very modern environment where you’ll be able to find publicly accessible internet wherever you go and if you’re looking for modern office space there’s plenty of opportunity there too, and for a more personal look the same rings true that you’re in a very thriving city with rich local culture and a huge number of likeminded visitors so you’ll be able to have some incredible personal experiences too. All in all if you’re a digital nomad looking for great working facilities either paid or public, with a great balance of nightlife and entertainment too, then Dubai will certainly tick all of your boxes.
That isn’t to say there aren’t drawbacks, and cost is often one of them – the remote working visa can be quite expensive and with a hefty cost to renew year after year it certainly isn’t one of the more budget friendly options, similar living in country can be quite expensive too compared to other countries that typically top the list too and is certainly something that needs to be considered. Aside from that there are also likely some big lifestyle changes that you’ll need to make too, some habits like gaming have become ingrained but you won’t be able to visit your favourite online live dealer as gambling in the country is banned, and if you’re planning on making the trip with your partner, you’ll have to be sure to keep the PDA to a minimum too as something that is also frowned upon. It is all part and parcel with the experience and no matter where you choose to go, you’ll have to make some sacrifices here or there, but just be sure to read up ahead of time.
Dubai is certainly a very exciting prospect that is only becoming more popular, so if you’d like to be amongst the first to take full advantage of the new remote working visas make sure to do so as early as possible, as the growing popularity may make it harder to secure one in the future.
