Traveling in the UAE is a pretty unique experience. Dubai is an extremely global and international city, very different from anywhere else in the world. The first important thing to know is how to dress. A lot of people are very confused about how to dress when traveling to Dubai. They envision Gulf Coast national dress as some sort of compulsory attire, which it absolutely isn't. National dress is Dubai's equivalent of the three-piece suit -- worn for semi-formal and business-attire events. Foreigners are not expected to wear national dress. Dubai is largely composed of immigrants and foreigners, so the residents give a lot of leeway to visitors and their clothing. Around the enclosed resort, I could dress however I wanted. In public, however, there is a modesty code, so in theory you could get in some trouble for wearing very revealing clothing, but you're more likely to just cause a bit of a scene and get stared at a lot. When I was there, I wore mostly maxi dresses with light jackets or loose-fitting pants like joggers. Not only were they very comfortable and very culturally appropriate, but they were nice in the heat, which regularly reaches above 100°F. I never covered my head, but I did cover my knees when I was outside the resort. My dad wore khaki pants and polo shirts. Either one of us would have been socially acceptable in jeans and t-shirts, but it was much too hot for denim, and we opted for more business-appropriate attire since we were attending a conference.
Another important note is the language. Dubai is part of the Gulf Coast Region, a largely Arab area, so Arabic is widely spoken. However, due to Dubai's prominence as an international trade city, English is equally widely spoken. Most of the population speaks English and Arabic, and all the street signs are written in both languages. Dubai's blue collar population is mostly comprised of immigrants from India, so we heard a lot of Hindi as well.
Another important thing to note is Dubai's alcohol laws. Alcohol is completely illegal in Dubai in accordance with Islamic law. It is not served anywhere and there are no bars. Resorts, however, do have bars and serve alcohol only for the convenience of foreign, non-Muslim guests. Visitors may drink legally in the hotel bar, but do not attempt to take alcohol outside the hotel bar. It's illegal everywhere else in the city.
Crime is very minimal in Dubai, and I felt completely safe the entire time I was there. The only thing I was warned about was that I should choose my own taxi cab when leaving the airport, because some less than reputable cabbies will try and lead you to a cab and then charge you a higher rate or drive you all sorts of unnecessary places to increase the fare. However, I never encountered this and I felt very safe walking around in Dubai, even at night.
So there you have it, a quick and easy guide to traveling in Dubai! If you are planning a trip to Dubai yourself and have any questions, visit my contact page!