There's more to beaches and malls in Dubai: the case for using a guidebook

Don’t you think there are some destinations where a guidebook is invaluable? There’s been a backlash against guidebooks in recent years, since the rise of freely available online travel content. And while there are certainly cities I’ll go without a guidebook, cities where you can stroll around and stumble across places of interest pretty easily, there are some destinations where you really need to know where to go to have a good time – whether those tips are coming from trusted locals, or if you don’t know anyone, a trusted guidebook or trusted online source, (note my use of ‘trusted’) is up to you. But Dubai so it seems is definitely one of those destinations where you're going to have a far better time with a guidebook.

How to experience Dubai on a budget and dispelling myths about Dubai are topics I find myself increasingly writing about, both for paid assignments and on this blog (see Dispelling the biggest myth about Dubai and Dubai on a budget: the best things in life are free). Yet, I still feel like I have a lot more work ahead of me when I receive comments like those from Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere to yesterday's post. I wish I could turn back the clock for poor Gary to his arrival at the airport and hand him one of our guidesbooks, because Gary came away thinking: “Dubai is expensive and there isn't much to do other than shop. If you want to sit on a beach, I can think of dozens of other places in Europe or in the Indian Ocean which would be more attractive as a destination. The malls seem very orientated to luxury brands. Every month there is some sort of news story which comes out of Dubai about someone getting arrested over something trivial.” If ever there was an argument for using a guidebook, there it is. Guidebooks may quickly become out of date, but in Gary’s case, our 4-year old Lonely Planet Dubai city guide would have shown him a much better time than he seemed to have. And while some people don’t like shelling out money for a guidebook, there is a lot of stuff freely available on the web, including many of the articles we’re written on Dubai for magazines and newspapers. I’ll pop up another post with links to our Dubai content that's freely available online, and I’ll also write another Dubai myth-busting post. Because seriously, there are few cities in the world where it's easier to have a good time - without lying on a beach or stepping into a shopping mall.