Layover in a new country? Sounds to me like a great excuse to see a new place!

I’ve taken advantage of long flight layovers as an opportunity to explore Amsterdam, Istanbul, Toronto, Bahrain, and more. So, when browsing flights from Paris to South Africa with my friends, I thought this could be a great way to see a new place that I may not otherwise have the chance to visit.

When booking connecting flights with long layovers like these, airlines often offer a free hotel, transport, tour, or other services. Unfortunately, Emirates did not in this case, since there were other options available to us, but we still found this to be a great opportunity to explore somewhere new.

While Brooke, Riana, and I all thought we were waking up bright and early, naturally, Hannah had already left the hostel, found coffee, gone for a walk, and returned by the time we woke up. So, once the rest of us were finally up, packed, and ready to go, a classic girls’ trip brunch was much needed.

We struggled to figure out exactly what “local” food was, likely because Dubai has become such a blend of different cultures. But we did find a place that had “regional” food at least, including halloumi, hummus, shakshuka, kibbeh, and most importantly, lots of coffee to get us fueled up.

Whenever we asked anyone what to do in Dubai, just about everyone had told us to go to the mall. So, that’s exactly what we did… and it sure was impressive. I’ve never seen a shopping mall before that was also home to an ice skating rink, a Chinatown, massive fountains, an aquarium, and even a dinosaur skeleton!

After lots of exploring, window shopping, and some Shake Shack milkshakes (overpriced but worth it), we decided to switch gears and go to the Global Village. Once again, capitalism was on full display, as every country pavilion was essentially its own market of more stuff to purchase. We explored several of the countries, and then we enjoyed some street tacos and played cards while watching the sun set.

Our final goal for the day was to see the fountain show in front of the Burj Khalifa. So, we grabbed some food at the Time Out Market, which had lots of food and drink options from cuisines across the world, and prepared ourselves to once again be impressed by the grandeur of Dubai. If there’s one phrase I’d use to describe the city, it’s over-the-top, and the dramatic fountain show, complete with music, lights, and the tallest building in the world, was just that.

Was Dubai one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited? Nope. It was interesting to see such a widespread melting pot of people, many of whom were from other Middle Eastern countries, but I was a bit disappointed that this globalization made it so difficult to actually experience the local culture. Plus, let’s be real, the focus on luxury and high prices on don’t really match up with my budget-backpacker lifestyle.

Would I plan a trip to come back and see more of Dubai? Not necessarily. Maybe if there’s another good deal on a layover, but I’d prefer to use that opportunity elsewhere… Maybe Doha or Abu Dhabi if it’s going through this region.

Disagree? Let me know in the comments if you think there’s something we missed on this trip that I should be sure to go back for!

But was I happy to have seen a new place and get a taste of its over-the-topness during a day-long layover? Absolutely!