As the famous philosopher, Saint Augustine has rightly said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” Well, who doesn’t like travelling? Travelling brings out our inner peace and calmness.
Sometimes travelling can be hectic even for normal people, let alone for differently-abled people. Differently-abled people go through a lot of issues from the airport to checking in the hotels during travel. Dubai tourism has made so many efforts to make it easy for differently-abled travellers. In this blog, we’ll try to minimize some of the problems faced by differently-abled people while travelling in Dubai. Here is the perfect travel guide in Dubai for people with different abilities.
1. Plan Ahead
Planning saves you a lot of time and effort. Nearly every hurdle can be conquered with a good amount of planning. Your vacation doesn’t need to be a struggle filled with a few good memories. So, plan before taking on a new adventure.
2. Book Hotels Beforehand
Booking a hotel in advance may save you a lot of money. It is almost always cheaper to book a hotel far in advance. Many hotels in Dubai have only 1 or 2 disabled hotel rooms. The best hotels get booked very far in advance! So it is better to book a hotel in advance to save some bucks and time which you can utilize on some other things.
3. How To Get Around?
Dubai International Airport offers you a wide variety of services like Marhaba, which meets you upon arrival and escorts you through airport immigration, and even helps you with your belongings. Airports also provide you a parking space if you prefer to rent a car. There are so many car rental companies in Dubai that provide these services.
As far as going around in Dubai is concerned, public transportation will help visitors explore anywhere they want to go. The easiest way to get around Dubai is by using the very available and modern metro system. There are stops close to most major sights and tunnel connections to some malls and marketplaces. You can buy several kinds of ticket passes which will give you access to different class metro cars. Wheelchair accessible restrooms are present in every Dubai Metro station. They are easily accessible and would meet the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA requirements of the United States Of America.
4. Where To Stay?
Many hotels in Dubai have used the Americans with Disabilities Act as a model during construction, so hotels are pretty convenient with roll-in showers, grab cafes, and other features. For individuals needing an accessible hotel room with a roll-in shower, we advise booking with hotel chains such as Hilton, Marriott, or Radisson for the most pleasant adventure.
5. What To Do?
Most of Dubai’s top attractions, sights, and spectacles are mainly wheelchair accessible. You can take a wheelchair travel selfie at the peak of the Burj Khalifa, visit the Dubai Museum and Dubai Mall, Creek Park, and Dubai Dolphinarium, then take a sightseeing journey aboard the Dubai Ferry.
Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa stands at 829.8 meters (2,722 feet), it holds the record for the world’s tallest structure and freestanding, man-made building. The structure dominates the Dubai skyline and, from a distance, looks like a surreal thin needle spreading to the heavens. Visitors can tour observation floors on levels 124 and 148 of the building and the network includes a wheelchair-accessible outdoor observation deck. The views are stunning. The complete tour, which will take an hour or more, includes museum-like displays which tell the story of the structure’s planning and construction.
Dubai Mall
Dubai has built a long-standing name for being the shopping destination in the Middle East, and the absence of import and sales tax has made it one of the most craved shopping places in the world.
The Dubai Mall is the largest shopping mall in the world. It is connected to the Burj Khalifa. The Dubai Mall is more than just a shopping center, as it contains an aquarium, restaurants, and several dining options. The mall contains many levels covering 5.4 million square feet and with more than 1,000 shops, the brands at the mall range from midterm to luxury. It also has an Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, which features a shark tunnel. It also contains an indoor video game amusement park, which is easily accessible, and is located on the 2nd floor of the mall, above the ice skating rink. Elevators and restrooms are spread throughout the mall and are wheelchair-accessible. It takes around more than 4 hours to navigate the whole place and can be easily accessed by differently-abled people.
Creek Park and Dubai Dolphinarium
Creek Park is Dubai’s one of the biggest green spaces, comprising large acres of lawns, botanical gardens, and children’s play areas. It can be easily navigated thanks to wheelchair-accessible pathways.
The park is also home to the Dubai Dolphinarium, an excellent family attraction that gives visitors the opportunity to communicate with dolphins and seals through exciting live shows and photo sessions.
So from the above points, we have come to the conclusion that Dubai is one of the best and safest travel destinations for differently-abled people in the world and how the Dubai tourism department takes special care of their esteemed visitors.