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What No One Tells You About Beach Living in Dubai
The photos make it look effortless. A balcony, a turquoise sea, a skyline glowing behind the palms. Coffee at sunrise, a swim before work, sunset on the sand. Some of that is true. A lot of it depends on where you live, when you swim and what you sign. Dubai is also changing fast along the water. The city has only about 21 km of public beach today, and its master plan aims to grow that to 105 km by 2040. The plan also sets aside stretches for night swimming. So the beach you buy near today may look very different in a few years. Here’s what the glossy listings…
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What All Inclusive Really Means on a Small Ship in the Caribbean
“All inclusive” might be the most stretched phrase in travel. At a beach resort, it can mean unlimited buffet and watered-down rum punch. On a big cruise ship, it often means a base fare plus a stack of packages you buy later. On a small ship, the phrase can mean something very different. Sometimes it means almost everything. Sometimes it means a lot less than you think. If you’re eyeing a Caribbean sailing this winter, it pays to know which is which. The prime season runs after the Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on November 30, so this is exactly when people start comparing fares. Here’s what to look for,…
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Parma’s Secret Garden Was Planted by a Haircare Lab
When most people think of Parma, they think of cheese. Big golden wheels of it, stacked to the ceiling. And ham, sliced so thin you can almost see through it. I came for the food too, honestly. But the most surprising thing I found just outside the city was not on a menu. It was a garden, and it was planted by a haircare company. Yes, really. Let me explain. Parma is one of those places that quietly takes food very seriously. UNESCO named it a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015 and describes it as the gastronomic center of Italy’s “Food Valley.” Agri-food and gastronomy make up 30.5% of…
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The Best Places to Visit Near Dubai When You Have a Car
The Best Places to Visit Near Dubai When You Have a Car Ask a long-time Dubai resident what they do on a free weekend, and the answer usually isn’t mall shopping. More likely it’s a lake in the desert, a mountain road in Al Ain, a dam in Ras Al Khaimah, or a mangrove channel over on the far coast. Almost none of these places has a stop on the metro line, and very few are covered by tours that let you stay as long as you like. Having a car means you can choose where to go based on how much time you have instead of what is the…
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Top Regional Ferry Services in South East Asia
Sea crossings between Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia move a staggering number of people every week, and most of them barely think about it beyond checking a departure time. Two routes matter more than the rest if you’re moving between these three countries by boat: the Stulang Laut to Batam crossing out of Johor, and Bintan resort ferries running from Singapore’s east side. Both are short, both are dirt simple once you’ve done them once, and both trip people up the first time because of paperwork nobody warned them about. This one covers what the crossing to Batam Centre actually looks like, how the Bintan run compares, what documents you need before…
