1 A selfie stick
The best time to be a tourist in your own city is during the working week, when the top attractions aren’t absolutely rammed. But that also means that you’re likely to be alone on your little jaunt, and if you want decent pictures of you at the Dubai Frame or the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, you’re going to need a selfie stick. Yes, you could ask a passing tourist to take a picture of you, but it will most likely either be a) blurry, b) really zoomed in with none of the background in it or c) a picture of the person taking the photograph because they accidentally switched to selfie mode. Take a selfie stick – your Instagram page will thank you.
2 Big floppy hat
If you’re going to be carrying around a selfie stick, you’d better also have a big floppy hat so you can cover your face on the off chance you run into anyone you know. Yes, I know we just said you need one, but it’s still mortifying to be caught using it. Not only do selfie sticks expose your vain side (which is something we prefer to keep hidden), they’re also very 2010. Luckily for us, it also doubles up as sun protection, which brings us to our next point.
3 Sunscreen
Come on mate, you’ve lived here, what, three years now? And you’re still getting sunburnt? That’s not just embarrassing, that’s downright stupid. By now you should know that you actually do need to pay attention to the instructions and reapply every two hours. And you need to be wearing SPF on your face every single day – even if you’re only walking from your car to the office and back to your car again. The sun is not to be trifled with, particularly at noon in the Middle East.
4 Portable phone charger
It’s time to admit it: no matter how long you’ve lived here, you still don’t know your way around. There are just too many exits on Sheikh Zayed Road, and we’re forever getting turned back on ourselves and only GPS can save us. If your phone runs out of battery while you’re in Fossil Rock, you’ll be stuck out there forever. To be honest, even if you get lost closer to home while on a trip up to Old Dubai or Mussafah, you’ll still struggle to work your way back. Bring a portable phone charger and you’ll never need to be without GPS again.
5 Time Out
It’s probably a little vain for us to class ourselves as an essential accessory, but where else are you going to find all the festive goings in the city, plus the best outdoor bars?
