Must-do

Going on a desert safari tour is a quintessential Dubai experience, and it gives you the chance to try activities like sandboarding and dune bashing. I especially enjoyed the camel ride; it’s gentle and leisurely, allowing you to admire the view while the sun sets. I also liked visiting Gold Souk, a traditional market with scores of retailers selling gold and diamonds. A fun fact: the market holds the Guinness World Record for the heaviest gold ring ever made; it weighs more than 50kg and is valued at about US$3 million. So much about Dubai is larger than life. Here’s another example: I was booking an Uber with my colleagues and we discovered that you can hail a helicopter. A car will bring you to a helipad, and you’re then given an aerial tour of the city. We’ll have to try it sometime.

Must-eat

I like trying different kinds of food when I travel, and in Dubai, you’ll find cuisines from just about every corner of the world. For the widest range of options all in one place, I recommend going to the Dubai Mall.

Must-pack

When you’re doing activities like sandboarding, you’ll wish you had something like a GoPro. It will allow you to take great action shots that capture the experience more vividly.