# Moving from US to Dubai



## suzieq123 (Oct 10, 2011)

My husband just accepted a job offer to move to Dubai in january and I am thrilled. I have a couple questions for my househunting trip... My girls are 9, 11, and 13.

I know times change, are Umm Sequim and Arabian Ranches still good choices for villas when kids go to ASD (other kids around, short commute, etc)? Office location still being determined.

Electronics - do items like hair dryers would ok w a converter and plug adapter, or do they get burned out and I should buy local? 

Are there things I should purchase here to bring with us - someone suggested a grill - instead of getting them there? My understanding is we can fill a 40-ft shipping container.

Thanks for any suggestions and advice!


----------



## kimevans628 (Oct 11, 2011)

SuzieQ,

Well, as you know, I can't nswer your questions, but wanted to say congratulations! I hope knowing for sure makes you feel a sense of relief! We are still in a holding pattern here, as soon as we hear something I will start picking your brain! Good luck and maybe we will meet soon!


----------



## justlooking (Jun 12, 2010)

Yes, I would say both places are good options for ASD. Also check in Al Barsha.

Buy your hairdryer local. I bought a good one at home this summer, brought it here and bought the strongest convertor. It didn't burn the dryer out, but it wouldn't run as fast or hot as it did at home. Found the same dryer for the same price in a salon here and it works perfectly just plugged into the wall. Buy local.

I would bring clothes, shoes, personal items (deodorant, make-up, etc) and over the counter medicines. All can be found here but are much more expensive.


----------



## wazza2222 (Sep 7, 2011)

Bring Wine! 4 litres each!!! (if you don't like wine, bring it anyway and I'll buy it off you)
It's killing me paying three times as much for it here:-(


----------



## suzieq123 (Oct 10, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions! We love our wine so I will def take advantage of that.


----------



## KidRukkus (Sep 12, 2011)

suzieq123 said:


> Thanks for the suggestions! We love our wine so I will def take advantage of that.


Don't bring a lot of 110v stuff. However, You can purchase converters here and some bathrooms have dual voltage for shavers and dental products. I had to pickup a 500w converter for our Kuerig coffee maker.

If you are bringing your US sized beds, bring plenty of sheets.

You can buy 4 bottles of wine (and a bottle of liquor) and duty free upon arrival - I travel a lot so it isn't hard for my wife and I to stock up.


----------



## suzieq123 (Oct 10, 2011)

My daughters are all very involved in dance as well - tap, modern, ballet. Does anyone recommend a good dance studio? One that has relatively advanced lessons? Thanks!


----------



## NeoPhoenix (Oct 17, 2011)

Don't really have much more to say than whats already said. Other than 

Welcome to Dubai, I am sure you guys will have a great time!




wazza2222 said:


> Bring Wine! 4 litres each!!! (if you don't like wine, bring it anyway and I'll buy it off you)
> It's killing me paying three times as much for it here:-(



Ever been to UAQ? Barracuda? I hear its pretty cheap, not much of a wine person but i remember seeing a section dedicated to that.


----------



## CdnGirl (Jan 2, 2011)

Welcome! I have 2 daughters, aged 11 and 13 - let me know when you arrive, I'm happy to show you around! My daughters go to Dubai American Academy though - just down the road from ASD. My friend's son goes to ASD. Both are very good schools! 

Arabian Ranches and Umm Suqueim will be very similar in commute times, and can both be kind of hairy during busy school drop off/pick up times. Very different communities though...Arabian Ranches will be much more 'suburban', with walking paths, green spaces, etc. Umm Suqueim will be more urban, easily walking distance to shops, restaurants, etc and much closer to the beach. We have a dog so chose a more suburban neighborhood, as dogs are not always welcomed in these parts.

Do not even bother bringing hair dryers. Voltage step down transformers do not work well for these, and you need a huge one to deal with the wattage of a hair dryer. If your hair styler/straightener is dual voltage it will be fine...a 110 voltage will work, but will likely burn out well before it's time. Best to purchase those things locally, or from a UK shop (often cheaper than here). Some small kitchen appliances work well with a step down transformer, but my small choppers and hand mixers do not work as well, and I've ended up just purchasing locally.

If you really like your gas grill (BBQ) - do NOT buy here...the quality of the available ones is not great and prices are much higher. We brought our Weber grill. When you arrive, many people will tell you to get an adapter to attach the local gas bottles (natural gas) that can be delivered. This is inexpensive...but if you are an avid griller, I do not suggest you do this. Gas BBQs are designed according to the type of gas they are meant to be fed (propane or natural). Ours was a propane tank. You can purchase propane tanks here at Ace Hardware...but it is quite a process to get them filled. you have to drop the empty tanks off at one location, then pick them up 2 days later at a different location. It's a real pain in the butt. However, if you decide to just add on an adapter and go with the readily available for delivery natural gas tanks, your grill will not work the same (if it is meant to have propane). It's all about the size of the holes and the design that helps regulate the heat. Our friends who adapted the natural gas to their propane grill have trouble regulating the heat.

If you don't grill much and don't care if your chicken dries out and your beef is well done, this may not be an issue...but for my dh who loves to grill and smoke his meat, he didn't want to mess with it, so we have 2 propane tanks so that we won't run out while we go through the process to get the empty one filled.

Now, if your BBQ is already attached to a natural gas line in the US - then disregard everything I babbled on about above, haha....

Definitely bring plenty of bedding for your US sized mattresses - we have Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel...but you can add at least 20-30% on to the prices you usually pay at home to buy those here. Most other stores will not carry sheets in the usual US sizes. Stock up on your favorite face creams, etc as they will be more expensive here (although you will be able to locate and purchase most of it). Get the kids footwear, I find Converse and many other popular footwear to be more expensive here...but there are plenty of H&M, Forever 21 and Aeropostle stores for reasonable clothes (but again, expect prices to be higher than you are used to seeing in the US) for your daughters.

Good luck with the move!


----------



## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

US brands here are anything from 50% costlier (Banana republic) to 300% costlier (Levis, Tommy Hilfiger)

I would prefer to bring in more clothing and books if you read them than electronics..
As for OTC medicines, many of them such as Nyquil/Dayquil arent available here but i am not sure as to whether they are restricted or just not imported..


----------



## suzieq123 (Oct 10, 2011)

Thanks for the great info - we love to grill out all the time in the summer here, and I very much care that my chicken and meat are done properly  My husband will lively use this as a good excuse to pick up a new grill before the movers come! 

And I will definitely contact you once we are there, it will be great to meet someone right off the bat. what area do you live in? we have 2 dogs so it might be better to be somewhere that will easily accomodate. i've watched some youtube videos on the different neighborhoods so i have somewhat of an idea what to expect, but of course the girls want to be right by the beach and malls!


----------



## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I have almost all 110v stuff on transformers. No issues. If you have it already and are shipping a container, just bring it. A crock pot was impossible to find here and when I did was like 5x the price of one from the usa. 

Suggest getting e-readers for your family. Makes life much easier to just be able to download. My kindle works great. 

Bring over cell phones if you like anything above the 20$ very basic things. Blackberry service here is the most economical and most students use them to chat with their peers. Your children will be houding you for one within a few weeks of being here. Get them there unlocked as they are much cheaper. The kids bbm/messenger/facebook package is like 50 dirhams. There are not large cheap talk time and sms packages like the usa for android/iphones which is why the blackberrys seem to be so well liked here. Make sure they take a sims card and are not cdma.


----------



## ebotix (Oct 24, 2011)

Hello y'all,

I am planning on moving to Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the next year. I am doing as much research as possible so that once I am able to get a job offer I can move relatively quickly. 

My question is: My wife and I have the most adorable 3-year-old Norfolk terrier mix who will be coming with us. However, we worry about his supplies and the costs of things like his brand of dog food over there. Do any of you have dogs and if you do, what advice do you have for someone moving with pets. Is there anything we should bring with us? What is available over there?

Thanks for your help.


----------



## suzieq123 (Oct 10, 2011)

jynxgrl - we are a fully loaded iPhone family - can we get them on locked and use them there -kids too? Or is that unreasonably expensive and we need to start over with blackberries? Really appreciate the advice!


----------



## Iron Horse (Apr 10, 2008)

Just to take an alternative approach to your situation for the move. Why would you pack your stuff up and ship it in a container? What if the ship goes down? What if things have to sit in port and the humidity does a "number" on things? Does it mean you will be without some items in the US before you move? What if the situation in Dubai changes and you need to bail quickly? If you didn't ship the 40ft container, how much would they cover for purchasing items in Dubai that you could just give back to them at the end of the contract? Is the plan to purchase new items back in the States? If you're looking at a place in Arabian Ranches, chances are there might be some furniture in it which would eliminate the need to bring items over. 

And my most important what if situation: If you will take the items back to the States, what if all of the items above and/or the shipping company doesn't send the funds through to the port in the US and your items sit in the container and you have to pay to get them released? We shipped back a few boxes and office information from Dubai using ReloGulf who did this exact situation. Took phone calls, e-mails, threats of contacting the police, and six months to get the items released from the port in Florida because Relo didn't pay everything forward, but tried in my opinion to cheat the company in Florida. In all it took nine months to get the items into our hands.

For all of my moves around, I've traveled with about four/five bags(one being golf clubs).


----------



## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

suzieq123 said:


> jynxgrl - we are a fully loaded iPhone family - can we get them on locked and use them there -kids too? Or is that unreasonably expensive and we need to start over with blackberries? Really appreciate the advice!


The thing is that alot of the other kids will have blackberries and talk on bbm. Your kids wont be able to. The reason they do this, is because they have a 50 dirham 'kid' messaging package. So the kids do not have internet access, just chatting. ?? I dont know, but maybe more parents feel comfortable with that. Anyhow, most the kids I know, have this package. Some of them have the upgraded 90 dirham package that they get some internet as well and use the whats app to 'chat' and your kids could do that on their iphones with the bb folks. Blackberry is king here though because the prices are so reasonable. There are not sms packages like in the usa where you pay ten dollars and is unlimited. 

You can unlock them. They can not be upgraded though or will revert back to being locked. Upgradingn isnt that often though???


----------



## Sunset (Jan 24, 2011)

Iron Horse said:


> Just to take an alternative approach to your situation for the move. Why would you pack your stuff up and ship it in a container? What if the ship goes down? What if things have to sit in port and the humidity does a "number" on things? Does it mean you will be without some items in the US before you move? What if the situation in Dubai changes and you need to bail quickly? If you didn't ship the 40ft container, how much would they cover for purchasing items in Dubai that you could just give back to them at the end of the contract? Is the plan to purchase new items back in the States? If you're looking at a place in Arabian Ranches, chances are there might be some furniture in it which would eliminate the need to bring items over.
> 
> And my most important what if situation: If you will take the items back to the States, what if all of the items above and/or the shipping company doesn't send the funds through to the port in the US and your items sit in the container and you have to pay to get them released? We shipped back a few boxes and office information from Dubai using ReloGulf who did this exact situation. Took phone calls, e-mails, threats of contacting the police, and six months to get the items released from the port in Florida because Relo didn't pay everything forward, but tried in my opinion to cheat the company in Florida. In all it took nine months to get the items into our hands.
> 
> For all of my moves around, I've traveled with about four/five bags(one being golf clubs).


 
Never heard of ReloGulf moving. ReloGulf probably used an agent and that's where the problems can come in. There are very reliable movers that have offices in the US and here. You may pay a bit more but it goes smoothly and you don't have to deal with a middleman. As for the ship going down, that's why there is insurance. She's coming in January so humidity really wouldn't be a problem. Bail quickly as in do a "runner"? People have their own taste in furniture.


----------



## ebotix (Oct 24, 2011)

*Save Me*



Tropicana said:


> US brands here are anything from 50% costlier (Banana republic) to 300% costlier (Levis, Tommy Hilfiger)
> 
> I would prefer to bring in more clothing and books if you read them than electronics..
> As for OTC medicines, many of them such as Nyquil/Dayquil arent available here but i am not sure as to whether they are restricted or just not imported..


Hi y'all,

My wife and I are already fighting about what we will bring and what will be left behind. See, I have always lived light and mobile whereas she likes to keep stuff. We have a set of couches, TVs, two beds, and a lot of other furniture. Personally I would leave everything but my wife and dog behind. Do any of you have any advice on the matter.

Thanks for your help.


----------



## ebotix (Oct 24, 2011)

Hello y'all,

I have not yet moved to Dubai. A great tool that I am currently using to make sure I do not miss any job inquiries is Google Voice. I have only issued the number to employers and recruiters. However, in order to save on long distance calls I wanted to find out if anyone currently uses their USA area coded Google Voice with your Dubai phone. Does it work? I have a lot of friends and family who would like to keep in touch without forking over the kitchen sink simply to make a phone call.

I like using Google Voice too because of the text voice messaging. It is a handy feature and is free (for now). Let me know your thoughts on the technology.

Thanks all!


----------



## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I have my yahoo number forwarded to my cell phone here. I think is $.23 a min. Works well, no issues.


----------



## suzieq123 (Oct 10, 2011)

I also was wondering about google voice and thought that my kids and I could easily talk to friends with it. Have not used it before but was planning on setting up a number before I leave.


----------

