Laura Pouliquen is a French expatriate in Dubai. She created the podcast "Stories from Dubai" which is the first French podcast about Dubai. She tells the real life in Dubai, far from the clichés, through interviews of those who live and work in Dubai.
How did you get the idea to move to Dubai?
I have been living in Dubai for a little over a year. It was a job opportunity for my husband that brought us here. I would never have imagined living in Dubai, because I had all the clichés in my head: bling bling, compulsory veil, 50°C all year round and so on..
But when I arrived in Dubai, I discovered a completely different image of this city-state! And I quickly decided to go and meet the people who make Dubai and who undertake in all fields
And it is to highlight them and tell the life as it is in Dubai that I decided to create the podcast "Stories of Dubai" which is available on all listening platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer ...
Through this podcast, I regularly meet entrepreneurs, men or women, who have created their own business and give lots of advice on Dubai with their favorite addresses, their hidden corners
What are the most unfounded clichés about Dubai?
It is often said that there is no nature in Dubai... But it's not true!
Even in downtown where I live, which is a district with a lot of skyscrapers, there are 3 parks!
Dubai is also home to the first entirely renewable district on the planet, called "Sustainable city". Al Barari is also a very green district of Dubai with many lakes and parks
For more nature, I recommend to go to Hatta, only 30 minutes away from Dubai, where I could do trekking, pedal boat... At first, Hatta is a historical mountain village dating from the 16th century, but it is above all a big lake with superb fjords. We spend the day there and we completely forget the buildings. It is very exotic! Finally, Dubai is the desert of course where you can go in less than an hour from the city center and make unforgettable outings with friends or family
A common misconception is that you have to be rich to come to Dubai on holiday..
Yes, this is a common misconception, because in Dubai there are hotels at all prices and many free activities.
For example, in Dubai there are plenty of beaches and you can easily have a picnic with the kids
However, if you want to live in Dubai, I recommend coming here with a job. Because here you pay the rent and the car all year long... So you need a minimum budget to start with.
How can you explain that life goes on in Dubai when the pandemic has paralyzed the rest of the world?
Dubai has managed this Covid crisis extremely well. During the lockdown, we were only allowed out every 48 hours and people really respect the rules here. And as everyone remained respectful and disciplined, the emirate avoided a large number of contaminations, which allowed the hospitals not to be saturated like in France for example
So tourism was able to resume very quickly in Dubai and today it is a country where people can continue to live normally without too many Covid patients
What do you like most about Dubai?
Safety first of all. For example, women are not victims of street harassment as it can happen in Paris unfortunately
And everything is clean here. There is never any rubbish on the street. Some may say it's a Disneyland image, but believe me, it's very appreciable and real!
I also like the heat in Dubai which is very pleasant in general. With the exception of the summer months when it is really hot, the temperatures are just perfect and you can do lots of activities with your family
What I also like is that there are places for everyone in Dubai, for couples as well as singles and families. And you can always find a place dedicated to children in bars or restaurants
Finally, I also appreciate the business boom where everything seems possible here and the cosmopolitan side of Dubai as the emirate has a population composed of 90% expatriates from all over the world.
Who did you interview recently in your podcast "Stories from Dubai"?
I interviewed Alim from Dubai Flying Dress off who organizes beautiful flying dress shoots in the desert. These are extremely long dresses that fly away when you walk, it's really magical!
I also had a little crush on Lily from Nara Escape and Sonara Camp. They offer retreats in the desert, but also lunches and dinners. For me, it's a must!
Recently I also interviewed Auriane from Yalla kids! She created a second hand brand for kids
Find the whole interview with Laura Pouliquen in podcast by clicking here
To listen to the podcast "Stories from Dubai", click here: https: //podcast.ausha.co/histoires-de-dubai
Instagram: LaufromParis
Laura Pouliquen's other podcast, l'Aléa: https: //podcast.ausha.co/l-alea-le-podcast-pour-oser-pour-prendre-des-risques
