Abu Dhabi Things You Should Know When Travelling: How to Stay Safe and Happy

There are many car rental companies in Abu Dhabi. Always go with an A-grade agency either one that is highly recommended or part of a known international chain. The reason being that there are many shady car rental agencies that require you to sign a form stating the agency can claim damages from your credit card as and when they deem it is necessary. A dangerous situation where your account can get wiped out. However remember that cosmopolitan places such as Abu Dhabi are well serviced by trusted professional car rental agencies and these should be your 'wise' choice instead of opting for cheaper little known shady agencies.

Abu Dhabi like all contemporary cities is well serviced by reputable taxi companies. However at the airport you may come across unregistered transport providers offering you cheaper rides to your destination. If you are uncertain of a taxi service decline these offers and take a taxi from a registered service. You could also choose the option of booking the shuttle service offered by luxury resorts in Abu Dhabi. These by far are the safest and quickest modes of transferring to your hotel from the airport. If your resort is based on gorgeous Sir Bani Yas Island like the Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Yamm Villa Resort; it is best to book the hotels pickup service for convenient and safe transfers to the island. From these A-grade luxury island resorts you can get in touch with reputed car rental agencies for safe tours across the city.

Wasta is a terminology many expats in the UAE are familiar with; likewise when on holiday you are bound to hear this term in many contexts. Wasta simply refers to power and authority and how much you wield via influential friends, politician acquaintances and your degree of affluence; the more wasta you have the better chances of staying out of trouble and bumps with the authorities. In other worlds Wasta is a kind of pass card to get you around the nitty gritty of rules and regulations within Abu Dhabi. Wasta however does not refer to bribes and in fact trying to bribe a policeman or other official could result in serious consequences; especially if the party you offended has high wasta influences.

Everyone knows about Abu Dhabi's strict policy on drug peddling but did you also know that many prescription drugs such as codeine are banned in the UAE. Get onto the official website and go through the list of banned substances if you want to keep your nose clean while passing through Abu Dhabi customs; where the officials are tipped to be experts in picking out any banned substance within a visitor's luggage.

Remember that Abu Dhabi is a Muslim nation and as such you are expected to dress modestly when in public. Women particularly should pay heed to what they wear as too much exposed shoulders, knees and arms are considered a public insult; this can have dire consequences especially in places of worship.