It is said that travel has many benefits that are not known to those other than the people who love to travel using all means of transportation — be it planes, vehicles, ships or others.
It is exceedingly useful to travel to locations one has not visited before, as the pleasure of discovering new locations is great. New places also give you the chance of getting to know different people’s customs and traditions. New religious practices, cultures and places are also thrown in to your benefit, where people living in mountainous locations differ from those living in planes and valleys.
Reading travel literature in Arabic or English also benefits the reader as he or she gets to know different countries and locations in Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, the Americas and other countries.
However, it is noted that people prefer going to places they have visited and know from past vacations.
Those who do not like adventure and exploration of new places do not realise that life is changing continuously and that matters cannot remain fixed forever.
Some people prefer going to countries overlooking the sea because they like swimming, fishing or they simply enjoy sea or river food. Others prefer big cities with a profusion of large trade centres, malls and latest theatres, recreation centres, in addition to shops with fashionable clothes, electrical and electronic gadgets.
People feel safe in these locations amidst many people from different cultural backgrounds and traditions. It is truly enjoyable to sit in coffee shops and watch the world go by.
The Ukraine is a beautiful country that was once upon a time a part of the former Soviet Union. The costs of standard of living there is not very different from that of the UAE and there is also an environmental variety. Ther are vast lands. When one gets a chance to talk to English-speaking locals, they ask: “So you are from Dubai?”
This is surely an indicator that they are well acquainted with the UAE.
Your new acquaintance will go on, saying: “You have everything in your country, so nothing will attract your attention in this city, save the ‘Eve’, that beautiful creature, but the problem is language, or better said, the absence of a common language!”
As it seems, this man has not heard of body language, eye language or even the language of hands?
The basic issue here is the desire to talk, to know people and assist a new guest in this permissive society that welcomes strangers from all over the globe.
This person does not realise that the people of the UAE are very keen on travelling and spending their vacations in different locations across the globe. That is why they hope that they do not encounter people they know from their country during their vacations. The reason is simple and may be explained in that they do not want to feel they are being watched with their families. This limits the freedom of movement as you cannot change the way people regard others.
We are aware that most people from GCC counties visit the UAE by the thousands, because they know that each member of the family will find what he or she wants in the hospitable of our country. Our country welcomes everyone, regardless of nationality, religion, sect or colour.
Since ancient times, the UAE has always welcomed its visitors. This is also a characteristic of countries overlooking the sea, such as the Mediterranean and others as well.
Dr Mohammad Abdullah Al Mutawa is a professor of Sociology.
