Why people are intentionally taking the long way home

There is something oddly comforting about not going straight home.

You finish work, university or whatever else has filled your day, get into your car and type your destination into Google Maps. The fastest route appears. Twenty minutes. Perfect.

And then you ignore it.

Instead, you take the longer road.

Maybe you drive along Abu Dhabi’s Corniche with the windows slightly down and your favourite playlist on. Maybe you stop for an iced coffee you did not really need. Maybe you park somewhere quiet and watch the last bit of sunlight disappear before finally heading home.

You are not lost. You are just not ready to arrive yet.

For many people, driving in the UAE is about more than getting from A to B.

With wide roads, relatively long distances between places and a culture where having a car is part of everyday life, the vehicle can become a little bubble of privacy.

It is one of the few places where you can be completely alone without actually being stuck at home.

You can think. Sing badly. Cry if you need to. Call a friend. Listen to the same song five times. Or simply stare at the road and think about absolutely nothing.

Sometimes, that is exactly what people need after a long day.

The drive home becomes a buffer between the outside world and whatever is waiting for you on the other side of the front door.

There is also something about driving around Abu Dhabi at night.

The city changes once the sun goes down. The buildings light up, the roads become quieter and the Corniche starts to feel less like a route you take and more like somewhere you can simply exist.

A quick drive can easily turn into an hour.

You might pass the same landmarks you have seen hundreds of times, but somehow they look different from behind the wheel at night.

And then there is the UAE's unofficial ritual: the coffee stop.

You do not necessarily need coffee. You may have already had two.

But there is something satisfying about pulling into a drive-through, ordering your usual drink and getting back on the road with a cup sitting in the holder.

It gives the drive a purpose, even when the real purpose is just... driving.

Taking the long way home can sound like procrastination, but there is something psychologically useful about creating a small gap between responsibilities.

The transition from work mode to home mode is not always instant.

One minute you are answering emails, sitting in meetings or dealing with assignments. The next, you are expected to be relaxed, social and ready for whatever comes next.

A drive gives you time to switch gears — literally and mentally.

There is no one asking you a question. No notifications demanding an immediate answer. No conversation you have to participate in.

Just the road ahead.

For some people, the drive is when they process their day. For others, it is when they deliberately stop processing anything at all.

Both can be a relief.

While the idea of just getting into your car and driving 'into the sunset' has been around a while, a solo drive just hits differently these days.

Want to chase a sunset? Go drive.

Bad day? Go drive.

New playlist? Go drive.

Need coffee? Obviously, go drive.

It is low-effort freedom.

And perhaps that is why the long way home feels so appealing. It is one of the few spontaneous things that does not require much planning or money.

Of course, taking the long way home is not always about escaping a bad day.

Sometimes, you have had a perfectly good day and simply want another 30 minutes before it ends.

You might be coming back from dinner with friends, listening to a song that makes you feel nostalgic. You might catch a beautiful sunset and decide there is no reason to rush past it. You might drive down a familiar road and suddenly realise you have nowhere you need to be.

So you keep going.

In a city where everything can feel fast — work, university, errands, appointments, social plans — choosing the longer route is a tiny act of slowing down.

The funny thing is that your destination has not changed.

You are still going home.

You are just giving yourself a little more time before you get there.