Dubai travel influencer stranded in Tanzania amid regional conflict: 'My heart is back home in UAE with family'

Dubai: The irony isn’t lost on Dubai-based travel content creator Kaunain Fatima, 29, who finds herself stranded in Tanzania after what was meant to be a carefree girls’ trip to Zanzibar.

“Most of the stranded tourists are hoping to fly out, but my friend and I just want to get home to the UAE,” she said.

The trip, a mix of work and leisure, took an unexpected turn after the UAE responded to Iran’s blatant aggression in the region. Fatima’s husband, parents, and in-laws are currently in Dubai and she had simply not anticipated being away from them during the crisis.

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“My heart belongs to Dubai, and I am feeling a certain sense of guilt for being here. While I am confident that the UAE authorities are keeping my family safe, I just want to be back home,” she told Gulf News from Dar es Salaam, where she is waiting for a flight back to the UAE.

“I was supposed to return on Sunday [March 1], but all flights were grounded in Tanzania due to the conflict. Dubai is my home, and my family is there — my parents, my husband, and my in-laws, It's my whole world,” she said.

While her family are constantly in touch and are asking her not to worry, Fatima said the distance has been difficult.

“They keep asking me to go play tourist, but I don't feel comfortable watching my family face this anxious time alone. I know they are very safe in Dubai, but I just want to be reunited with my family. Times like these remind you that family matters most,” she added.

The trip to Tanzania had been planned on short notice as part of her work as a travel content creator.

“This was a sudden trip arranged last week to drum up buzz for Zanzibar. The owner who commissioned me is now stuck in Dubai, but she generously offered her home in Zanzibar when she realised that we have no way of returning to Dubai until flights are resumed. She has never met me but has only seen my reels, but she knew that hotels in Zanzibar aren't cheap, so she offered her home!,” Fatima said.

Even in a foreign city, she has experienced generosity from strangers. “After posting about being stuck in Tanzania, cafes in Dar es Salaam reached out, offering coffee and food delivery. People have been so generous,” she said.

She's equally glad that as an Indian she won't be facing visa expiry issues in Tanzania.

"Indians have a 90-day visit visa permit here, so I’m not worried about staying. But I just want to get back to my family because you are constantly worried about being away from family at such a time,” she said.

As she waits to return to Dubai, she says the taxing ordeal has taught her some life lessons: "I may travel the world for work, but my heart belongs to Dubai. That is where my family is, that is where my home is. I want to be there with them, to make sure they are safe and to feel safe myself.”