So last week my company sent me over to Dubai on a business trip. Due to many weekend commitments that, to be honest, I prioritize over time abroad in Dubai, this was an out and back trip for a two hour meeting. Total time in the air was 29 hours. Total time on the ground was 25.
For kicks I thought I’d keep a running diary of the experience.
New York (ET)
6/9, 12:19pm – And so the adventure begins. Waiting for the 1 train to take me to Penn Station. Ah, here it is.
Washington, DC (ET)
6/9, 4:30pm – Quick stop at our DC office for a 30 minute meeting.
6/9, 6:00pm – Grab my passport and throw my suit and some travel clothes in my carry-on.
6/9, 8:21pm – Check in at United desk at Dulles and upgrade to Economy Plus. 5 extra inches of legroom and an aisle seat. It’s a 13 hour flight so that’s a big score.
In The Air Over Iraq
6/10, 9:01am ET – Have woken up from a restless but decent 9 hours of sleep. Thank you prescription sleeping pills. Our flight route has taken us over the UK, Germany, Eastern Europe and now Iraq as we head further southeast for Dubai. Just under 3 hours until we land.
Dubai (ET + 8 Hours)
6/10, 8:30pm – Check-in at hotel with time to shower and clean-up before meeting up with our Head of Client Services, David, who flew in from NYC.
6/10, 9:30pm – Meet with David to prep for pitch.
6/10, 11:00pm – Dinner at “The Thai Restaurant” in the hotel. Great meal from the tasting menu – something akin to tapas. Shrimp, fish, noodles, rice, curry. All very good.
6/11, 2am – Bed Time. It’s only 6pm on the east coast. Looking back I’m not sure how I was able to fall asleep.
6/11, 7:45am – Wake up and shower. Weird that I had to set my alarm for 11:45pm ET.
6/11, 8:30am – Meet David and partner firm for breakfast for more meeting prep. Eggs (scrambled, good) and chicken sausage (bad) for breakfast.
6/11, 9:45am – Final presentation run through with David back at his room.
6/11, 10:30am – Depart for the meeting.
6/11, 1pm – Wrap an excellent presentation and head to lunch with partner firm and prospective client. Enjoy Chinese Noodles and some less than appropriate conversation for lunch.
6/11, 3pm – Return to hotel to change. Work is done for the day.
6/11, 4pm – Depart on 1 hour tour of Dubai by cab. See Burj Dubai, world’s tallest building upon completion in September, and head down to the beach to stick my feet in the Persian Gulf.
6/11, 5pm – Return to the hotel and enjoy a beer with David at one of the hotel bars just off the water.
6/11, 5:30pm – Grab my bags and head to the airport.
6/11, 6:45pm – Sit down at airport restaurant for dinner which was absolutely empty but good time to relax. Had nasi goreng with beef & chicken satay with an egg.
6/11, 8:15pm – Board my Emirates flight to Kuwait. Best airline I’ve experienced aside from maybe Virgin America. Power plugs in economy, plenty of movies & TV as well as cameras that show the view in front of and below the plane.
6/11, 9:30pm – Flight takes off an hour late due to “Electrical Problems”. Shouldn’t be a problem catching my United connection, right?
Kuwait (ET + 7 hours)
6/11, 10:30pm – Land in Kuwait and the airport is an absolute madhouse. People everywhere and I struggle to even get away from our arrival gate. Horrible signage leads me to believe I need to clear customs and come back in. After waiting in two lengthy lines (one to fill out a medical form) and a brief panic attack that I would miss my connecting flight, a friendly Kuwaiti customs official points me in the direction of the transfer desk.
6/11, 10:45pm – Check-in and to my disappointment, no seat upgrades available on a packed flight.
6/11, 11:35pm – Board the flight and luck into an aisle seat.
6/12, 2am – Fall asleep somewhere over Turkey.
Over the US
6/12, 4am ET – 9 hours later, I wake up over Maine. Sleeping pills rock.
Washington, DC
6/12, 6am – Land at Dulles
6/12, 7am – Arrive home, hop in the shower and head straight into the office.
What a whirlwind trip.
