I used to go to Dubai twice a year on vacation, but now I don't intend on returning

When I began vacationing in Dubai in 2014 with my family, it was only starting to become a popular destination.

I had first become aware of how advanced the city was while transiting through the Dubai Airport on my way to India on a previous trip.

There was space and organization like I'd never seen in the UK airports I was used to back home. There were no long lines, and helpful staff were dotted around to help groups with small children and those with accessibility needs.

According to US News & World Report, the best time to visit Dubai is between November to March when temperatures average between 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Outside of these months, the temperature can creep up to scorching levels well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

On an early trip to Dubai, I made the mistake of traveling during the month of June, and the heat was unbearable. I tried to visit The Walk, an outdoor area with stores and restaurants, but the heat was too much to handle and I retreated to an indoor cafe.

Even late at night, the air was hot and thick — luckily, the shopping malls in Dubai have invested in good air conditioning.

I chose Dubai as my first vacation without my family because when I went with them, it felt extremely safe no matter the time of day.

People in Dubai generally keep to themselves in my experience. It's not a city where you have to dodge being approached by strangers and in the late hours of the night, families and small children are still in malls and at movie theaters.

Business Insider reported that the UAE was one of the safest countries in the world in 2020, according to the World Economic Forum's annual Global Competitiveness Report.

This safety can be attributed to the strict laws in Dubai which some visitors have found themselves on the wrong side of.

For example, Detained in Dubai, an organization offering legal advice to UAE visitors, said a New York student was sentenced to a year in prison for touching a security guard's arm at the Dubai Airport in July but was allowed to return home to the US last month. A Detained in Dubai press release said she spent $50,000 on expenses and legal fees during the months she was there.

If you're looking for something to write home about beyond luxury malls and fancy restaurants, Dubai probably isn't the destination for you.

I used to enjoy daily visits to Dubai Mall, the world's biggest shopping mall. Not only does it have every store you can imagine, there are endless food and entertainment options and even an aquarium.

Tour operators offer desert experiences tailored to tourists, and many include everything you'd stereotypically expect to find in this part of the world; dune buggies, camel riding, belly dancers, and henna tattoos. One even had a hookah lounge built out of tapestry.

That being said, the Bur Dubai neighborhood shows the historic side of Dubai, and Deira has the gold souk which is reminiscent of the grand bazaar in Istanbul.

However, now that I've seen those places, I don't feel the need to go again.

People in Dubai love their cars — you don't need to look far to find every supercar you could dream of.

This, paired with the perpetual heat means locals likely aren't doing their errands on foot, so Dubai hasn't been built with this in mind. It can be tricky, if not impossible, to navigate the city on foot.

That's not to say there isn't great public transportation. The metro in Dubai is one of the cleanest I've seen and has a separate carriage for female travelers. I didn't use the metro regularly, only to visit destinations further from the central area, like the Global Village and the Outlet Mall.

What attracted me to Dubai when I was younger was the pull of the luxurious lifestyle.

I'm from Glasgow, Scotland, and though I love it, there's not much on offer by way of luxury shopping and restaurants.

When I first visited Dubai, I wanted to see what this kind of lifestyle was like and bask in it, before unwillingly returning to my regular life.

Though this isn't what I'm looking for now, I can understand why it still appeals to other travelers.

I look back on my trips to Dubai and am happy I was able to enjoy vacations without worrying about safety as a female traveler.

Since I took my first trip at 17 years old, I've matured as a traveler and am looking for new experiences. Next, I'm planning an interrailing trip through Italy, and a visit to Cappadocia, Turkey, to see the famous hot air balloons.

Though Dubai isn't for me anymore, that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend it. In my opinion, it's a great city for those with small children or elderly family members because it has been built with convenience in mind.