December 25, 2014, the flight glitch of a lifetime donned upon us. Word dropped that there were roundtrip flights with Etihad Airways from various cities in the US to Abu Dhabi in 2015 for $200 USD. It seemed too good to be true, at first. I’d never thought I had interest in going to the UAE. But why not?! I wasn’t sure who would be going, but I felt compelled to take advantage of this deal; the worst that could happen is, they wouldn’t honor it, and I would get my money back. I bought the flight for myself and my brother, and dropped the receipt into the a groupchat with my friends (Shoutout CYBP). Pretty soon, more people bought the ticket, and I was relieved I wouldn’t be alone. Eventually, more than 50 friends and acquaintances bought the ticket for the same time period I would be going, and it was a movement.
The young black professional scene was all over this movement. We planned several large group activities such as a yachting, jet skiing, ATV biking, camel-back riding, dinners, Saffron brunching, etc. We explored the cities in small groups; we wandered the largest mall (Dubai Mall) and the tallest building (Burj Khalifa) in the world; we marveled at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque; we stayed at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, which was famously destroyed in Fast & Furious 7; we immersed ourselves in the culture. It was a trip of a lifetime, not only because it was the most unique travel destination I had been at this point, but because of the people we traveled with. #Chi2Dubai and #LitUAEtion forever.
All photos taken with Apple iPhone 6.
Jenai M. Davis 