Arrived with low expectations, left completely converted

United Arab Emirates wasn't high on my travel list. A friend pushed me to go and I'm genuinely grateful. The first full day in Fujairah reset everything — the scale of Palm Jumeirah and the quality of the Emirati lamb ouzi were immediate signals that I'd misjudged the place completely.

amazing food from every cuisine became my personal highlight of the whole trip. Spent 10 days and could easily have stayed twice as long. Now I tell everyone who'll listen that United Arab Emirates is underrated — add it to your list.