Hello dear readers, I am Hande, the storyteller of this personal blog that is here to help you in your Dubai journey. Without all the glitter and influencer lifestyle, me and my husband Ulaş are living a very simple expat life in Dubai. That is why we decided to share everything we have been through, hoping it makes things easier for others who are planning the same step.
Who are we?
We are a married Turkish couple. We moved to Dubai in February 2025 to start a new chapter in our lives. I had already been working with my company for over a year when they offered me a transfer to the Dubai office. That was the moment we started asking each other if this was really the right choice for us.
It was not a quick yes. We talked about it almost every single day for months. In the end, after long conversations and a lot of research, we said yes. Now I am stepping up in my career in Marketing while Ulaş is working in Software. It was not an easy decision, but after thinking about everything carefully we felt ready to take the step.
What did we think about before moving?
The biggest question in my head was about money. Dubai is famous for luxury, influencers and a very expensive lifestyle. I kept asking myself if our salaries would be enough even for a simple life.
For around six months we researched every single day. Almost all the websites we checked were giving very little real information. It was frustrating, because we wanted facts.
So we started asking people who had already lived in Dubai. We read forums, searched for experiences, and even asked friends of friends. Thanks to Ulaş and his planning skills we managed to create a financial plan for ourselves. After our marriage we saved money and put all our life savings together just for this move.
It felt like a big risk, but we also believed that sometimes you need to take a big risk for bigger results.
For me it was also emotional. I had never imagined leaving Turkey to start a completely new life somewhere else. But I grew up with the idea of traveling and seeing other cultures. Before moving here I had already visited five countries, while Ulaş had never left Turkey before. So this was not only a big deal for me, it was even bigger for him.
How did we make the final decision?
When we first shared this idea with our families it was not easy. Imagine, we weren’t even married yet when this offer came. We had to explain why this was the right decision for us. In the simplest way, it looked like a good step because we already wanted to live together and build a life together, and this opportunity gave us the chance to do it on our own.
I personally wanted to get married before moving so I could bring Ulaş as my dependant. Since he didn’t have a job here it was the easier way, and also what we wanted for our relationship. This offer made things go faster for us, because in just six months we were planning an engagement, a wedding and our move to Dubai. At the end it all made sense and our families supported us.
Telling our friends was also hard. We are both very close to them and it was heartbreaking to know that we wouldn’t be able to see them all the time anymore. Still, everyone was so supportive and encouraged us to take this chance.
The hardest part for both of us was leaving our dogs behind. It still hurts every single day not to live with them, but sometimes a simple lifestyle in an expensive city comes with sacrifices. We only hope that one day we can be together with them again.
During this period we spent almost every night on Discord together planning. We made lists, we discussed our families, our engagement, our wedding, and how we would actually move. It took months until we could finally say we were ready. Even though we knew it would not be easy, we believed we could handle it together.
What was our plan?
Finding a house to rent, sorting out Ulaş’s visa, figuring out our budget with limited salaries, and starting over in a completely new place were all on our minds. We knew these would be challenges, so we started preparing step by step.
Our Preparation Before Coming to Dubai
Both me and Ulaş had some savings from before. We put everything together and our families also helped us as much as they could. Still, we knew it was not going to be enough, so after this job offer came we started saving even harder. We lived as simply as possible in Turkey until the move. Every single wedding gift and money we received went directly into our “Dubai plan.” And believe me when I say, Ulaş’s calculations were so precise that when we finally moved here, we really spent almost exactly the amount we had saved.
Looking Back
After living here for some time, we can honestly say we are happy with our choice. We do not think we would have done anything differently. Every day when I look outside from our window I feel thankful and I say to myself “we did it.”
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