Most people commute in and out of New York City by train, ferry, or car. But some in the upper echelons of society can afford to fly above the chaos.
27.01.2025 - 13:35 / insider.com
"I've been on a treadmill before on my work phone, doing barrier options," said Nick Fowler, 33, a British man who moved to the United Arab Emirates two years ago. "It can get a bit ridiculous sometimes."
(Barrier options are a financial product common in asset management, Fowler's industry.)
He is one of the millions of foreigners drawn to Dubai by its year-round sunshine, tax-free income, and its abundant luxury.
But it comes with a catch: they end up working more than nearly anyone else in the world.
The UAE ranks second globally for the highest average weekly working hours per employed person, according to the International Labour Organization.
Employees in the UAE work an average of 50.9 hours a week, far exceeding the 38-hour average in the US and the 35.9-hour average in Fowler's native UK.
The top spot goes to the reclusive Himalayan nation of Bhutan, with 54.4 hours.
Fowler told Business Insider that his typical workday starts around 8 a.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m., often without a proper break as he eats lunch at his desk. His day rarely ends there.
"I've been on dates before [where] I've had to send emails," he said, "and colleagues have rung me when I've sat down to eat dinner."
Patrick James, 32, also from the UK, moved to Dubai six years ago.
He had been there on vacation before and was largely unimpressed, but was still drawn to the city by its financial opportunities.
He told BI he was offered a salary twice what he earned as a teacher in London.
While his teaching job in London often ran from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., a recent teaching role in Dubai had him working 12 to 14 hours a day.
Across a five-day week with a shorter Friday, that puts him around 50 hours a week, close to the UAE norm.
"My child is two now," he said. "I wasn't seeing him. He'd wake up, I'd leave at home, and he'd be asleep, and I'd get home, and he'd be asleep."
For a short while, James could justify the sacrifice. "You're working, you're grinding, you're saving your money, and then you get to go on these luxurious holidays," he said.
Eventually, it became too much. Last March, he switched to a remote role with a Japanese health and wellness company, giving him the flexibility to set his own hours while still in Dubai.
James said that he believes that so many expats in Dubai just accept the long hours because of the competitiveness of its job market.
"If you are not good at your job, they'll get rid of you and get someone else," he said.
"It is commonly known that in the expatriate market in the UAE, supply is higher than demand," Fiona Robson, a professor of human resources management at Heriot-Watt University, Dubai, told BI.
"This can lead to less power for expatriates if they can be replaced easily, particularly if
Most people commute in and out of New York City by train, ferry, or car. But some in the upper echelons of society can afford to fly above the chaos.
As a frequent traveler, I cherish my Global Entry status.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Vitus Stenhøj Schiøtz, 23, a Danish traveler who got a working holiday visa to live in Japan. He moved to Japan in late 2024 and works as a chef in a restaurant in Nozawaonsen, a small town northwest of Tokyo . It's been edited for length and clarity.
Feb 6, 2025 • 6 min read
Eight months after my 30th birthday, I realized that I did, in fact, want children. In my 20s, I was never really sure. I thought of it as a kind of eventuality, something I’d get to once my life no longer revolved around friends and travel and chasing the next story. Something for the next, much more grown-up phase of my life. Then I learned that the choice might not be mine to make. My egg reserve levels were teetering on the edge of “critically low” and all signs pointed towards early menopause, a condition I now know runs in my family.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stephen and Joanna Vargha, a married couple who moved from North Carolina to Cuenca, Ecuador, in 2020 after retiring early. Cuenca is located in the Andes mountains and has a population of about 600,000 people. Their interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Condé Nast Traveler celebrated its 2025 Gold List in Dubai, with a glittering party against the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, which marks its 25th anniversary, as well as being featured on the prestigious Gold List. The evening, which included a "Touch of Gold" dress code, was hosted by Condé Nast's CEO Roger Lynch, chief content officer and global editorial director of Vogue, Anna Wintour, and Condé Nast Traveller's global editorial director Divia Thani. The list is created annually by Condé Nast Traveler and is a selection of hotels and cruises that its discerning editors across the world deem as their own personal favorites.
Dubai International Airport was the world's busiest for international travel in 2024, officials announced on Thursday.
Jan 30, 2025 • 6 min read
Dubai boasts the tallest building, the biggest mall, and the water park with the most water slides in the world. Despite these claims to fame, I still considered it a stopover city, not a full vacation destination.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) remained shut down on Thursday morning after an American Airlines regional jet fatally collided mid-air with a military helicopter just outside the airport.
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