One of the most interesting places for all seekers of adventure and bright emotions is the mysterious East. Luxurious man-made sights of the United Arab Emirates attract tourists from different countries. Thanks to the convenient infrastructure and a developed network of car rental services, everyone can rent a car directly from the airport at dubai-car-rent.com and set off on their first journey around the UAE.
Specifics of traveling by car in the UAE
The Arab Emirates is not an ordinary country. This is the center of the eastern world, which has its own rules. As well as on the roads, going on a road trip you should take into account some specifics.
- No alcohol while driving
It is illegal to drive in the Emirates, even with a minimal alcohol content. Remember this, otherwise, you will risk huge fines or administrative penalties.
- Speed limits
Observe the authorized speed limits. The maximum speed limit in cities and towns is 60 km/h, up to 120 km/h on highways. Control is carried out using a system of cameras and automatic radars.
- Use a navigator
The peculiarity of roads in the UAE is their complexity and many junctions. Roads in the Arab Emirates are designed for the rapidly growing volume of traffic. That is why you will have to face multilevel interchanges and highway crossings on the way. In order not to get lost you can’t do without the use of modern navigation systems. When you use car rental services in the UAE, all cars are already equipped with reliable GPS navigators.
Navigation apps: how does it work?
Besides the routers built into car systems, we recommend having special navigation programs on your electronic gadgets.
Thanks to the emergence of navigation apps, drivers have the best and most competent digital navigators. Among the functions of these applications are also planning complex routes, searching for necessary infrastructure objects (hotels, restaurants, attractions), tracking road speed limits and markings, the option to search for parking lots and saving important points on maps, and much more.
The most popular apps for auto travel
You can find hundreds of different apps in the digital stores for Apple iPhone and Android devices today. Here are a few of the most trusted and popular apps that are boldly recommended by car rental services and have earned the respect of most drivers in the United Arab Emirates.
Google Maps
Probably the most popular application for finding, building, and saving automobile routes. The digital navigator from Google contains the most detailed maps of UAE roads. It offers its users several options for alternative routes between points, calculates travel time, looks for the nearest gas station, tracks speed, and warns about road signs. Voice guidance and a very clear interface of the application help to quickly navigate at junctions and get to the desired point as comfortably as possible.
Maps.Me
An application with the most detailed maps of cities and villages. Its main advantage is the best offline maps that do not require an internet connection. Roads and cities of UAE on Maps.Me have the maximum detail. It is with this app that it is easy to plan visits to places of interest and not be afraid of getting lost even in the most complicated areas.
Waze
This is the most common app among drivers in the UAE. And that’s the main advantage of Waze. It’s not just a navigator, it’s a social community of drivers who actively share real-time information. Therefore, the maps in Waze have the most up-to-date information about road conditions, traffic jams, the status of emergencies, police patrols, or speed cameras. Drivers of both private and rental cars help each other to create the fastest and most comfortable routes.
What you need to know about online and offline navigation
When using digital navigation, you should understand the characteristics and differences between real-time online maps and offline versions of maps that you can download to your device while preparing for a trip. Almost every digital map app has both of these modes.
The best thing about online navigation is that the data is as relevant as possible. The app will immediately notify you of the current situation on the road. At any moment you can see more detailed panoramas of streets and objects, and the reorganization of the way takes place in an instant. But to use this version you will have to connect cellular data roaming on your smartphone before renting a car in the UAE or spend time getting a card from the local mobile Internet operator.
Using the offline maps mode, car travelers do not need to have a stable internet connection. Pre-downloaded maps of the region on the device work even in the farthest corners of the Arabian desert, and will not allow the driver to lose the way.
Navigation systems and mobile applications are some of the best tools a modern car traveler can use. Using modern navigation, any of your trips will become even more comfortable and interesting.
