This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rikki Dimitriadis, 31, an American based in Miami. The details of her planned move to Dubai have been verified by Business Insider. This piece has been edited for length and clarity.
I have a one-way flight from Miami to Dubai booked for April 1st. There, I’ll be starting a new job as a senior hairdresser, and I plan to live near the Burj Khalifa.
Dubai is calling my name. Nothing can dampen my excitement about relocating, not even the recent Iranian strikes.
I was in New York during 9/11, and it made me accustomed to all the craziness in the world. When the attacks happened, it was my seventh birthday, and I was handing out cupcakes to my classmates.
On my end, it’s full steam ahead to Dubai, and I have no intention of changing my plans.
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Dubai feels like a mixture of NYC and Miami
In Dubai, there’s no personal income tax, and that was probably the main reason I considered the move. I run my own hair-styling business, and I’m tired of paying US taxes.
I visited Dubai over the summer and absolutely fell in love with it. The people were friendly, it felt welcoming, the food was amazing, and the customer service was unmatched everywhere I went.
I’m a New Yorker living in Miami Beach and, in Dubai, I felt like I was in both cities at once. The weather, the beautiful people, and the glitz and glamour reminded me of Miami. The respect for drive and hustle felt like New York.
When I visited, I felt incredibly safe throughout my time there, and that was another big draw.
Courtesy of Rikki Dimitriadis
My life in Miami is just fine, but I felt like I’d hit a plateau. I knew it was the right time to get uncomfortable if I wanted to grow as a person.
I began applying for jobs in Dubai in October 2025 and received an offer from a salon in February. I had already booked my one-way ticket a few weeks before accepting it.
I know starting over in a different country and building a clientele all over again on the other side of the world won’t be easy, but I’m still going for it full-throttle.
Only a major terrorist attack could put me off moving to Dubai
Since the Iranian strikes started, my friends have been calling nonstop, asking if I’ve seen the news: missiles and drones, the fire at the Fairmont The Palm hotel, and the explosion near the US consulate in Dubai.
They keep saying, “Please tell me you’re not going.” But I feel confident that I’ll be fine.
From what I’ve heard, life in Dubai is largely continuing as normal. People are going to work, meeting for coffee and lunch, and on Monday night, the UAE’s president walked through Dubai Mall.
I feel confident in the UAE’s ability to keep its people safe and manage the situation. The government has offered to cover hotel costs for stranded tourists until the crisis ends, for example.
I hope that the situation will calm down over the following four weeks. If my flight gets canceled, I’ll just go on vacation to Greece and fly to Dubai afterward. And if things get crazy once I’m in Dubai, I’ll just hunker down and enjoy the amenities as much as I can.
Honestly, the only thing that could impact my decision and make me abandon my move is if there were a major terrorist attack in Dubai.
For now, I’m not scared, I’m excited about moving to Dubai.