My 50th Birthday: a Trip to the UAE With My Sister — and No Kids

Growing up with an adventurous dad, my sister and I had seen most of the US and several other countries by the time we finished college.

He saw travel as a key part of our education — we wrote book reports on the places we visited, went on historical walking tours, and hit what felt like every museum from Kentucky to Cornwall.

My sister and I don’t have any other siblings, and both our parents were only children, which meant no aunts, uncles, or cousins. It was just the four of us growing up. My mom, as a bit of a reluctant traveler, sometimes skipped our trips.

When our parents passed, I was married, had two young children, and worked part time while being the primary caregiver.

My sister and I lived across the country from each other — she was in California and I was in Connecticut. My sister, who doesn’t have children, visited us several times a year.

I had kids late, at 40 and 41. In my single years, my sister and I traveled together and encountered a leopard in our South African safari lodge, parasailed above Key West, and pogoed at a Ramones gig in Brixton.

Over the years, our time together had morphed from tapas bar hopping in Barcelona to taking my children to a nearby playground. We were never able to finish a sentence without an interruption from a toddler.

Sister time

For my 50th birthday, I was determined that we should go on another adventure together.

I convinced my then-husband to watch the kids for a week during their spring break, while my sister and I finally embarked on another adventure. I lobbied that he wouldn’t have to worry about homework, packing lunches, or getting them to and from school.

Despite the reasonably priced trip to the Middle East I had found, my sister took a bit of convincing — she wasn’t as eager to explore that part of the world.

The travel package I booked included eight countries in one trip: all seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah — plus a stop in Oman. I paid $1,100 for airfare and four nights in Dubai. The other stops, plus a rental car, and seven nights of hotels added on about $1,900 more.

100 country goal

After checking off all 50 US states by my 30th birthday, I set my sights on a new goal: visiting 100 countries.

I follow the criteria set by the Traveler’s Century Club, a group I hope to join one day. The club recognizes 330 “countries and territories,” including all seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates as separate destinations.

I mapped out a driving route that added Oman, which helped me get one more country.

Once I’ve visited 100 countries, I’ll be eligible to apply.

Kid-free travel bliss

As a travel professional and penguin lover, two experiences from the trip stood out as the best: a tour of the extraordinary Burj Al Arab hotel, with its gold lamé wallpaper and helipad, and the pure joy of having a tiny penguin hop across my lap.

The second experience took place at an indoor ski area in Dubai, located inside a mall. It was complete with a ski lift and resident penguins.

Other highlights included a visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a stroll around the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and a ride up Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. That’s where we had a quiet cocktail to celebrate my half-century, overlooking the spouting fountains 122 floors below.

A lot of the trip would have been too complicated with my children. For example, the spa day wouldn’t have been possible with kids. I also explored the Dubai Design District, shopped in souks, walked through the Al Fahidi Historic District, and spent a day on a boat in Oman.

Throughout the trip, I knew that had it been a family trip, the kids would have complained about the heat and the food.

Freedom made this trip possible

Put on your own oxygen mask before helping others, the airlines say. I concur. Women give so much, and we need — and deserve — the time to breathe and recharge. I’ve taken my children on as many trips as I could.

Now, I’m 57, divorced, and we — my kids, my sister, and I — just explored my 72nd country. In a few years, when my kids are grown and flown, my sister and I will embark on more far-flung adventures.

My plan is for her to accompany me to my 100th country. It only makes sense — she’s been there for all the pivotal moments in my life.