I wonder if you can help? My company have asked me to consider relocating to Dubai and I am certainly considering their proposal. I am however worried about one thing, I am a fifty year old single, British woman and whilst I am out going and lively, I am worried about how easy it will be to make new friends. I realise that a lot of expat women have families and make friends through husbands, work and schools. I am worried as I will only have work colleagues to socialise with and to be honest I would prefer to keep this to a minimum. I am very sociable, but just not sure how one goes about meeting other like minded people. If you have any suggestions I would be most grateful.

It is true, many expats here do make friends through their husband’s work and at the school gates but there is also a large chunk of the population that are out here and single. If as you say you are “sociable” then I don’t think you will have a problem meeting other like minded people. Your first starting point could be a social club or a very common way to make friends in Dubai is through a sport club. Just as popular as sports would be through a particular hobby and finally there are many charities in Dubai that are always looking for volunteers to help in their spare time. I hope these links help you in your search and maybe you can contact some of the groups before you actually come out. It is also worth keeping an eye on our Whats On section to see the variety of activities that take place in this buzzing city!