Dubai & Abu Dhabi are the most well-known (and most visited) of the 7 emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Both places are interesting destinations and often a stopover for Americans on the way to Africa or Asia because of the prevalence of Emirates and Etihad flights from the U.S to those locales.

Dubai is a slickly modern city of superlatives: the tallest building in the world (Burj Khalif), the only 7-star hotel (Burj Al Arab), the biggest shopping mall (Dubai Mall), the largest man-made island (Palm Jumeirah), etc. But if you scratch the surface, you can find local culture and traditions. The easiest way to do this is to venture outside Dubai proper into the desert. This can be done as a day trip from Dubai or as a stay for a few nights at the gorgeous luxury tented camp, Al Maha. Adventures in the desert include traditional activities such as falconry, camel trekking and a dune dinner. You can also find more modern pursuits such as dune buggy/ 4-wheel dune driving and sand boarding.

Abu Dhabi is also a modern city with great shopping and dining, but it has some outstanding cultural offerings. It can be visited as a day trip from Dubai or on its own. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a huge, sparkling white mosque that is a sight to behold not only for its size, but also for its stunning architecture and artistic details such as the tile work, mosaics, carpets and chandeliers. The Louvre Abu Dhabi opened last year with a billion dollar art collection as well as pieces on loan from the Louvre Paris. It is worth seeing for its dramatic architecture alone. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designed by Frank Gehry, is set to open in the next few years.