Take-off after landing?

CONTRARY TO HUGH Grant’s claim at the beginning of Love Actually, I’ve never found airports to be places filled with human compassion and gregariousness.

Instead, like anyone who has ever flown anywhere, I find them more a tedious necessity – the flavourless amuse bouche to endure before you can chomp down on the sights and sounds of somewhere else, be it familiar or new.

In 2008, I flew into Dubai searching for a move to the city from my hometown in the outskirts of London. Admittedly I don’t remember my first impressions of the airport here, other than thinking it was all very clean and fancy.

However, my memory of flying back into Gatwick Airport after a week in the UAE stays with me to this day. Confronted by its bleakness, I immediately realised that I wanted to be on the first plane back in Dubai.

This isn’t just a comment on Gatwick itself – after all, an airport’s primary concern should be functionality rather than aesthetics – but it did open my eyes to a wider point. How you feel upon re-entering your place of residence speaks volumes about whether or not you should continue living there (assuming you aren’t bound either financially or by family ties).

In all fairness, since moving permanently to Dubai five years ago, my feelings when I’ve landed back at the airport after a holiday or business trip have fluctuated.

However, I have never endured that sense of grimness or foreboding I had at Gatwick upon re-entering life in these shores.

If you’re unsure whether or not to move on from the UAE – or anywhere else for that matter – try factoring in your gut feeling next time you fly back into that place after a period away. That instinct may tell you all you need to know. - adam@khaleejtimes.com