E-Paper
Sign In
Dh3,000 on petrol, 4 hours on the road: Why these RAK residents travel to Dubai daily
Long drives, traffic and exhaustion have become part of daily life for many Ras Al Khaimah residents who choose to stay close to family while working in other emirates
- PUBLISHED: Tue 4 Aug 2026, 6:00 AM
Long hours on the road have become part of everyday life for many Ras Al Khaimah residents who choose to remain close to family while building careers in Dubai and other emirates.
While the arrangement offers a quieter lifestyle and lower living costs, it also comes with early mornings, heavy traffic, around Dh3,000 in petrol costs and less time for themselves. Yet for many, the trade-off is one they willingly make.
Recommended For You
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Every weekday before sunrise, 24-year-old junior architect Fidah Abdul Saleem begins a routine she knows almost down to the minute.
She wakes shortly after 6am, rushes through her morning routine, packs her lunch, water and snacks, and grabs a breakfast smoothie lovingly prepared by her mother or grandmother. Before leaving, she says goodbye to her family, pauses briefly to admire the flowers in her garden, recites a prayer for a safe journey and pulls onto Emirates Road.
By 6.45am, her nearly 120km commute from Ras Al Khaimah to Dubai Design District has begun.
"I use Emirates Road because even five minutes of extra traffic makes a difference," she says.
Fidah says she also spends a lot on petrol due to the daily commute.
“Now the petrol cost has gone down a bit,” she added. “In May, when prices were higher, I was spending around Dh3,000 a month on fuel. Of course, the car I drive also matters. If I had a smaller car, my fuel costs would be lower.”
The journey is usually smooth until Sharjah, where congestion can quickly slow traffic to a crawl. A stretch that should take only a few minutes often lasts half an hour before she continues towards Dubai, arriving shortly after 8am. To save on parking costs, she parks in a free lot and walks another 15 minutes to her office, often under the summer sun.
At this point, the commute for the day is only half over.
After finishing work at 6pm, Abdul Saleem makes the same journey in reverse, arriving home between 7.45pm and 8pm if traffic is manageable.
In total, around four hours of every weekday are spent behind the wheel.
Home over convenience
Although she initially considered moving closer to work, the idea never materialised.
"High rent and finding a suitable roommate made it difficult," she says. "Now, when I think about living in Dubai, I feel like I would be homesick. Even if I had an apartment there, it wouldn't really be home."
For Fidah, Ras Al Khaimah is more than the place she lives.
"I've lived here my whole life. It's part of my identity."
That attachment to home is something shared by many residents who continue commuting despite the long hours.
For Ghaya, a nurse who has worked in Dubai for just over a year, travelling twice a week for 12-hour shifts, finding work outside Ras Al Khaimah was a necessity rather than a choice.
"There simply weren't opportunities available where I live, so working in another emirate was the easiest option," she says.
Her day begins even earlier.
She wakes around 4.30am and leaves home by 5am on weekdays to avoid worsening traffic before starting her shift at 7am. The drive usually takes about one hour and 20 minutes but can take considerably longer during peak congestion.
After completing a 12-hour shift, she reaches home around 9pm.
Life measured by the road
The biggest sacrifice for commuters is time.
"The commute affects me a lot," Fidah says. "By the time I get home, I'm physically and mentally drained. I eat dinner and sleep."
She says weekdays leave little room for exercise, hobbies, or spending quality time with family. Sometimes, she doesn't even see her father if he isn't home before she arrives.
Weekends become the only opportunity to recharge.
Ghaya describes the lifestyle even more simply.
"It's very exhausting," she says. "A lot of effort, and most of your time disappears on the road and in traffic."
Finding moments of peace
Yet both women have gradually adapted to the rhythm of commuting.
Fidah fills her drives by listening to the Quran, reflecting, planning her day or catching up with loved ones over the phone. She also enjoys singing along to music , something she says reminds her to stay true to herself despite the demands of work.
The daily drive, she says, has also taught her patience.
"Every day you deal with different kinds of drivers. You learn to understand people better."
For Ghaya, what once felt overwhelming has slowly become familiar.
"At first, the traffic and the long drive were tiring," she says. "But with time, I got used to it and learned when the roads would be busy."
Why they keep doing it
Despite the fatigue, neither regrets staying in Ras Al Khaimah.
Ghaya says having supportive colleagues and managers makes arriving at work worthwhile. "The road is tiring, but once I reach work, I forget about it," she adds.
For Fidah, however, the answer is waiting at the end of every journey.
"The only reason that makes everything worth it is coming back to my family," she says.
She looks forward to the calls from her parents checking where she has reached and to seeing them waiting when she arrives home.
"The relief on my dad's face, my mum waiting for me, my siblings and grandmother feeling comfortable because I'm home , that makes everything worth it."
"I'm blessed to have a family that understands how tired I am. They don't expect much from me when I get home. They just make things easier."
Azza Al Ali is a reporter from Ras Al Khaimah, dedicated to sharing stories that bring the community’s voices to life. She’s passionate about connecting with people and highlighting what truly matters to them.