What is the United Arab Emirates’ policy on prescription drugs?

Simon Calder answers your questions on bringing pain medication into Dubai, booking flights to Turkey and visiting California

Dubai has strict rules on any drugs containing opioid analgesics (Getty)

Q I am travelling to Dubai in November. I take Tramadol, which is illegal there. I have been looking on the internet and am getting mixed messages. Do you know how I can take only the amount of Tramadol that I need into Dubai?

Name withheld

A The painkiller Tramadol was first developed 60 years ago and has been on the market since 1977. Dr Simon Cotton, senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham, says: “The drug is recognised as a painkiller with a potency around 10 per cent that of morphine. It is used to treat moderate to severe acute and chronic pain.”

Tramadol is routinely prescribed in the UK. But in many parts of the world there are concerns about the recreational use of the drug. Dubai, in common with many other countries, has strict rules on any drugs containing opioid analgesics, including Tramadol and codeine.

You are wanting to bring in Tramadol because it is a prescribed treatment. In order to do this, you will need to obtain a permit from the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention. This is a fairly routine, online process that you can organise according to the procedure set out by the UAE Embassy in London.

Don’t be tempted to bring Tramadol (or any other controlled substance) into Dubai. The Foreign Office warns: “There is zero tolerance for drugs-related offences. The penalties for trafficking, smuggling and the possession of drugs (including residual amounts) are severe. Sentences for drug trafficking can include the death penalty. Possession of even the smallest amount of illegal drugs can lead to a minimum three-month prison term.”

It adds: “The Emirati authorities count the presence of drugs in the blood stream as possession.”

Flights to Bodrum from Luton are currently £131 on easyJet (Getty/iStock)

Q I’ve booked accommodation in Turkey for May next year. When is the best time to book flights please?

Brendan M

A May, in my experience, is an ideal time to travel to Turkey. The early summer weather is fresh, with temperatures (and crowds) well short of the July and August peak. Flowers blossom everywhere and the Mediterranean is warming nicely.

I am interested that you have already booked accommodation. I presume you have chosen a particularly appealing property, perhaps a villa. Assuming the right combination of outbound and inbound airports is available, I suggest you book now. Only last week easyJet put its summer 2023 flights on sale, and there are some real bargains. From Saturday 6 May for a week from Gatwick to Dalaman, for example, return flights are currently £122 return.

Luton to Bodrum on easyJet is £131 return. Meanwhile, Manchester to Antalya is more than twice as much – £274 on the Turkish airline SunExpress – but this includes 20kg of checked baggage.

Personally, I would book either of the easyJet flights and plan to take hand baggage only. But if there is any flexibility on your accommodation – for example, if you can cancel without penalty – you might want to choose a package instead.

I have taken seaside holidays in May at Marmaris and Alanya in the past. Were I planning a third at one of Turkey’s mainstream resorts for May 2023, I would book shortly after Easter (which is 9 April next year). The reason: experience shows that there will always be a good range of package holidays at attractive prices a few weeks before departure at off-peak times. For flights (with a decent luggage allowance), transfers to the resort and accommodation I would reckon on paying £300-£350 with Jet2 or Tui. Currently, the cheapest deal with the latter on 8 May is £412 for a week in Marmaris, including flights from Gatwick to Dalaman, but I would expect that to fall close to departure.

No trip would be complete without a photo by the Hollywood sign (Getty)

Q I have family in California. Since the pandemic all the transatlantic fares I have seen are madly expensive. I have heard that if you book a hotel along with a flight, the total cost is less than the airfare alone. If this is true, and I book a flight to Los Angeles and a hotel, must I actually stay there?

Cathy D

A In very specific circumstances buying a package – comprising flights plus accommodation – can work out cheaper than a transatlantic airfare alone. But the technique generally only benefits people who are on short trips from the UK to North America.

To explain how it works: airlines such as Aer Lingus, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic use an odd pricing technique that evidently works for them across the Atlantic: the Saturday night rule. They penalise economy class passengers who have the temerity to want to fly a return trip that does not include a Saturday night away. For example, if you fly out on a Monday and back on a Thursday, a November return fare from London Heathrow to Los Angeles comes in at £1,557 on British Airways. Flip it around – out Thursday, back Monday – and the fare drops by over two-thirds to £493.

The idea is that business travellers on short itineraries will want to be back at home for the weekend. Since employers pay for these trips, the thinking goes, they will be price-insensitive. Clearly there is some truth to that, which is why airlines quote outlandish fares.

Avoiding such painful prices is a bit of a chore, but perfectly possible. Package the fare with a hotel. Either do this through the airline’s leisure offshoot (eg British Airways Holidays) or through an agent, such as Trailfinders, DialAFlight or Expedia. For that Monday-Thursday trip, the cheapest British Airways deal is £924, including four nights at the Doubletree by Hilton at Buena Park. If you choose not to avail of the accommodation, no one will come after you. But on the odd occasion when I use the technique, I call the hotel to say I will be a no-show so they can sell it again if they wish.

Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder