Everywhere you look, Lindsay Lohan is there. The former child star is back in the spotlight promoting her new film, Freakier Friday, appearing on talk shows and red carpets, which might make you wonder, where the heck has she been? Well, literally speaking, she’s been in Dubai. Why? I’m glad you asked, because Lindsay just revealed why she lives in Dubai, and, honestly, it makes a lot of sense.

“It’s just far away from Hollywood, and I live a very normal life,” Lindsay said during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark. She continued, telling hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos that she enjoys freedoms in Dubai she simply can’t in the States. “There’s no worry of, like, I can’t go to eat at this place ’cause someone’s gonna take a picture of my son,” she explained. “I feel very safe.”

When Kelly asked about the paparazzi presence there, Lindsay surprised her. “No, it’s not legal,” she said. “You can’t even take a picture of someone else if you’re at a restaurant. You have to ask the person, which is a big difference from here.”

The actor, who shares a two-year-old son with her husband, Bader Shammas, continued, saying, “Privacy is key.”

Lindsay has been living in Dubai since 2014, after her career in Hollywood stalled amid a string of arrests and reported struggles with substance abuse. In her last few years living in the U.S., Lindsay was constantly hounded by paparazzi, something she still fears.

“It’s hard in L.A. Even taking my son to the park in L.A., I get stressed. I’m like, ‘Are there cameras?’” she told ELLE in a recent interview.

In Dubai, however, she doesn’t have to think about being caught on candid camera. “I get the privacy, I get the peace, I get the space,” she added. “I don’t have to worry there; I feel safe.”