Just got back from my Egyptian vacation and have had lots of questions. Check out the info below, share and comment if this leaves you with any additional questions. Love you all!

Resort- While there, we stayed in Hurghada at Jungle Aqua Park. This is a pretty safe and highly touristy area (which is being rapidly built up-if you want to buy, do so now). There are a ton of resorts but we stayed at a super family-friendly one with a water park attached and about 20 water slides and probably 10-15 pools! If you don’t want to go off resort, you can stay busy here. There is a very active animation team, shows, Kid’s club (for over 4 years old), shops, a spa and a ‘night life’. We met multiple families who have been to Egypt many times and never had seen the pyramids because they just stay on resort the whole time (to me that’s a shame but to each, his own). I didn’t love the food but with the amount of restaurants they had, there was plenty to choose from. You’re not going to get fine dining but more of a cafeteria feel (and taste). The spa was nice but again had more of a production line feel. Most of the staff had great attitudes and even the ones that didn’t, once they found out that we were American they then loved us (very surprising).

Where are you from??: one of the first things EVERYBODY asked us. Being in a primarily Muslim country, we were definitely hesitant to say America but saying ‘we live in Germany’ only resulted in more questions and them trying to speak to us in German and question why we don’t speak German. When we did say America, they would gasp and start telling us how much they love America and wished they lived there (EVERY time). I have never been proposed to so many times in one week before in my life! 💍 It was like we were famous, people would even ask to take our pictures lol. One taxi driver told us that he felt so lucky because he got to drive us around because he never gets to meet Americans. ☺️

Hurghada: this is a main tourist hub and have flights going directly there from MANY locations (multiple from Germany). It is located about 3 hours from Luxor and 5 from Cairo. The main group of tourist in Hurghada seem to be from Germany and England. (Be conscious of this also when making a purchase as they will try to sell you stuff in your local currency 💴 but be careful, they have slick tongues…some times they intentionally mix up Egyptian Pound vs English Pound among other things to confuse you).

Hagglers: one of the most frustrating parts of our trip to Egypt was how pushy the peddlers were (they have not gotten the ‘No means no’ memo yet). Our guide was great at deflecting them but also told us if we are interested in buying something to never take their first price. He told us that they have likely marked it up so high that you should try to get them down about 50%! When talking to them, they NEVER give you a price-EVER. I always ask how much something is and their response was always ‘No problem, no problem-I give you good price’. Generally the more you buy, the more you get off but they are always very sketchy until you say you’re leaving…then they know how to answer your questions. Know your conversions because they try to give you the price in multiple currencies to throw you off…and they always have a calculator and are pecking away on it (another tool they use to make you feel you’re getting a good price). If you don’t want to be bothered, a good phrase to know is ‘No, thank you’…I’m surely going to butcher the actual spelling of this so I will type it phonetically ‘Lah, choke-rahn’…or just ‘Lah’ (No).

Driving-before coming here people (who had never been) warned us of the impending danger we would surely face going to Egypt (especially as women and children) but the only time I felt uneasy while in Egypt was on the road. I am not sure if they have ANY rules of the road but it sure didn’t feel like it. Most cars are pretty old but they pushed them to the limits as it they were brand new. They speed and don’t heed pretty much any traffic laws I was accustomed to and their horn acts as their blinker, warning sign, ‘thank you’ sign and all things wrapped in one. Oh and don’t be surprised to see another car coming directly at you on ‘your side of the road’. They just honk and drive between the two cars going the opposite direction 😱

Hot! Egypt is hot but it’s a nice dry heat. We were there at the beginning of April and it was in the mid to high 80s all week with a wonderful breeze at the resort (on the Red Sea). We actually didn’t see a single cloud until we went to the pyramids on our sixth day! When we went out to the pyramids and Valley of the Kings, there wasn’t much of a breeze (its the desert so I guess it should be expected) and could become quite uncomfortable. Dress for the heat; wear breathable clothing and cover your skin to avoid burns. Big floppy hats and sunglasses are a must! If you don’t mind looking like a tourist (because everyone sells the same patterns), they sell some very inexpensive pants EVERYWHERE that are perfect for this….and of course, don’t forget the SPF! Note: in the heat, people tend to want to dress less. Everywhere I went, I asked the guide if I should cover up more. He always told me no (and of course there were always people with butt cheeks and boobs hanging out) but this isn’t my country and it is still important to respect their beliefs. Please don’t go to sacred sights dressed like you work the Red Light District. While it’s not mandatory, it is still offensive to others…plus, the sun will burn those booty cheeks and boobs, so do everyone a favor and buy/bring a shawl.

Water-stay hydrated by drinking LOTS of it but beware! Stay away from the tap water! Bring water from the resort (or a trusted source) when you go on your day trips. Make sure that if you buy water elsewhere that it is SEALED-peddlers have been known to refill bottles with tap water. Don’t be scared, though. Before coming to Egypt after listening to others I was sure my whole family and I would be stuck in the bathroom for the entire week…it didn’t happen. I ate something that didn’t agree with me which had my stomach a bit queasy for a few days but it wasn’t something that altered any of our plans. Also, despite my best effort to keep my kids safe and warning them about 100 times, my three year old decided that her new habit while in Egypt would be to kiss and lick things… 🤢 she swallowed the tap water every day while brushing her teeth and I even caught her licking…yes, LICKING the bottom of my son’s flip-flop yet she didn’t have ANY GI issues (WTF)! Kids are so GROSS!

What to do?!

There are many excursions but most by the big tour busses and with a bunch of non-english speakers (which makes it a bit difficult). Private tours are the way to go (in my opinion). For €350 per car (depending on the number of people you have it could cost the same as a bigger tour), it is totally worth it. You get a tour van to your self that fits about 10 or more. As a group of 4 we all pretty much could stretch out and sleep (helpful because they usually start early and end late so bring your pillows and blankets). You can modify your itinerary since you’re the only ones it effects and stretch out in the seats of the van for the long trek. You will have 2 drivers (who switch out) and a private guide who is awesome at shooing away the peddlers who do not take ‘No’ for an answer. They also provide great history and helpful hints about the places you visit…they also know where to get the best photos 📷 Note: you will have to pay extra to be able to take pictures at some locations such as Valley of the Kings and the Cairo Museum.

Cairo houses The Great Pyramids of Giza, one of the few Wonders of the World! Standing in the shadow of this extraordinary giant takes your breath away to think of the effort and time it must have taken to accomplish a structure such as this. It has towered over the land for over 4000 years and still manages to captivate millions. Many don’t like that it is right outside of one of the biggest cities on the continent, but get over it…this has been a hub of activity for thousands of years. Manage your expectations now and you will enjoy your time there. We took a camel ride around the pyramids and had great opportunities to get panoramic shots (of both pyramids and desert) with minimal tourists…and the kids LOVED it (while I white knuckled it the whole way)….note: the camels 🐫 are less ‘dangerous’ than the horses (we actually saw a carriage collision).

Note for people who intend to travel in the future: a couple changes are in the works. The Cairo Museum (which I recommend at either location) is moving to a more convenient location right next to the pyramids! Once complete the guide stated that it will be bigger than the Louvre! This is great since during peak tourist season it can take up to 1 1/2 hours or more to travel from the museum to the pyramids. They are also planning to move the capital and many of the governmental agencies to a new location (south of Cairo). Cairo is extremely crowded and this should really help out! I just suggest researching it before coming because that could really impact your tour.

Luxor-also known as ancient Thebes (I had heard that on many movies but never knew where it actually was-you’re probably smarter than me but my mind was blown 🤯 there for a second). While there, we visited the Valley of the King’s, Hatsutep temple, Luxor temple, karnak temple, took a Nile Cruise and went to a place where they make (and of course sell) alabaster and another for papyrus. Definitely suggest putting this on your itinerary. Note: Font buy papyrus on the resort. You will pay at least double.

De-Nile River: When you learn about the Nile River, you learn that it is the longest river in the world, you learn its historical significance and all that it has provided to the people of Africa…what you don’t learn is how polluted it is….driving past it you will see trash all over it. You will see garbage piled all over the riverbank and yet you will also see children playing and even bathing in the polluted waters. It is a very sad thing to see.

Red Sea: you will be hard pressed to find more gorgeous water in the world. The crystal clear water of the Red Sea almost makes you forget the polluted Nile River. 🌊 there are many aquatic sports offered in this pristine, coral-filled water and if we were here longer we definitely would have partaken in more of them. We did a glass bottom boat tour that took us out for about two hours. It was only about $60 for all of us (including transportation there). They will take you out to an area where you can see the coral and many types of fish 🐠. They also stopped for about 30 min for those that wanted to jump off and snorkel (you will pay extra for this of course). Again, on the boat was a man taking pictures….who later, pretty aggressively tried to sell them to us.

Additional interesting info:

*Cost of living is very low in Hurghada! Our taxi driver told us that he pays €70 a month for rent (1 BR flat) and that with all of the new construction, you can purchase a flat for around €20,000! Wow! Sign me up!

*Tipping is huge here-some will press you for it while others don’t but they all expect it…for pretty much anything. We didn’t tip on the resort until the last day because it’s ‘all inclusive’ and didn’t generally carry money around with us.

*The Egyptians that we met are hard working people and most don’t live in conditions that we are accustomed to. Remember that when you get frustrated at the sales people who are pushing for a sale, most will actually offer you a drink and would love to sit have a conversation with you!

*They LOVE kids! Many told me that they are good luck and welcomed us in, spoke to, played with them and gave them free nicknacks while I shopped.

*There are actually many Christians there. Whenever someone who was Christian saw my cross (necklace) they would stretch out their right arm and show me a tattoo on their right wrist and let me know they too were Christian. One lady told me that in Egypt, if someone doesn’t have the tattoo and they tell you they are Christian, that they are lying and are actually Muslim. 🤔

*While driving to Luxor, we passed MANY towns. Most of which had their gate on the opposite side of the Nile River usually guarded by a few older men with rifles. It was kind of surprising at first but none of them acted aggressively and most were just sitting there under the shade of the trees hanging out drinking tea (or whatever it was). While the communities seemed very poor, it was wonderful to drive past and see how connected they were. You could see the kids running around and playing while the adults sat at tables outside talking and enjoying each other.

All and all it was a WONDERFUL trip! I definitely suggest going. Please comment below if you have any questions or if you feel I left a topic out. Like and share my page with friends or others who love to travel! Until next time….