Cancel trip to Egypt?
 

My husband believes we should cancel our trip to Egypt, scheduled for arrival 11/10. Does anyone have a recommendation? I'm feeling like Egypt will probably stay trouble free, but he doesn't want to take any chances. <BR>

Can't necessarily see a need to cancel a trip to Egypt at the moment. (Israel of course is a different story.) As often seems to happen though Americans can sometimes be targetted in reprisal attacks by extremists in Arab countries,(assuming here that you are American -ie recent attack on the US Navy ship in Yemen). Being a tourist is no protection, but again the chances of this are slim. I lived in Israel for a year during some tense times and never experienced a problem, but did take common sense precautions as to where I went and when ect. Sometimes its just wrong place, wrong time which could happen anywhere in the world including your own country. Also check with your own countries foreign travel advice. <BR>It is not though in Egypts best interest to get involved if the crisis deepens. In fact Egypt has been making moves towards encouraging reconciliation and bringing the two parties together. It would be a shame to miss a great holiday destination. The situation in this area can change so quickly (as we have seen the past few days) so you still have a few days to see what is happening and review your plans as necessary. I would still go. <BR>Angela

Of course no one wants to put himself or herself in harm's way but keep in mind that that your chances of being involved in some kind of terroristic incident anywhere in the world are statistically exceedingly remote. <BR> <BR>Almost anywhere you travel in the world you will be safer than in your own car. In their lifetime, people have something like a 40 to 1 chance of being in a serious car accident. So while I am very sympathetic to your understable anxiety, the decision to go regardless will be much easier if you focus on the real and imminent danger that you face every day, driving down the freeway.

Carol, <BR>

Carol, <BR>(Sorry, I hit the wrong key above) <BR>We are scheduled to take a cruise from Istanbul to Mombasa, Kenya in 2 wks thru the Suez and Red Sea to Indian Ocean with stops in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Djibouti, etc. We are not cancelling and I do not feel it necessary to do so. I don't want to put myself in harm's way, of course, but I have been in countries with bad publicity and the media has made it sound worse than reality. Be alert and I am sure you will have a lovely time - Egypt is just FASCINATING. <BR>

After reading newspaper articles in the Jordanian and Egyptian newspapers the last three days on the Internet, I finally made the decision that this is not the right time for me to go to either country. It is not just the Jews that are at issue; it is also the American. No one can tell you what to do. I think if you would read the Arab newspaper articles you would then be able to make a more intelligent decision. I just read some very disturing news in the Egypt newspaper. Every Arab country is now getting involved and it is not just against Israel. I hope I am wrong, but I do not think that the forthcoming Summit is going to help. <BR>I, too, am very disappointed about not being able to go, but I do not think that I would enjoy myself always looking over my shoulder and thinking what might happen. <BR>If you want to discuss this further, you can contact me directly. <BR>If you go, I wish you and your husband a very safe trip, and let me know how you make out.

We are going to Egypt on Nov 7. Please give the websites for the Egyptian newspapers. I'm getting nervous. <BR>Jo

I'm leaving for Egypt on Nov. 22, I'm going on tour which involves a cruise down the Nile. I have mixed feelings about going but as of right now, I don't think Egypt has any intentions of getting involved in the Israel / Syria problems. Not that it matters much, but I am a Canadian and hopefully no one needs to attack a tour group. So I'm going forward with my plans. However I have no problem bailing out either. And I will, if things look really bad in that area, just before I leave. Even if it means losing all of the $$ I've given as a deposit, nothing is more important than one's personal safety.

Carol <BR>The main problems and major issues are Israel/Palestinians. Syria has not really said too much. True there is the Golan issue but this is not the main issue at hand. <BR>Egypt has suffered problems with terrorist attacks on tourists before and I think will be taking the utmost care (especially with Clinton there) that nothing happens again.While terrorist attacks are probably slightly more likely (Jewish & American interests and to a lesser extent British) they are not a certainty. Also these retaliatory attacks could (as we have seen before) happen anywhere in the world and are not limited just to the middle East/North Africa. Please don't let it spoil your holiday. Main factor will be how the "truce" summit goes today in Egypt. <BR>Angela

We are scheduled to leave for Egypt on 10/20 unless there is a last minute tour company cancellation and/or a specific State Dept travel warning for Egypt. Our return is scheduled for 11/04 and will let you know if we felt threatened or compromised in anyway. <BR>

I'm flying to Cairo on the 21st Oct and I'm not particularly worried. I might be if I was an American! As I'm Australian and the Olympics are still fresh in people's minds I don't anticipate <BR>problems. Still, I will have Oz flags on my backpacks! <BR>I was in Morocco in 1986 when the Yanks were bombing Libya and Americans were picked but not Australians.

To see Egyptian newspapers, go to ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos. The site has a list of Egyptian newspapers. The only two I found useful were the Cairo Times and the Middle East Times.

Carol, <BR> <BR>We just returned from Egypt, and there was no apparent reaction to the Middle East problem there. While we were in Luxor, I did see a CNN report that some college students in Cairo had staged a protest. When we returned to Cairo several days later, however, I saw no indication of any tension. I asked our guide about the situation, and she said that the Egyptians don't consider themselves Arabs, even though Egypt is call The Arab Republic... She did say, however, that Egypt would sympathize with the Palestinians. <BR> <BR>Whether you should cancel has to be a personal choice. I do know that the airports are under heightened security measures, but that made me feel safe. <BR> <BR>Good luck.

I was starting to feel confident for a while there, but now things seem to be getting worse and worse. The section of the Egyptian population that is very angry at America right now has me worried. Any new insignts from anyone about this?

I think the bottom line is making a decision you'll be comfortable with; if you spend the entire trip worrying then it will put a damper on your trip. A coworker just returned from a 10 day trip to egypt and she said she had no trouble and so nothing disturbing the entire time. She went to all the sites in Egypt adn was in Sharm el Sheik (sp?) at the time of the summit and wouldnt have known it was taking place but for the media. <BR>

For those still mulling this over, the U.S. government has a caution note regarding Egypt dated 10/27 on the web site &lt;www.travel.state.gov&gt;

Thanks Carol. I looked on the US State Dept site on 10/25, so I missed it-- until now that it. <BR> <BR>Thanks.

Egypt is safe, in spite of close-by Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, to ensure that you will have the safest trip in Egypt possible, do the following: <BR> <BR>1. Do not dress clothing with US flags or US brands on them. Americans have a tendency to dress with T-shirts with blazing western/American icons and logos. You would a sure target for the pickpockets or the local Islamic Jihad. <BR> <BR>2. Learn to speak a few Arabic words, such as greetings and asking street directions. Speak less English (especially if you have an American accent) in "out-of-way" places. <BR> <BR>3. Pay attention to the natives around you. If you are in a taxi where the driver is playing a loud "Allahu-Akbar" Islamic preaching tape (especially on Thursdays and Fridays) don't portrait yourself to be an Americans. <BR> <BR>4. Do not fling your US dollars or credit cards around. Use Egyptian pound wherever possible. <BR> <BR>5. Know your residence/hotel surroundings. <BR> <BR>I don't have a problem traveling in the Mideast because I am Asian and Arabs have more respect for Asians than for westerners/Americans. <BR> <BR>

Hi Carol, <BR> <BR>We just returned a few days ago from our trip that started in Cairo on Oct. 3rd. After a 10 day tour with Trafalgar (which I wouldn't recommend to anyone but that's another story), we chose with great disappointment to cancel our planned 8 days in Israel & 8 days in Jordan which we were doing on our own. We flew back to London and travelled in France and England instead for the next 2 weeks. <BR>We were SOOO relieved to get out of Egypt as there were demonstrations there supporting the Palestinians and we saw lots of grafitti with anti-Israeli slogans on walls. The local English newspaper couldn't have been more inflamatory about Israel being the enemy (read Americans). Those who have written thinking that being non-Americans will protect them are dreaming. As Canadians (yes even with a prominent flag), we knew that we were all viewed as Americans by the Egyptians, especially since tour groups are made up of many nationalities. There is no guarantee that fundamentalists will not choose to start attacking tourists as they've done in the past. Remember that an Egyptian national just pleaded guilty to helping blow up the American embassies in Africa last year. <BR>We probably could have continued with our plans, but a holiday where one is constantly nervous for one's safety is not our idea of a holiday. We think your husband is right in this case - better safe than sorry.

Hi Carol, <BR>We just got back this morning from a 14 day trip to Egypt. We were with a small group(10) for 9 days, then we took out on our own for the next 5 days. Security in the area is very tight but we expected that given the circumstances in the middle east. I must say, however, that I never felt or saw any type of anti-american sentiment( and we interacted with a lot of Egyptians) while we were touring alone and with the group. One Australian lady that I met shopping said that a vendor told her that he hated American's but I personally never heard any thing like that. <BR>We did have a wonderful trip and I hope things in the area settle down so that more people will feel comfortable visiting that enchanting country. <BR>Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. <BR>Karen