Christina Wallace

Is it safe for two young women to go to Egypt alone? Should we go by tour and how expensive are the tours? Any suggestions? Is it too hot during June?

guest

Christina, I would not go to Egypt alone. Go with a tour company is my advice. Especially if you only speak English. <BR>A tour is cheaper in the long run (unless you plan to "rough it")Most include a large buffet breakfast and most of the dinner meals. Check the brochures at a Travel agent's office for prices---they vary a lot! I believe <BR>It would be too hot for me to enjoy in June.We went in Spring , last of March and Ist week of April. Egypt is one of my favorite places that we have traveled to. So much to see! N.J.L. <BR>

Karen

I think tours are great where you don't speak the language, especially where our alpabet is not used (Egypt, China, Japan, etc.) You see more because there's less hassle of finding hotel rooms, purchasing tickets, finding places, etc., especially if you have limited time. A tour is certainly less expensive if you plan on staying at compariable accommodations and eating at same restaurants. We used Globus for Egypt, which advertises as a medium priced company , and felt it was far more than worth the price. (www.globusandcosmos.com) <BR>Tours can range from rock bottom to 'out-of-the-world' prices. Check with a travel agent, or many tour companies are on-line. <BR> <BR>June would be toasty. We went in late April. Cairo was high of 80's. Abu Simbel was over 100. It's very dry, so it may not seem as hot as humid places. <BR> <BR>Egypt is one of our favorite trips! Hope you have a great, great trip!

Sandy

A friend and I (both mid-50s) went to Egypt for 2 weeks last summer and it was very easy traveling, don't be frightened into always booking a tour. <BR> <BR>Once we got to Cairo, we did book a 5-day tour mainly because it was our "exact" itinerary and was as cheap as we could do it on our own. We actually weren't part of a group, we had someone meet us at the different cities, take us to our hotels, and give us the plans for the day . . . BTW, we had great tour guides and none of our groups were over 20 people. We would have a tour in the morning and another in the afternoon, with a lot of free time left over. <BR> <BR>We went at the end of June and it was very hot (115 in the shade at Luxor's Valley of the Kings) but, we're from Texas and it's almost that hot here in the summer. <BR> <BR>We did drink bottled water but we ate everything else and we did not get sick. Go independently and pick up a short tour while you're there, you'll have a great time!

Christina

Christina, we just came back and we used Spring Tour. You can contacted them on the web. Emad Helal is the office person [email protected] <BR>I would say this is the way to go. Tafalger,globus,ramsi etc all use this company. I save quite a bit going directly with them. <BR>had a great time, people are friendly <BR>Bruce <BR>

mjd

Christina, <BR>Hi, I just returned today from EGYPT! FUN! My friend and I went for 8 days. We are 24 and 25 tall, blonde woman and had a great time. DO not be scared! You will be amazed at how wrong a lot of the books are when they talk about the safety of women in EGYPT. The thing to do is to travel smart. Freely talk to the guys if they talk to you, do not be mean, be nice and they will talk your ear off! They will ask you do go to discoes and things like that...but do not go. Most likely you are going to see the sights with your friend. SO, do not plan any major partying or anything, but do not be afraid to go and smile when you walk down the street. The culture is very friendly as long as your respect their way of life and do not make dumb decisions. <BR> <BR>We bought a tour to Hurghada and then purchased from one travel agent the tours we wanted and bargained it down to 160$ for 4 tours, LUXOR, Cairo, Safari and a day on the Red Sea. You are young and can jam pack your week even though every travel agent will say you willl not have enought time. Pick up a book now and read through and makes notes on what you want to see and then get there and shop around for a travel agent in the hotel areas and book them and ENJOY! We even we able to get the same Egyptian guy for all days.....and he was able to get us the Egyptian price from everything from water to food and things we wanted to buy. BUT BEWARE&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;everyone will want to sell you something and take you somewhere....be firm. Everything in egypt has a price for locals and tourists....you really can not excape this, just name your price and if they do not take it..walk away. <BR> <BR>June will be hot, but i like hot weather. You will have to decide that one. <BR>Overall, find a tour that has air, hotel, and transfers and then get there and buy your tours. I did not do the nile cruise and was not interested in it and am glad i did not. I will say the fertile Nile valley is beautiful, but you can see it when you go to the LUxor. <BR> <BR>ok, email me if you want more info. I could write you a book, J.K. <BR>MJD