Help - Need Travel Advice for Egypt
 

My boyfriend and I are planning a 12 day trip to Egypt in September. We've been planning to take this trip for about 3 years now! The closer we get to the departure date the more anxious and nervous I've become. I'm 28 years old and have done a fair amount of traveling for my age. I love seeing new countries and interacting with different cultures. I think what worries me most about this trip is HOW different things are going to be! I'm nervous about eating the local food and getting an upset stomach. I'm worried about wearing revealing clothes and upsetting the locals. On the flip side, these very differences are part of what drew me to Egypt. It sounds like such an amazing place to visit. I'm sure I will have a wonderful time. Perhaps someone might be able to calm my nerves with a little advice...

What do you recommend a young woman wear? I've read tons of articles about covering up yet most of the tourist photos I've seen show women in tank tops and shorts. I want to respect their cultural beliefs but don't want to be overdressed in 100 degree weather.

What do you recommend a young man wear? My boyfriend insists that his standard American jean shorts and khaki shorts (all long & loose) are sufficient. I think he should wear lighter cottons and linens. Possibly light pants... I also hate looking like a stereotypical tourist and would prefer to blend in a little more.

Shoe recommendations? I'm a big sandal person but I've also read that closed shoes are better due to dirty city streets and sandy deserts.

Money - Do you recommend exchanging money in the USA or waiting until we arrive in Egypt? I've read that the exchange rates are much better there. Also traveler checks vs. ATM card vs. Credit Card?

Food - Any tips to avoid the infamous stomach problems would be MUCH appreciated!! I think this is what worries me the most. Any specific foods to avoid? (i.e. fresh fruits because they may have been washed with local water)

Relationship status - Is it acceptable to refer to my boyfriend as such or should I refer to him as my husband? I've read that many locals look down at unwed women who travel with men. (i.e. sharing hotel rooms)

Heat - How bad will the heat be at the end of September? I've heard that 110' there is more like 95' in the USA because it's dry heat. Is it better to wear long sleeves that block the sun or shorter sleeves that permit air flow.

Any other advice would be more than welcome!! Thanks!

You will have a wonderful time! I was in Egypt in April '08 and I found everyone to be very friendly and good-natured -- they loved to talk to us Americans about Obama and the United States (everyone asked us about the election, and we were only at the primaries at that point). Like anywhere, I found that being respectful, relaxed and good-humored went a very VERY long way. I was there with a married couple and everyone joked my male friend was "the man with two wives." We laughed; they laughed; everyone enjoyed themselves.

I WOULD wear a fake wedding ring, just in case (I did and I think it helped), and I would also err on the side of caution as far as your clothes go. I wore a lot of light, long-sleeved tops (cotton and linen) and long skirts or wide-legged pants. In talking with our tour guide, he said the Egyptians appreciated how we were very conscious about dressing in a culturally appropriate way. You WILL see people in shorts and tank tops but I don't advise it, and you won't be allowed in the mosques dressed like that. It's so hot that you're actually probably better off wearing light clothing that covers you up to protect you from the sun. I think your boyfriend will look very much like a tourist in jean shorts, but everything else will be okay. On the whole, I would err on the side of being MORE respectful than less as far as clothing goes, though, and, again, you'll need the protection from the sun. You MUST bring a hat. As far as shoes go, I wore Birkenstocks the entire time and I was fine, but flip flops will kill you.

As far as food goes, I didn't get sick at all, but I did avoid salads and ice cubes. Lots of chicken and lamb, hummus, all kinds of interesting mezze -- the food in Cairo is much better than the food in Luxor. My doctor gave me Cipro in case I got a bug, and I packed a variety of American OTC aids but didn't need them at all. Be smart, and you'll be totally fine.

I don't know if you're going to both, but Luxor is much hotter than Cairo in my experience and it was QUITE hot there in April, so Sept will be toasty. We did a lot of things early in the day and in the early evening and took naps or went in the pool mid-day, because it is just so hot. It is dry heat, but it's REALLY VERY HOT. So prepare yourself. It will be AN AMAZING TRIP, really.

Money: it's nearly impossible to exchange here in US for Egyptian money. I think it might be illegal to take Egyptian currency out of Egypt, actually. We had no problems getting cash from an ATM at our hotel, and we used mostly cash and ATM/Credit cards the whole time. I don't think traveller's cheques are that practical in Egypt.

We got a great tour guide in Luxor at Jolley's -- you need one in Luxor if you're not taking a group tour. And take a hot air balloon ride! They're amazing. HAVE FUN! I would go back today if I could.

I haven't been to Egypt yet, but here are a few tips from my research for my December trip there and from other travels.

Avoid travelers checks, nobody likes them anywhere in the world.

Find loose, light weight clothes instead of going for skimpy. It's often cooler to wear a long sleeve, very light weight, cotton shirt than it is to wear a tank top. You don't have to worry about possibly bothering anyone and it keeps the sun off of your skin that way. Wear a t-shirt under it and you can ditch it when you're out of the sun. Just because a lot of tourists do wear tank tops and shorts doesn't mean that it's respectful to do so.

If you're going to say that you're married to avoid any tension, be sure you discuss it with him first. Cheap bands from Walmart/Target would be a good idea if you're going to do that. It's also easier if you just tend to refer to each other by name instead of by a title such as bf/gf or husband/wife.

As for the water thing, remember to brush your teeth and rinse your toothbrush using only bottled water and to keep your mouth closed in the shower. A lot of people don't think about water in their mouth during a shower. Take something like Imodium from here, and switch to Antinal (very cheap in Egypt) if you still have problems. Many people recommend Cipro, but it does have some really bad possible side effects so talk to your doctor about that and don't use it if you do take it unless absolutely needed.

Absolutely most importantly, remember to have a great time. :D

HI Xempro

Firstly, I would say stop worrying, its a vacation, not a meet the parents for the first time scenario.

Also, it depends on where in Egypt you are going to go, if you are doing the Red Sea Hurghada Sharm el sheikh then you will get away with shorts and tank tops, but only mostly around your hotel and pool side etc.

I once watched in amazement when I went on a tour of the valley of the kings, where an english lady wore - a BIKINI with a sarong, and a very see through sarong at that, around her waist!!

There are extremes that even some people wouldnt dream normally of going to, but she did!!

I have been in Egypt many many times, in cairo I tended to wear long black trousers in the evening (because they are always fashionable) or jeans. Many of the younger ladies wear jeans there so its not a problem.

On the top half I had some lovely evening tops, but because I felt that they were maybe a little lower cut or shorter on the sleeves I simply wore a long sleeved cotton t shirt under them, that way I was covering the main parts and still appearing stylish. You will see that this is what most egyptian girls actually do to.

In Luxor, then you can wear sort of three quarter length type trousers, and your b/f can of course wear his long and loose shorts too.

If you can get some, I would get linen trousers, they are great to stay cool, and although they crease a lot, you will find that for a few egyptian pounds your hotel reception will wash and iron them better than you can do yourself. That way, they always stay fresh and crispily ironed.

Listen, I always err on the side of caution, but I also always shove in a couple of sets of short shorts, because in your hotel room or on your balcony you have privacy. I always take a swimsuit if I am on a nile cruise, and sometimes I even brave the pool.

Really it depends on who you are around, if you are on a nile cruise then judge what the other ladies are wearing and dress that way, and out of respect for your b/f dont wear anything too revealing. because otherwise you might get a lot of interesting looks and it might irritate your b/f

And I would just say he is your husband, for all they know you might not wear your jewellery when you are in foreign countries. And, dont forget, the married ladies in Egypt keep their maiden names so the name difference wouldnt stand out either.

Shoes, if you are anything like me you will take many shoes and wear the same ones all of the time. I now have realised that a great sandal for the day time works a treat, for all the sights you go to see. But walking in Cairo in the evening, then wear some comfortable pumps or if you have ankle length boots that can style in with your black or linen trousers then perfect. because your feet get all caught with little stones, and dirt and I ended up with terrible blisters from a pair of beautifully stylish sandals, which I never wore again. Get a soft leather sandal. or better still, I went to a real good footwear store and i bought a pair of reiker anti stress sandals, sound old fashioned but were really stylish and I have never looked back

I would also avoid sneakers when visiting temples as I found me feet were too hot, and if I felt overwhelmed by the heat I had to take my sneakers off to try to cool down faster.

Food wise, I only got sick twice out of many many times in Egypt. 1st time - I was eating salads - particularly cucumber - so avoid it, and any raw veg. stick to boiled vegetables or potatoes etc. Second time i got sick was a piece of chicken from a kebab type shop, so even though it looks chargrilled, sometimes it's been lying a while and so I think this gave me the bad tummy.

If you get a bad tummy, see your tour guide, because they have THE BEST cure for it in tablet form that they can get for you from the pharmacy. It kills all sorts :-) inside your tummy. I had taken pills and potions from England and none of them worked on the superbug I managed to land myself with. But the tour guide, 2 tablet, job done. I dont know what they are called unfortunately, maybe Casual Cairo might know? but get your tablets over there.

Make sure your bottles of water, when you buy them, are sealed with clear tape over them too, that way you know your bottled water is safe (if buying outside your hotel)

That's just my thoughts, and I think from what everyone has said it will give you an idea of whats and wherefores.

Listen, all in all, you are on holiday!! Enjoy it. and stop worrying.

Scotsgirl

Just a note - men in the Middle East do not wear shorts. To them - it's like underwear.

Your bf's shorts will be fine when touring Luxor or touring/hanging out on a Nile cruise, but in towns (especially in Cairo) I would recommend loose, lightweight long pants.

My DH and sons especially liked the pants that zip-off at the knees. My boys knew that they had to wear long pants departing from/arriving in Cairo - so the zip-off ones were perfect.

Xempro:
- The egyptian remedy for stomach problems is called Antinal. You find ot in any pharmacy and it costs less than 1$. In our recent trip almost all the menbers of my family had some problems.We were careful with water so I think it was due to salads we eated in our first days. Antinal is really effective and very quick.
-About heat; we went in August, and it was really hot (47º celsius at Aswan). It's less hot in Cairo but it's more humid, so the sensation is worse. The secret is to begin your sight seeing very early in the morning (specially at Luxor and Aswan)and then rush to your hotel's pool by midday. The afternoons at Luxor and Aswan were also less hotter, and we used them to go to the beautiful museums of both cities (both are air conditioned,the Cairo Museum isn't)
-About shoes; closed one are better mostly because you'll be walking in sand areas and it can be very disturbing for your feet.
Hope you enjoy your trip.

<b>What do you recommend a young woman wear?</b> We traveled with our 20-something children and their friends last summer. The girls mostly wore tank tops or tee-shirts, long skirts and sandals (sandals are not disrespectful -- but they are a pain because there's so much sand, dirt and pebbles). My DS wore shorts (long ones, but not "special"), golf shirts and sandals. I wore capris and a short-sleeve top (no tank tops), and closed-toe shoes. Basically, I was told "no bare breasts, knees or shoulders". Like scotsgirl, we saw a tourist at the Great Pyramid in a bathing suit and see-through coverup.

<b>I also hate looking like a stereotypical tourist and would prefer to blend in a little more.</b> Trust me, you are not going to blend in in Egypt.

<b>Shoe recommendations?</b> Sandals at the ancient sites are a bad idea due to no paving, pebbles, etc. Actually, there's an awful lot of broken concrete everywhere, so I think closed-toe shoes are a good idea, but my 20-somethings all wore flip-flops most of the trip.

<b>Money - Do you recommend exchanging money in the USA or waiting until we arrive in Egypt? I've read that the exchange rates are much better there. Also traveler checks vs. ATM card vs. Credit Card? </b> Nobody uses travelers checks anymore (sorry, American Express). We used our ATM for cash, and credit cards for purchases. I have no idea what exchange rate you can get here, but there it's the same everywhere (fixed rate)

<b>Food</b> We drank only bottled water, and did for the most part avoid fresh fruits and vegetables that didn't get peeled to be eaten. However, the three kids who had been living in Africa for a year prior to the trip ate everything. Out of six of us, only two had one evening of mild stomach trouble, not even enough for Imodium.

<b>Relationship status - Is it acceptable to refer to my boyfriend as such or should I refer to him as my husband? I've read that many locals look down at unwed women who travel with men. (i.e. sharing hotel rooms) </b> No idea. We had two triples -- my DH and I and my DD shared one room, and my DS, his girlfriend and their friend (another young woman) shared another. No problems at all.

<b>Heat</b> We were there in late August. It was 110 &deg; and it felt like 110 &deg;

Hope that helps!

Just a word on cash. You can easily obtain Egyptian Pounds at Bank of America - https://www3.bankofamerica.com/forei...pply/index.cfm

You can even request all small bills and they will be either mailed to you or a local branch.

If BofA doesn't service your area, just ask a major bank in your area. There are also various web sites that cater to foreign exchange - just google. It is not illegal nor difficult to obtain their currency in the US.

I prefer to have some foreign cash in hand before I leave. One less thing to sort our when I'm there.

The only thing about exchanging money in the USA for foreign currency like Egyptian Pounds, is that you will pay through the nose for the currency. If you can wait to get to Egypt even the banks inside the airport will give you a FAIR exchange for your USdollars. They will want you to have clean, near new dollars - and certainly NO bills that have been written on or are torn, but they will give a good fair exchange. Check out the exchange rate at http://www.oanda.com/converter/travel to see what the exchange should be before exchanging outside of Egypt. If FX says it is at 5.6 EGP to the USD, and your exchange office is only offering 5 or so, WAIT!

To the OP - You asked Relationship status - Is it acceptable to refer to my boyfriend as such or should I refer to him as my husband? I've read that many locals look down at unwed women who travel with men. (i.e. sharing hotel rooms)

Absolutely the locals look down on unwed women traveling with men if they are sharing rooms. Even upscale families think this is wrong and will not approve. It's so easy to just call him your husband. Everyone will assume he is unless you make a show that he isn't. You don't have to wear rings, but if you feel better doing that, you can. The locals here don't always exchange rings, so that isn't such a sign to them necessarily.

THANKS FOR EVERYONE'S ADVICE!!! I feel much better hearing the same information here that I've gotten from other sources. I'm really looking forward to our trip! :-)

oh welcome to my beloved country,xempro you are going to visit the most beautiful country and people,even iam not egyptian but i do love this wonderful country

enjoy your time

As far as clothes for women go, after carefully looking at how Egyptian women dress, I finally figured out that a main component of their dressing strategy - to be very blunt about it - consists of not having a waist and not having a crotch. Obviously, this is easily accomplished with the "full monty" head-to-toe black bag (with or without the black gloves to cover the hands). But when even the teenage and 20-something girls in Cairo who are aspiring to fashion wear tight jeans and form-fitting shells - these are always topped by a loose tunic-type blouse or sweater that never tucked in and always comes down to at least mid-hip.

So you will be fine if you wear loose pants or mid-calf capris - with a top that has mid-elbow, three-quarter or long sleeves, a fairly high collar, and a loose fit - and most importantly goes down at least past the crotch.

And by the way, the hat you need will be not a baseball cap one (too skimpy) but one with a broad all-around rim. This may look dorky but it is probably better than fainting from heat stroke (which we saw happen twice to bare-headed tourists - once in Luxor and once in Sharm)

As for boyfriend - very few Egptian men wear shorts - pants are more acceptable in Cairo and Luxor.

(This does not apply to beach resorts like Sharm El Sheikh
- here shorts for both sexes, more fitted tops, etc... are mcuh more acceptable for tourists. Even some younger Egyptian men wear shorts in places like Sharm and Dahab).

<<<So you will be fine if you wear loose pants or mid-calf capris - with a top that has mid-elbow, three-quarter or long sleeves, a fairly high collar, and a loose fit - and most importantly goes down at least past the crotch>>>

IMHO, this is way beyond what is necessary. Again, cover your breasts, knees and shoulders and you will be fine AND respectful.

As for shorts, well, slacks may be more the norm in Cairo (it is, after all, a big city), but we found shorts to be fairly common among tourists (men) in Luxor.

As for men and shorts - it depends on where you are in Luxor.

My DH - who NEVER wore shorts in Cairo - wore shorts on the tours in Luxor, but wore pants when we went into the city on our own....to the museum, strolling along the corniche, etc.

And I agree with sf7307 about women - while I always tended to err on the side of "over dressed", I the "cover your breasts, knees, and shoulders" to be sufficient. Obviously, someone can cover the appropriate body parts and STILL be in an inappropriate outfit if the clothing is tightly fitted. I wore a lot of loose, flowy skirts - much cooler than pants in the heat.

You are going to love Egypt! Although Egypt is liberal by Arab standards, they are very much conservative by Western standards. I remember seeing a lot of Russian girls in tiny tank tops and very short shorts and the Egyptian men were ogling them and making lots of comments (no knowledge of Arab needed to understand body language!) Since it was so hot, I wore short sleeve polo shirts and cotton pants. I also wore top siders with socks. There is so much sand everywhere, particularly at the pyramids, that if you use open shoes they'll get full of sand immediately. If I went into a mosque, I made sure to cover my head with a scarf as a sign of respect.

If I were your boyfriend, I would not wear shorts.

No problem using credit cards although the credit card companies will charge a fee for currency conversion.

I did get sick from one day to another when I forgot to ask for my diet Coke w/o ice. But, like I said, I was fine the next day.