mover

Has anybody used Ask-Aladdin.com for Egypt tours? The person in charge is Raouf Louis. Would appreciate any comments.

HappyMom32

I used the information on their website to research for my trip to Egypt.

However, I found that they used scare tactics in the tone of their messages to discourage independent travellers. They make it sound like Egypt is very dangerous and it is not advisable to travel independently. This is misleading in my opinion.

Grcxx3

<<They make it sound like Egypt is very dangerous and it is not advisable to travel independently. This is misleading in my opinion.>>

Egypt isn't necessarily EASY for independent traveling - but that is more because of logistical issues than safety issues.

With the exception of the traffic (and the donkey carts and camels on the major highways) - I always felt very safe in Egypt. Of course, common sense about safety must always be followed - no matter where you are.

Casual_Cairo

Exactly what Crcxx3 says!
I find many companies use "scare tactics" to make people uncomfortable with independent travel. It tends to get them business because one thing they are selling you is the "safety factor" and if people will pay money for that, then it is to their benefit to make the place sound scary. The last administration in American did a darn good job of backing up any company that sold on that platform, so it seems to work for some, and if that is what it takes to get some people to Egypt, I'm glad there are companies here that can take the fear out of it, or leave the fear there and offer some shield against it, for these people. The more people that will come to Egypt and see how great it is, no matter what company they travel with, the better. Most (over 50% I hope) leave knowing Egypt is wonderful.

chigby

I used this company for travel this past Christmas. My family of 5 traveled into Egypt from Jordan to Sharm, then a Nile Cruise and finally to Cairo. I think it was about 10 days of travel. We had excellent service, communication and awesome guides. From being picked up at the border, escorted through customs, transfered to flights, cruises and tours throughout the country etc-there were no hitches. We used Ask Aladdin because we wanted to cover a lot of area in a short time. There are reasons that Egypt is nervous about their tourists-it accounts for a huge portion of the domestic income. In the past 10 years it has dropped off dramatically because of several incidents both internationally and domestically-- they cannot afford any more. We loved Egypt, felt safe and would recommend it to anyone! I would be happy to give you more details about Ask-Aladdin if you are interested.

jetsetter2009

Me and two of my friends went on the Egypt splendour trip with Ask-Aladdin.com (October 2008). We did deal with Raouf (and met him when we got there and also Mr. Aladdin himself). We had a fantastic time - my testimonial is actually on the site - November 2009 (there's a typo as it should have been Nov 2008) under the Canadians.
http://www.ask-aladdin.com/Testimonials.html
Great experience overall and I would highly recommend using them.

paulop

Hello fellow travellers!

My wife and I spent our 10th wedding anniversary in Egypt on July 2009 and booked our vacation with Ask-aladdin.com. Our experience was excellent. Mr. Raouf Louis and his team did a superb job and organized a memorable trip without flaws. Everything went according to plan and we had great service from our guides and drivers, we stayed at fantastic hotels, we visited all the important sites....Mr. Raouf even took his time to call us a few times to find out if all was going well.

It was our first time in Egypt and we only booked with an agency because we wanted to make sure we visited all the right places. However, after my experience, I need to tell you that by not booking with a travel agency not only will you miss out on the best sites (including restaurants and hotels) but also you will find it difficult to get around without professional assistance. I am sure we could have done it without assistance but I do believe that we woudn't have had as great a time and we wouldn't save any money.

I am not sure about the other travel agencies in Egypt but I must tell you that I have nothing but good things to say about Ask-aladdin and Mr. Raouf Louis.

Lifeman

There's obviously lots of guiding companies in North Africa, because lots of them post false testamonials on here. There's just somehow that you can identify them from the post, isn't there?

We've travelled Egypt and Morocco independently and never had a problem in any way, except the beggars in all these places. Maybe they aren't really a problem, just symptomatic of the country.

If you prefer everything done for you, then by all means use an agency. If you have a little more confidence then go it alone. You pays your money....!

tugozi

Dear fellow fodorite,

Our family just spent4 days in Cairo in July. Thanks to the feedback I recieved from Crxx, Sf7303 and of course all-time favorite Casual_cairo, we managed to go around on our own.
I have also used ask_aladdin to get an idea of what to be done in Egypt.

When you read all different experiences, you will get intimidated. Infact, the real cheating is by the Government of Egypt, the admission prices are far too high for the monuments they have.
We found Cairo to be very safe and people are very helpful. We even managed to go to Alenxandria on our own by Egyptian trains. We stayed at LMR, used their car for the first day to visit the Pyramids for 120 LE. The second day we went to the train station from giza on a taxi. Here is a small tip, when hiring a taxi always bargain by 40%. Never go with a taxi driver that parks his car far away. Good taxi drivers bring their car to you and it is always in good condition. Always be prepared to give "Bakshis". Keep either$1 bills or 2Le handy.
Then we found a very good taxidriver that tokk us around in downtown Cairo for 120Le. He always showed up on time and never asked for any tip. So, we hired him for a day to take us to Memphis, Saqqara, Carpet factory and he brought us back and again took us to the Cairo airport, all for $50.

So, good luck. If you can plan ahead as to which places you want to visit, you can explore Egypt on your own. I have seen lot of people bringing a Frommer's guide to all the places of interrest and exploring on their own. You can also find guides at the pyramids, Egyptian museum and hire them for the duration you need.

But, we considered using onthegotours.com and gattours

Casual_Cairo

tugozi - Thank you for the compliment about me being your all time favorite, but you also said ",... the admission prices are far too high for the monuments they have."

I have to say YOU'RE KIDDING!, right? LE60 is too much to get in to see the Great Pyramids? LE60 is too much to get into the Museum with the King Tut Exhibit? LE50 is too much to get into a well preserved fortress from the 12th Century? Come on! What do you suppose you'd pay for this in the USA or in England? For those that don't know the exchange rate, LE60 is just shy of $11.00US. LE50 is just over $9.00US. I think those prices are dirt cheap for what they have inside to see.
Maybe you are referring to the state of the buildings or the way they don't keep up the grounds so well in these areas. That is very true. That they don't do well, but I'm thankful they don't charge $20-$30 as they would in the USA and then not keep it up.
Did I misread what you meant? or what?

mightyduck

We planned our trip to Egypt my wife and I to celebrate our 15th anniversary. The dates were from February 25th to march 9th. After looking on the net to find some infos I stumbled on a site called http://www.ask-aladdin.com/index.html and boy do they have a complete site with so much information. I decided to book directly with them about 4 months before the actual trip.

All along the way, I had several communications with Raouf Louis to make sure we would be ready and understood how it would all unfold when we get there. I must say it was a little bit of a leap of fate as we had never actually spoken live on the phone but I was pretty sure I had made the right decision to go with them and boy was I right.

Those people made us live the trip of a lifetime.Everything was so well organized, no delays (and God knows I hate waiting for people who are not on time) everybody was always on time, the knowledge of our guides, Mohamed,Mustapha and Ahni was very impressing and the professionalism of Walid was evident all through the trip. The hotels, all 3 of them and the Nile cruise were fantastic. They took care of everything. Picking us at the airport, driving us all around, driving us back for the transfers, everything.

We had high expectations coming in and they exceeded them. I don't know what I could've asked for more other than having a few days more to visit Abu Simbel and Alexandria (maybe on another trip). So if a trip to Egypt is something you're considering, please make sure you do give them a call, I really believe they are the best at what they're doing. We've been travelling quite a bit and never have we seen this level of professionnalism from a travel agency.

Patrick and Susie from Canada

silverstar10

We are presently in communication with Aladdin Khalifa, Managing Director of Egypt Travel Experts, who has us working with Maha Shawky to arrange our tour package for 2011. Has anyone ever worked with Maha? There are some in my group that are a little skeptical and need reassurance that this company and the individuals working with us are who they say they are.
Thank you

Carolyn620

We just returned from Egypt on 10/25/10, so we hope this will help others looking for guidance. Aladdin Khalifa was our program director. We have to say that it was the absolute best travel experience that we have had so far. From the time Aladdin and his staff met us at the airport when we arrived until they returned us 15 days later he and his staff, educated, advised, guided, and solved any issues quickly and efficiently no matter how small. So, for those of you who say that companies use scare tactics, you need to get a grip. Yes, Egypt is safe but without a good program manager or guide the smallest problem can become a major hassle due to language differences, ignorance of cultural customs, or something as simple as finding a safe fast food restaurant. Ever had "mummy tummy"? Not fun. Another couple that was in our tour group, who have traveled extensively (19+ guided tours) told us that Aladdin was one of the best if not the best guide they have ever had. Yes, Egypt is safe but if you want a truly wonderful vacation experience without any hassles we would highly recommend any trip that Aladdin Khalifa is involved with as he and his staff are perfectionists.

kalanz001

I have just spent 28 days touring Egypt and Jordan with Ask Aladdin,I was very happy with the 5 star quality of the tour for that length of time,compared to other tour companies who offer less for the same or more money.You can pick the day you want to begin to get the best airfare,and you have your own personal guide and driver for the tour,you are not with a group of up to 25 people with 1 guide,you have your own guide.When I meet a group tour,they were jealous that I had my own guide one on one.
Compare what you get on other sites for more money and less time,and group tour vs.one on one.I felt like a VIP thanks to Ask Aladdin and Bassem