Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Just back from Egypt and Jordan. Any questions?

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Just back from Egypt and Jordan. Any questions?

My wife and I visited Egypt and Jordan in May with Imaginative Traveller. We travelled all over so I'm more than happy to answer questions if I can. regards Steve

Thanks for the offer; we are headed to both countries in early November. 1. What would you recommend as far as shoes are concerned? 2. Did you have problems with Pharaoh's Revenge...i.e. bad diarrhea? 3. Did you go to Petra? If yes, how was this part of your trip? 4. Did you have any experiences regarding personal safety? Thanks!

We are going to Egypt Aug. 6 and know it will be very hot. Is it true that, out of respect to their culture, we should not wear short sleeves and shorts?

Dear Al and Shirl, in answer to your questions: Shoes: we went to a hiking shop at home and selected "Salamon" canvas walking shoes rather than hiking boots. They're a lot lighter and cooler but still have a sturdy tread. My wife has bad ankles but hates wearing high topped boots. No problems with these sturdy walkers. Pharaoh's Revenge: Don't eat the salads which get served at every meal and alwys drink bottled water which is available at every hotel but cheaper at the local shop. Even so, the rich and spicy food takes a little getting used to. Even with these precautions, my wife had one "bad: day. We had "gastro packs" from the traveller's medical centre from home so that we could use the appropriate level of response when required. Petra: yes this was fantastic. We saw some large tour groups that bussed in, walked through the Sikh to the Treasury Building and then back to the bus. This is a real waste of time. Our group spent an entire day there and hiked up to the "high place" in the morning and to the "scriptorium" in the afternoon. There is a good cafe for lunch on-site . We were pretty exhausted by the end of the day but its well worth a visit. We found the historic sites in Jordan just as fascinating as Egypt but there's a lot more nothingness in between. Personal Safety: The situation in Egypt was calm. There is an obvious police presence in most tourist hotel areas, street corners and heavy presence outside the Egyptian Museum. Although initially confronting, we bacame quite relaxed and never had any concerns. Clothing: The general rule seems to be that the further you get away from the main cities and tourist routes, the more you should your consider your clothing standards. Our guide advised us in advance of the appropriate level of dress. Short sleeves didn't seem to be a problem but avoid singlet tops. We saw one lady at the Giza Pyramids in a bikini top and shorty shorts - totally inappropriate. Normal baggy shorts seemed OK except for some of the isolated areas. Hope this helps regards Steve

I just received my catalog from the Imaginative traveller. What are the major differences between the traveller and traveller-plus packages? Was there much ofa difference between the four star and five star hotels?

The traveller class tour we chose used 3-star hotels which were clean, basic and generally had an en-suite and aircon. We didn't use 4 or 5 star hotels as Imaginative seemed to cater for the mid level of expense and luxury - just what we wanted. There are other companies that specialise in luxury tours and accomodation. regards Steve

What other mid-price travel companies did you consider? Besides price, what else influenced you to pick Imaginative Traveler?

Hi Terry, we asked our travel agent to provide a few brochures on the different types of tours. We looked at Abercrombie and Kent but they were too up-market for us. We also contacted a few small local agents here in Australia but they seemed to cater for the backpacker scene. We wanted something in between so we started evaluating two options: Yalla Tours and Imaginative Traveller. On the whole, they seemed comparable but I.T. seemed to have more flexibility and more importantly to us, plenty of time in the main historical areas to explore. Free days and an unhurried schedule also played a part in our decision. Finally, I.T's Australian agent Peregrine Adventures have a pretty good reputation here and we visited an information night with slides of the tour and one of the actual tour leaders giving the commentary and answering our dumb questions. That sold it for us. Footnote. One of our friends visited Egypt at the same time as us travelling with Yalla Tours. She had a similar itinerary but she reports that some of the hotels were a bit "over-rated" and that her tour leader ripped her off continually fo extra tips and exorbitant fees for "essential" side trips. It really spoiled her trip. Hope this background helps a little regards Steve

Thanks Steve, My wife and I are interested in going to Egypt next year. We have been contemplating early May. Can you tell me what the weather was like and if you would recommend this time of year for travel to Egypt? Also, what were some of the "don't miss" tips from your trip? Things such as cities, historical sites etc. Last, how did your trip compare to others that you have been on? Was it a good trip and if so what made it special. Thank you, Simon

Simon, after one visit to Egypt I'm certainly not an authority on Tourism highlights. I'm sure others would like to add things to a "must see" list as well based on their own experiences. Here goes anyway. We had temperatures in Cairo in the mid 20s and the occasional cloudy day. Further South it got up to the mid 40s in the Valley of the Kings.Hot certainly, but not excruciatingly so. May, by all accounts is also less busy than later in the Season. My "must sees" or "must dos" in no paticular order are: Abu Simbel Felucca sailing at Aswan Sipping G&Ts at sunset on the balcony of the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan Valley of the Kings Tomb of Nefertari Step Pyramid of Sakkara Tutenkhamun's room at the Egyptian Musuem Cruising the Nile for a few days The Hyperstile Hall at Karnak Temple Others tell me that the Siwa Oasis is well worth a visit too regards Steve

Steve, We are planning on taking our 2 kids to Egypt to see the major sites. Never toured with a company-orgainized trip. Would an 11 and 13 year old "work" on a tour? They want to go, just trying to decide how to go. Thanks.

Hi Stacy, we had never travelled with a company-based tour before either being fairly independent travellers however the advice we were given beforehand (which turned out to be quite factual) is that the infrastructure is not in place for newcomers in the Middle East to easily organise things for themselves. The tour company sorted out all the arrangements and let us get on with enjoying the sights. As for youngsters, it would be a great experience. I'd suggest that you contact several companies until you find one that is comfortable with the age group. regards and Happy New Year Steve

My husband and I are planning To go to Egypt Feb.2000 Through Trafalgar Tours. Have you heard of them? Also could you tell us about the currency used? Will vendors accept the good old American dollar?

We are planning on going on a tour with imaginative traveller in March,2000 and were wondering in U.S. dollars what a fair price is for Egypt, Israel and Jordan? (not including airfare) Thanks