johnlh

Has anyone recently used tour guide Emad Abuhadeda? He has given me what I think is a fair price for a 2 day tour. But I have not seen any new posting for him. I have found very good reviews for him in years past, but nothing recently.

MissGreen

To compare prices, Lady Egypt gave me a quote for a guide and driver for US$35 a day - a bargain I think. I have a couple of free days and I have a driver and guide available if I want one. They also quoted me US$130 per person (my husband and myself are travelling) which includes 5 star accommodation.

johnlh

Thanks for information. Mr Emad is in the same ballpark. So that is not the problem. I was just wondering if anyone had used him recently.

Casual_Cairo

US$35 per day to pay for a guide and driver and van and gas? Which one of you would put in a full days work for $35? Any one? That is $4.375 per hour to be split between two workers and a van AND make some profit on. Hmmmm?

The only thing I can figure is $35 per person and maybe a minimum of 4 people? People have to be able to make a living in Egypt too.

Percy

Well said Causual_Cairo

sf7307

CC, I am sure you're correct -- I did a lot of research before our trip, and although I never wanted or got a breakdown of the per day or per person price for a guide or driver in a particular city, my research shows that somewhere between $150-250 for a full day is more like it (and I DID use Lady Egypt).

MissGreen

Casual Cairo.... that's why I don't mind tipping large.

MissGreen

Here's the quote from the Lady Egypt;

It would cost $35 per person for another day with the guide and driver (entrance fees/lunch not included).

johnlh

casual cairo thanks for your information, just a little self serving. Like to hear from none guides and my question was about Emad.

sf7307

OK, so CC was right - it's $35 per person, which for 4 people, is $140 (I still doubt they'd make a private guide and driver available at that rate for only 1 or 2 people) --- more in line with what others' (including me) thought.

johnlh

Can anyone give me information on Emad Abuhadeda????? This is my question. Not on Debbie and Casual Cairo and her comments! I am not questioning her,comments and thing I have hear. Please, just answer my question if you read this.

MissGreen

SF - No... it is 35 each for 2 of us - my husband and myself and Lady Egypt knows this. There are not 4 in our group.

John, apologies for hijacking your post. I can't help you with Emad Abuhadeda... I have not seen his name mentioned on the boards.

Hope you find someone who can help.

Lollie14

John

Liz and Richard had an Emad for the Upper Egypt portion of their trip in '08....

http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...ependently.cfm

Not sure if he is the same one. Good luck.

johnlh

Thanks MissGreen for your information. I just hate when guides come and try and hijack tourist threads with their personal opinions. I just think its a bit self serving. I have heard things about Casual Cairo. So would it be fair to put those things in my thread to disparage her business, no. So why should she try to disparage others for how they conduct their business to the general public. Are people free to charge what they want to in Egypt, yes? Does that add to the economy, yes? So let free enterprise be. All I wanted was information on Emad not her opinion.
John, I accept your apology, no offense taken.

Grcxx3

John - your reaction to Debbie's comments and implied criticisms about her are totally unnecessary. She is a valuable contributor on this forum, does not use this forum to solicit business, and is very supportive of the other (reliable) tour operators in Cairo. And I hardly think 1 post (in response to the price given by MissGreen) can be considered "hijacking."

As for your comment "Can anyone give me information on Emad Abuhadeda????? This is my question".....given that it took 3 days for someone to post a thread related to him (which is 2 years old) - I would take that to mean that no one has used him recently. However, keep in mind that the Emad mentioned on this thread was in Aswan and may not be the same person you are inquiring about.

johnlh

Grcxx3 thanks for your comment. But, I still say that my question was about Emad, not hers or your opinion about cost or other chatter. My opinion.

Grcxx3

<<Grcxx3 thanks for your comment. But, I still say that my question was about Emad, not hers or your opinion about cost or other chatter. My opinion.>>

In your original post you said "He has given me what I think is a fair price for a 2 day tour" - and while not mentioning the price you were quoted, you did open the door for a discussion of prices. But no matter.....I assume you have now gotten the information you needed.

However, let me just add that it is often the comments, experiences, opinions, and "other chatter" posted by people on this forum that make it so useful to others. Yes, threads do get hijacked, diverted, and often go off on wild tangents (I have been guilty of this) - but that is often what leads to the most interesting discussions. And while the information discussed may not be relevant to you, it can be very helpful to others. And that, to me, is the beauty and benefit of forums such as this.

Also, the other nice thing about all the extraneous posts is that you get to "know" the people a little bit better - their backgrounds, experiences, base of knowledge, etc - and that helps you determine if their travel "style" matches yours. And that knowledge can be critical when you are deciding whether or not to follow/accept someone else's advice.

Finally - GO SAINTS!!!!

castlevisitor

Not to hijack anything, but the topic is of interest to me. Sorry to say I haven't heard of Emad. I am a first time poster (so please take it easy on me) but if I told you I had been quoted $13K for a 17 day, private, guided tour covering most of the usual and some out of the ordinary sites in Egypt and it was for 3 adults with 5 star accommodations including a short cruise, would you think that was an unusually high price in general or normal? Secondly, I believe tips to drivers and other service providers are in order, but does one typically tip the guide over and above the fee quoted if the guide is the one organizing the trip and charging the fee? We have always traveled on our own and never done a guided tour before or had anyone organize or arrange any of our travel plans for us before, so this is a first for us. Thank you for your assistance.

Casual_Cairo

This is funny - I was reading through this thread then checked my mail to find my horoscope - here is my horoscope for today

"You'll want to hold tight while others argue the finer points of an issue at which you are the center. News may come to you late."

LOL

sandi

castlevisitor -

You've got good questions for your upcoming trip. I suggest you start your own thread rather than get caught up in this one. It'll also make it easier for you to follow as replies are posted.

Just cut/paste your post into a new thread.

Debbie - perfect horoscope!