tours to egypt for seniors

Old Jan 1st, 2008, 01:02 PM
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tours to egypt for seniors

we are giving a trip to egypt to my parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. does anyone have any ideas for a tour that caters to the more mature segment (ie, they are 74, in fairly good condition but with occasional bouts of arthritis; hence, pace may have to be a bit slower). also, french is their native tongue so if anyone has ideas for french speaking tours, those ideas would also be appreciated. many thanks!
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Old Jan 27th, 2008, 07:50 AM
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Hi, I noticed that no one has responded to you. Elderhostel has tours to Egypt that you could check out. Also, I understand that Grand Circle Tours cater to "older" people, though I am not familiar with their clients. I do know that last year on another tour I had a guide who usually works for GCT. He was the best non-archaeologist guide I ever had (I've been to Egypt 4 times). He said the GCT tours are well-received and they have a lot of repeat clients. I checked their itinerary and thought they looked good. I like the fact that they base in basically only 2 places, a hotel in Cairo and their own boat in Aswan (which then sails to Luxor) and then just one night back in Cairo before departure. I've always thought one of the biggest hassles of traveling is the constant packing and unpacking of suitcases. I have no personal experience of either of these tour companies, though. Also, I don't know if GCT has French language tours; Elderhostel wouldn't. Hope this helps. By the way, what a nice gift for you to give your parents!
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Old Jan 27th, 2008, 08:57 AM
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What a great gift for your parents. It is an amazing country and they will have a wonderful time.

Grand Circle Travel does cater to older travelers, and their sister company, Overseas Adventure Travel, (OAT) does too, but the OAT tours have smaller groups and are a bit faster paced than GTC so it depends upon their energy and fitness level. I went to Egypt on the OAT tour and there was a couple in their 70s who could outlast a lot of younger people. I also have friends who are 74, or close to it, who loved the OAT Egypt tour, but they too are quite active and fit.

I did enjoy the OAT tour but got tired of packing and unpacking so for me, the GCT might have been better. Both tours go to the same cities and sites but GCT spends more time on the Nile cruise boat.

I was surprised at the number of Egyptian people we met who spoke excellent English. Our guide told us that all students learn a foreign language and have a choice of studying English, French or German so your parents might get a guide who speaks French as well as English.

One of my neighbors and her sister went to Egypt with Grand Circle and loved it. The 40-something couple sitting next to me on the return flight also did the Grand Circle tour and said they had a great time.

I'm sorry I don't know of any French speaking tours but perhaps someone else does. I think there would be companies in Egypt that give tours in French since it is a popular travel destination but you'd need to do some research on that.
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Old Jan 27th, 2008, 12:13 PM
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Though we were on a private tour, while on the Nile cruise, we joined other guests and were provided an English speaking guide for group of about 20. There was a private English speaking group with their own guide. However, there was a guide provided for some French and German speakers. Many of the Italians, apparently bi-lingual joined our group.

Seems the request was made on booking for specific foreign language guides and so were provided, even if only taking 2 to 4/pax on shore tours. You've got to ask for what you feel you need regardless the company with whom you book and see whether they can accommodate.
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Old Feb 11th, 2008, 06:08 PM
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thanks... really appreciate your thoughts. grand circle tour is twhat we were thinking so your insights reconfirmed as the right choice. thanks again!
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