Egypt in age of COVID-19?
Mar 12th, 2020, 02:57 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Egypt in age of COVID-19?
We are booked to leave in 2 weeks for Cairo for a 2 week trip to Cairo, Luxor, Abu Simbel, Nile cruise - all the highlights, plus a few days in London on the return trip home.
I am torn on whether to go or not; we are healthy in our early 60s, never been to Egypt... And, we have NO travel insurance, so would loose a lot of money... The airlines might exchange for later fare, but the tour operator, hotels, cruise, etc. and hotel in London, theater, visit to Stonehenge, etc. are not covered...
Any thoughts?? Thank you!
I am torn on whether to go or not; we are healthy in our early 60s, never been to Egypt... And, we have NO travel insurance, so would loose a lot of money... The airlines might exchange for later fare, but the tour operator, hotels, cruise, etc. and hotel in London, theater, visit to Stonehenge, etc. are not covered...
Any thoughts?? Thank you!
Mar 12th, 2020, 04:25 PM
#2
I'd worry less about your day to day activities in Egypt but more about your travel - time spent on flights, other activities & transport (you mention UK) & what ramifications there will be on your return such as possible quarantine. There are so many unknowns I cannot imagine trying to negotiate all the possible pitfalls of travel at this time, no matter the initial financial loss. It would simply not be worth the worry as I see it.
Mar 12th, 2020, 05:26 PM
#3
If you look up "egypt cruise covid" on the internet you may decide it is not worth the possible hassle, never mind infection, to get on a cruise ship in Egypt right now. Especially combined with the CDC's advice to "older" travelers not to cruise - and yes, over 60 counts as "older" for COVID-19. Right now I would not want to get on a plane, never mind a cruise ship.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...ers/index.html
"Older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships."
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...ers/index.html
"Older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships."
Mar 13th, 2020, 09:15 AM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for your responses; I did reach out to the tour director and learned I wouldn't lose as much as I thought, so that was a relief... The few day Nile cruise is out of his hands, so not sure about that part, but at this point, not sure a cruise is something I particularly ever need to do. In any case we will still think over, but probably we'll cancel and go once this whole episode passes over.... God willing soon.... 
Mar 13th, 2020, 01:19 PM
#5
When I'm trying to make a hard decision I ask myself what's the worst that can happen. This is one of those times when the question has pretty clear answers, tho of course, we can't know precisely. All you can do is what's right for you & you'll love it whenever you go.
Mar 15th, 2020, 04:24 PM
#6
Find out who owns and runs the Nile boats. We were on aMovenpick(Swiss) boats, three nights on Nile and four nights on Lake Nasser, sparkling clean compared to other boats we saw. Hard decision. The other tourists we saw in January were all Chinese. If you cancel, I hope you can plan to go next year. And find a tour that includes a boat on Lake Nasser. We sailed right up to Abu Simbel , amazing. It was better than the Nile cruise portion.
Mar 22nd, 2020, 03:28 AM
#7
I'm late to the party here; you may have already made your decision, but I agree with MmePerdu. It probably wouldn't be too hard to do some sort of social distancing in Egypt especially since I imagine a lot of people have cancelled their travel, but I'd worry more about the travel to and from. I also would definitely not take a cruise.
We have a trip to Russia scheduled in early May. We haven't pulled the plug yet, but something occurred to me the other day...with things changing every day, what if we were stranded in the country? We know a couple who has been stranded in Peru and that's not a situation I ever want to face.
Our philosophy is that Russia will be there when this whole thing is over and it gives us something to look forward to. If you do cancel, I hope you don't lose too much money. Good luck with your decision!
We have a trip to Russia scheduled in early May. We haven't pulled the plug yet, but something occurred to me the other day...with things changing every day, what if we were stranded in the country? We know a couple who has been stranded in Peru and that's not a situation I ever want to face.
Our philosophy is that Russia will be there when this whole thing is over and it gives us something to look forward to. If you do cancel, I hope you don't lose too much money. Good luck with your decision!
Mar 23rd, 2020, 01:15 AM
#9
thursdaysd, I thought of the need for hospital care after I posted my comment. No, we certainly don't want to be in that position either to say nothing of possibly infecting others. I agree; staying home now is the safest and best option.
May 27th, 2020, 11:07 AM
#10
Just a head's up if anyone needs medical care in Egypt, I received high quality care, specialists called in, at the private Luxor Medical Clinic. All staff spoke perfect English too. They were treating me due to incorrect treatment I was given in Italy where we stopped for a few days while traveling to Egypt.
