20.03.2018 - 20.03.2018
Egypt has been on our bucketlist of
travel for a very long time. Even at an early age, I can still remember
Anna going through piles of books on Egypt and always having an
interest to visit. I went to Egypt as part of a high school trip way
back in the early 80's, and then I returned once for work in 1996,
before K and I were married. As I'm sure anyone who has been to Egypt
can attest, it is not exactly a place to which you want to return again
and again. While it is absolutely life-affirming in many ways to see
some of the wonders of ancient Egypt, it is such an assault on the
senses, that I have always viewed it as a place to see and then
essentially write-off of your travel list. Despite having been there a
couple of times, I have always wanted Anna and K to see it, but I was
careful to temper my recommendation with appropriate warnings about what
to expect.
While Egypt has been on our list of potential vacation spots for years, we hesitated several times in the past to visit, particularly after the 2011 Egyptian "revolution," when Hosni Mubarak was disposed and Egypt was swept up in the violence of the so-called Arab Spring, which also started the still on-going civil war in Syria. Uncertainly about the security situation held us back from several potential opportunities to visit in the preceding seven years. Still, in mid-2017, I spotted an article in the Washington Post travel section for a "buy-one, get-one free" offer on a tour to Egypt. With both Anna and her close-friend Charlotte heading off to college this fall, we asked Charlotte and her parents (with whom we've traveled before) if they wanted to join us over Spring Break 2018. Charlotte's father, who was an African studies major in college, had been to Egypt several times and had no desire to return, so they declined. We ended up booking our own trip, through a different company -- more on that later. Several weeks after we booked, the topic came up again, and Charlotte and her mother, Barbara, made a command decision to leave Jeff (father/husband) at home, and join us on our Egyptian adventure, so all the plans for finalized.
Egypt is one of the very few countries of which I can think that I would never visit outside of an organized tour, or with work. It is simply too chaotic and challenging to do on one's own. That said, I searched hard and long for a reputable tour company that would allow us enough flexibility to see what we want to see, and not be hemmed down with large groups, which are simply too unwieldy for a place such as Egypt. We ended up booking with a Cairo-based company which worked with us to tailor-make a custom itinerary for us, including several ala carte options and add ons. Plus, the majority of our trip would be with private guides for the five of us, which was perfect.
While Egypt has been on our list of potential vacation spots for years, we hesitated several times in the past to visit, particularly after the 2011 Egyptian "revolution," when Hosni Mubarak was disposed and Egypt was swept up in the violence of the so-called Arab Spring, which also started the still on-going civil war in Syria. Uncertainly about the security situation held us back from several potential opportunities to visit in the preceding seven years. Still, in mid-2017, I spotted an article in the Washington Post travel section for a "buy-one, get-one free" offer on a tour to Egypt. With both Anna and her close-friend Charlotte heading off to college this fall, we asked Charlotte and her parents (with whom we've traveled before) if they wanted to join us over Spring Break 2018. Charlotte's father, who was an African studies major in college, had been to Egypt several times and had no desire to return, so they declined. We ended up booking our own trip, through a different company -- more on that later. Several weeks after we booked, the topic came up again, and Charlotte and her mother, Barbara, made a command decision to leave Jeff (father/husband) at home, and join us on our Egyptian adventure, so all the plans for finalized.
Egypt is one of the very few countries of which I can think that I would never visit outside of an organized tour, or with work. It is simply too chaotic and challenging to do on one's own. That said, I searched hard and long for a reputable tour company that would allow us enough flexibility to see what we want to see, and not be hemmed down with large groups, which are simply too unwieldy for a place such as Egypt. We ended up booking with a Cairo-based company which worked with us to tailor-make a custom itinerary for us, including several ala carte options and add ons. Plus, the majority of our trip would be with private guides for the five of us, which was perfect.
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