You have been dreaming about Egypt and are now ready to plan your itinerary and start the booking your holiday in Egypt. There are 3 priorities you might like to set for yourself before getting into the delicious details of the trip.
PRIORITY 1 – Insurance.
When booking your holiday to Egypt it is always advisable to take out – not only travel and health/accident insurance but also CANCELLATION INSURANCE to cover the refund of any un-refundable money you have paid, in the event you have to cancel or the agencies you have booked with have to cancel your bookings.
PRIORITY 2 – No hidden extras.
You do not want to go on your dream holiday and find you have not budgeted properly. If you are booking a package holiday in Egypt make sure to get a list of the “optional extras” you are going to be presented with when you arrive and budget accordingly. Is there anything worse than saving for your ‘dream holiday’ then arriving there to find that half the things you really wanted to see or do are extras you have not budgeted for?
PRIORITY 3 – Safe, healthy accommodation.
If travelling independently on a tight budget, looking for cheap places to sleep – when booking your accommodation in Egypt do not rely on the pictures of the hotels etc. I can honestly tell you that in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan the photos for many cheaper hotels are not honest. The furniture is probably the same furniture that was there when the photos were taken when the rooms were decorated. However, what is not in the photos is the dirt that has not been properly cleaned for years!
I have no problem saying that in some places you would be afraid to use the bathroom, not want to put your feet on the carpets (ugh) and you better buy a can of insect spray before you check in. Every now and again I spend a little money checking these hotels out.
Personal Experience
I booked a room online in one (sorry can’t name it) in Downtown Cairo. I checked in at around 9pm. Well, I didn’t actually check-in. I asked to see the room first…..I asked to see another one……then I left – I would have preferred to sleep on a bench at the train station because the place was filthy!
I went up the road to another budget hotel that had really good photos on the net……I won’t go into the details – suffice it to say that the one pillow on the double bed had no pillowcase. I would not want to put my head on that particular pillow anyway. The bottom bed-sheet was laid lengthways across the double bed and only covered 2/3 of the mattress. It was a single sheet……. and, on the walls I could see the blood spots from the mosquitos, no doubt squashed by previous, demented guests!
So, don’t go by the photos, go online and search for independent traveller reviews before booking your budget accommodation in particular.
DON’T FORGET a VALID passport
Your Passport must be valid for 6 months after your departure date from Egypt. Entry visas are valid for 3 months and allow a stay of 1 month. Entry visas for most nationalities can be bought on arrival at the airports but check with your nearest Egyptian Embassy if this applies to your country. It is only a stamp BUT IT MUST BE PAID FOR IN EUROS, DOLLARS or STERLING. Buying your entry visa on arrival in Egypt is cheaper.
US State Department officials need to check their visa requirements – they may have to apply for them before leaving the USA – may not be allowed to purchase at the airports in Egypt.