For as long as I can remember I wanted to travel to Egypt. I’m not sure if it was a vision of the pyramids or movies about Cleopatra that created the longing or not. I just knew that given the chance, I would go. In 2015, I turned 60, and I had no interest in a big party or an expensive gift. Instead travel, as usual, was at the top of my list. Now, after just returning from nearly three weeks in this chaotic, ancient and mesmerizing country, I still don’t know for certain why I needed to go. But what’s clear is that the biggest thing to fear about traveling to Egypt is the challenge it gives to our comfort zone, our limited scope of history, and our egocentric view as citizens of planet Earth.
Like most people in the U.S., the media influences my thinking and planning. Fortunately, I have been a longtime follower of a couple of online travel forums that offer perspectives from average people who recently visited and enjoyed Egypt. Hearing from real people rather than only what the media wants us to know helped make the final decision. Is there an element of uncertainty in Egypt right now? Yes! Is there an element of uncertainty in just about every country on the planet, including the U.S., right now? Yes! The challenge is picking through all the noise and finding the reality of life on the ground.
Of course, Thom and I traveled the weekend after 9/11 when most people were too frightened to go near an airport. We also frequently journey to Mexico, which continues to be a place with conflicting messages about safety. While we regularly practice awareness and conscientiousness whenever visiting an unfamiliar location (including those in the U.S.), we usually feel as comfortable in foreign cities as we do at home. Of course, if 
your ideal vacation is Las Vegas or a cruise ship, Egypt will not be appealing. But those of us who crave adventure, awe and stretching our personal boundaries, Egypt will exceed your expectations. At least, it did mine.
We weren’t complete adventurers. We
found and hired a tour company who arranged nearly everything within country. And because our lifestyle allows us certain luxuries, we didn’t travel economically either. (See why we “rightsized” our lives!) Instead, with research, I located a highly recommended guide who represented himself as able to introduce us to “real Egypt” instead of “luxurious Egypt.”
Is there a difference?
Yes. Some travelers want only the most pampered and privileged perspective of travel while seeing the sites. We wanted some of both. While most of our accommodations were quite comfortable, there was a level beyond. In addition, we purposely selected opportunities to experience how people live and experience life in Egypt.
Highlights include:
1) Waking up and seeing the Great Pyramids of Giza from our hotel window the morning after our arrival.
2) The opportunity for Thom and I to ride camels through the desert around the pyramids with only a handful of people in the distance.
3) Climbing deep inside a pyramid and feeling the weight, the history and the resonance of the place.
4) Connecting with our tour company owner and guide Samir, and spending hours discussing politics, religion and life in general while driving from site-to-site, or over tea and several meals.
5) Boarding a Dahabiya on the Nile River as the sole passengers of this type of ancient sailing vessel. Coasting down this iconic river aboard the Dahabiya remains an incredible experience never to be forgotten.
6) Enjoying an amazing Christmas Eve on board the ship where the crew spent several hours decorating the ship with lights and Santa’s, and then having our “chef” cook us a special roasted turkey dinner—yes turkey! After that, we sang, danced, played games and laughed until the tears rolled down our cheeks.
7) Becoming friends with a young Egyptologist and guide named Mohamed who not only taught us an amazing amount of history about ancient Egypt, but also shared our interest in world religion, psychology and philosophy. Deep conversation!
8) Wandering through several small villages and seeing people and life as though it has likely been for thousands of years made a deep impression. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Egyptian men and women have dark and expressive eyes that communicate so much and share their compassion. Instead of saying hello or good morning to each other, the common greeting is “Salaam, Alaikum.” – Peace be unto you.
9) Just like in the U.S. or other countries where we have traveled, the vast majority of people in Egypt practice their faith in their own quiet and non-obtrusive way. Because it was the holiday season during our visit, there were Christmas trees, Santa’s and lights everywhere we went—but there was no hostility whatsoever for our desire to celebrate a Christian holiday. I deeply appreciate the customary call to prayer that Muslim’s practice five times a day. Imagine if everyone in the world stopped for five times a day for about five minutes and either prayed according to their faith or just paused and meditated on peace, how transformative that would be for our world?
10) Learning how the history of the world
is tied to the history of Egypt and yet how the interpretation of that history continues to unfold and evolve as time goes by. When you consider that the Egyptian history goes back at least 10,000 years (yes they have records and proof!) it makes us laugh to contrast that with U.S. history at just slightly over 200 years. With humor, our guides continually reminded us that just about everything,
“first happened in Egypt!”
Many people approach travel like a checklist. Egypt: check! Pyramids: check! Nile cruise: check! I’m happy to say that our experience of Egypt expanded my knowledge of history, culture and myself in more ways than I can say. Like I’ve written about before, travel teaches us about what is most important and that has nothing to do with buying more stuff, working like a slave at jobs we dislike or putting off our dreams to a distant time in the future. As Ray Bradbury said, “Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” Don’t wait–do it now.
I could go on sharing example after example of our wonderful experiences in Egypt. Sure there are lots of details that made up every day and our overall impression of the trip. But I hope that my photos and these few words show you that traveling and feeling safe exists usually in our minds—no matter where we live or what we are doing. Remembering that idea is the SMART way to travel, and nearly always leads to a fearless adventure.
What an amazing adventure! Thank you for sharing it!
What a wonderful piece, and an amazing trip. This is how my husband and I prefer to travel – in a manner that allows you to feel enveloped in the culture of the place. Just lovely.
I love your sense of adventure!
Thanks Stacey! I surely hope I am encouraging others.
Dear Kathy,
What a great words you put together to explain your tour in Egypt. You make me more proud of myself to be able to host and arrange for your tour in Egypt.
I did enjoyed being with you and Tom as well, and can’t wait to see you again.
Glad to be your friend.
Stay in touch.
Hi Samir! Thank you! As you know there was so much more that I could have said about our great trip and I hope you know how much you and all your efforts were appreciated. I also know that you thought in the beginning that I was going to be a picky traveler with all my questions and ideas, but I am so grateful you were patient and flexible with me because the trip did indeed exceed both Thom and my expectations. It was lovely meet both you and Crystal and we are both hoping that our paths cross again in the near future. ~Kathy
I am definitely adding Egypt to my bucket list!
Hi Mary! Oh DO IT!!!! I had been wanting to go for about five years…from right before their had their uprising in 2010 and ever since. But even Thom finally admitted that things seemed to be settling down so that it was finally time to go. I also follow trip advisor.com and follow their message boards quite closely whenever I plan to travel. From what I was reading there LOTS of people were going and having a great time and that the media was only publishing the isolated BAD things. So why not now? If I can ever offer you any particular advice, feel free to drop me an email. I think EVERYONE should go at least once! ~Kathy
Wow!!What a fabulous trip. Thanks for sharing your experience, Kathy. I’ve heard many things about Egypt but have not contemplated it for my own travel. I would love to read more history about it as you’ve sparked my interest. Your photos are gorgeous. The first one is amazing. What was riding a camel like?
I like your advice about traveling cautiously but seeing the sights like a local. Great idea to have a guide. Realizing how much media influences our choices is an eye opener. I love the Ray Bradbury quote you shared and it’s a great reminder to live for today.
Hi Lisa! As I said to Nancy in her comment I’m not sure what it is that draws one person over another to a certain country. I just knew that Egypt was somewhere I REALLY wanted to go and the entire time I was there I felt comfortable and at ease. I wouldn’t go so far to say “home” but it did not feel alien to me at all. There is a famous Britsh woman who believed it was “home” for her from a past life and revealed many remarkable things about the area that it would have been impossible for her to know. Her name was Dorothy Eady. A fascinating story for sure. I’ve always believed in reincarnation too so there is likely some connections there. Meanwhile, I am a HUGE fan of travel and strongly encourage others whenever I get the chance! ~Kathy
Good for you, finally checking Egypt off your bucket list for your 60th birthday!
That specific country isn’t one I’m dying to visit, but certainly other areas in the region: Petra, Jerusalem, etc.
We traveled to Turkey 3.5 years ago, and it was fantastic. I would definitely return.
Travel is a one of ny great passions. Sadly, right now it’s time that is a premium for me though. I’m long overdue for another trip to Europe, so that may likely be my next non-business trip.
Hi Nancy! Yes, isn’t it funny that certain places hold such charm for one and not others? Thom wasn’t that keen on going, but in this case didn’t have a choice. Thankfully he now says it turned out to be one of our best (which I totally agree). There are a lot of elements that make up travel– and then when you are a “couple” there are even more elements to consider. Not sure where we will go in the future. I’ve heard really, really good things about Turkey too so we might make it there, who knows? What’s becoming more and more clear is to attempt to travel while we can. In my world, time and my health rank as two of the most precious things I have so I intend to make the most of them! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy! We are still enjoing this phantastic country. Meeting such great spirits like you belongs to the precious experiences on our travel through Egypt.
Hi Yasmin! How sweet of you to check in and leave a comment! How are you and Farhad? We miss you both and have been thinking of your ongoing travels in Egypt. One of our highlights were meeting you, seeing your great documentary, Zum Beispiel Montaretto (with English Subtitles of course) and talking to you both about life, the world and possibilities for the future. As you said, it is always great to meet “like-minds” and connect. And guess what? We just found out that our niece and her family will be stationed in Germany in the future. Yet another reason for us to plan a visit sometime soon. Enjoy the rest of your trip and please stay in touch! ~Kathy
Sounds like you had an amazing experience. I’ve never been to Egypt, but remember my Grandma going when I was young. I think the pyramids would make me feel very claustrophobic, but I can imagine that they are amazing and very impressive to see. #blogsharelearn
Hi Silly Mummy! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. And yes, I suppose anyone who is claustrophobic would NOT want to climb inside the pyramids. But to me it just sounded like too good an opportunity to try something unique. The narrow steps and inclines are a bit challenging so you have to be in good shape but once you’re inside there is a “chamber” to stand and move around. Of course you can always go and choose not to go inside. Just the outside is worthy of the trip! ~Kathy
I’m so glad you had a great trip – my husband and son went to Egypt a few years ago (just before all the uprisings) and love some of it and really disliked other parts – he didn’t like the “money changing hands” to smooth the way or the underlying mentality to some things. Overall the experience was worth it but he says he wouldn’t go back. Your version sounds a little more laid back than his!
Hi Leanne! I do think a huge difference was that by hiring a company that handled our travel the entire time we had less exposure to the manner of doing business that you refer to. There are constant requests for this or that if you wander around on your own. We did it several times and after “acclimating” to the culture and just learned to look away, ignore, or our standard line was, “Sorry we did that yesterday!” But the vast majority of the time the “vendors” know when you are with a guide and pretty much just leave you alone. One thing we also noticed in contrast to Mexico where we travel quite a bit, there was no begging. While there is obviously a great deal of poverty, the people don’t beg for money. They do try to sell you stuff, but they are working for it. We found that very entrepreneurial and appreciated the efforts. Still, if you want to go and not be constantly “sold” on things then making arrangements up front would be the best bet. ~Kathy
Oh this post brought back some great memories including the camel ride! We loved our visit to Egypt however we left just before the uprising (happened a couple of weeks later). The Pyramids were everything I had dreamed of and although we only saw Cairo and Alexandria we certainly were left with a taste for more. #BlogShareLearn
Hi Sue! Isn’t it awesome! Where I live here in Southern California our county fair is the “Date Festival” because we grow so many dates. They always offer camel rides which I thought was rather hoaky! But something about riding those creatures around the pryimids is so exotic and majestic. It’s something I recommend to everyone. But you HAVE to go back and sail the Nile. That turned out to be far more spectacular than I anticipated. Now is a REALLY good time to do it! ~Kathy
That sounds really wonderful.
I still have to say, maybe someday… I haven’t traveled very much in a long time.
Hi Carol! Well, the good news as writers and authors we travel in our minds quite a bit! 🙂 Your books have taken you places others have never, ever been. But for me, some of my happiest memories come from the travels I’ve had in my life and I hope to continue on for as long as I am able. ~Kathy
Egypt and the Egyptian people are an experience all should have. My trip in 2008 was amazing and this land had been on my bucket list for many many years. My photos stored on my computer are titled “The 25 year Wait is Over”. Thrilling, spiritual, sensual (all your senses are alive here), I cannot say enough about how wonderful this country is. I am so glad you were able to experience it in such a magical way!
Hey Cheryl! Yes you inspired us to make the trip, especially after you made the trip there yourself. I think more of us need to remember that safety is so manipulated by the media that we need to find ways to learn a more accurate portrayl of what is going on if we want to travel. As you know, Thom and I are convinced that things can happen no matter where you are in the world so we might as well be somewhere having the time of our lives! ~Kathy
It sounds like a wonderful trip and a great way to spend the Holidays. My Dad was in WWII in Egypt and I heard many stories about camels and the pyramids and saw pictures which do not look that different than yours , 70 years later !
Hi Haralee! It really easy strange that so much has NOT changed in Egypt. Of course there are some skyscrapers and some large new buildings. But there are also timeless buildings and mudbrick dwellings that have been there FOREVER! Washing men fish the Nile in ways that have been passed down from generation to generation, and driving down crowded streets with carts pulled by donkeys. Amazing. And yes it was also a wonderful way to spend the Christmas holidays. ~Kathy
Your trip sounds like it had just the right amount of adventure, history, connection, luxury (at least comfy places to sleep – a luxury not everyone has), inspiration, and impact. I’m so happy that you shared your great adventure with us. I think you could – and should – write a book about trip planning. It appears that you definitely know what you are doing!
Hi Janis! Thank you. I do enjoy planning trips and fortunately for me, Thom loves the outcome. And I also enjoy balancing them as you say, with history, connection, luxury and fun. Too much of ANYTHING can be too much right? But I have honestly not thought about writing a book about it. I’ll have to think that one through. Thanks for the encouragement! ~Kathy
Kathy, what an amazing trip. My husband has always wanted to travel to Egypt and see these ancient sights. Don’t know if it is in our future, but fun to see everything you did and what a positive experience it was. Your photos are great. Beth
Hi Beth! Sorry you had so much trouble leaving a comment. My spam blocker seems to have a mind of its own but I really need one because I get the wildest spam imaginable if I don’t. And if your husband still wants to go to Egypt you might want to reconsider. Now is the BEST time to go because the government there is trying so hard to keep everyone safe so there will be no problems. Also, it is also amazing that there is hardly anyone there so you don’t have to fight crowds or hoards of people. If you ever want some referrals just let me know. ~Kathy
What a fabulous trip, Kathy! I just love that you did this. Very inspiring! I was washing breakfast dishes and thinking I’d like to go back to England (which our group promised we’d do, and now years have passed . . .).
This has kicked me back into gear, and added validation to the thought.
Thank You!
Hi Susan, I think what I’m reminded of is how fast time slips by if we just go about our days in the regular course of life. It’s so easy to tell ourselves we’ll “get around to it soon, or next year, or….” and then before we know it five years have slipped by. Some people make fun of me for being a planner but I find great satifaction from deciding where and when I want to go in the coming days. When I put something on the calendar it doesn’t ALWAYS happen but it happens more likely and not. As they say, we tend to regret more the things we don’t do than anything we “do” do. So I’m always in favor of doing! ~Kathy
Kathy, your trip sounds like it was so extraordinary. Egypt has long been on my list of places to go, along with Ancient Babylon, Greece, Italy (Rome), Turkey and Israel. Long before there was a Europe, the roots of our western culture were planted in these places so rich with ancient history.
Our lives are not quite there yet, but we do have plans to travel in the future and I can’t wait! I’d love to heed your call and “not wait”, but our adventures will remain closer to home for a little while yet. Isn’t that part of the secret though? There’s adventure everywhere if we remain open to seeing it.
Thank you for sharing so much of your journey with us!
Hey Tracey! As you say, there is so much more of human history founded in this area that it really should be something more of us in the west take the time to study. And while it wasn’t “cheap” to go, it wasn’t expensive either so I do recommend it if you are able. Of course as you say, adventure is everywhere as long as we push ourselves out of our comfort zone and strive to experience things that expand our boundaries. ~Kathy
And here I thought I was being adventuresome because I’ve made a trip to Annapolis, Maryland! It looks like a fantastic trip, and maybe you will inspire me to put Egypt on my bucket list. Meantime … love the peace glasses!
Hey Tom! Some us think that traveling to Annapolis could be pretty scary, so there you go. I “strongly” encourage you to and everyone to put Egypt on your list. When you’re there and realize the true enormity of human history it should be a must on everyone’s list. ~Kathy