5 Things You Shouldn’t Do Before You Visit Egypt
1. Not Researching the Country and Culture Before Your Visit
It is perhaps the most important thing you shouldn’t do before you visit the country. The predominant culture in Egypt is Islamic, which means that it is also very conservative. You may be in for quite the culture shock depending on where you travel from.
Egypt is loud, hot, raucous, and full of traffic and people everywhere. It is quite simply beautiful chaos. While some people may love it, you can be sure that it isn’t for everyone. One thing you can expect is people shouting at you just about all the time, when buying something, catching a cab, etc.
2. Not Packing Culturally Appropriate Clothing
Egypt is unbearably hot for much of the year and covering up is less than ideal in the heat. Furthermore, since most temples are out in the open with minimal shade, you can expect to sweat a lot. However, since it is an Islamic country, it is to be expected.
You should generally avoid wearing miniskirts, strappy tops, shorts, or any other clothing that reveals too much flesh, especially if you are a woman. It will not only draw too much attention but also will be seen as disrespectful to the locals.
Still, it does not mean that you need to wear a burqa, but you should pack light, loose, conservative clothing, which covers the chest, knees, and shoulders is advisable.
3. Not Booking a Nile Cruise First
If you plan to do a Nile cruise while in Egypt, you should plan it first before booking the rest of your trip. Nile cruises typically run only on certain days of the week and aren’t a show-up and book-on-the-actual-day kind of deal.
The vast majority of cruises will be three nights and four days from Aswan to Luxor or from Luxor to Aswan or six nights and seven days, which will be from Aswan to Luxor and back again. Some of the cruises depart on Mondays or Wednesdays only, while others will depart only on Fridays. You can find the most popular packages and deal with River Nile Cruise Holidays.
To avoid disappointment, you should always check out your cruise days, times, and prices before planning anything else.
4. Not Hiring a Guide for Some Tourist Sites
You technically don’t need a tour guide for the attractions since it is usually a lot easier to pay at the kiosks at the temple and guide yourself around. Still, having a tour guide can help you avoid harassment while traveling around various sites.
If you are a woman traveling solo, especially, having a tour guide will help massively. If you don’t have a tour guide, people will be bugging you the entire time, trying to sell you stuff or offering guide services. You won’t need to worry about any of that if you have a tour guide.
If you plan to visit the pyramids, don’t forget to hire a guide who will ensure that you have a much better guide than if you went solo. After all, you probably will only ever get to see a wonder of the world for the first time and you obviously don’t want the experience ruined by people constantly annoying you.
Unless you are booking a tour guide for the whole of Egypt, it is best to book a guide once you’re in the country.
5. Not Travelling with a Currency Converter App
You should always make it a habit to travel with a currency converter app whenever you are in a foreign country to check the prices of things and Egypt is definitely not an exception. Since you will be converting your home currency while in Egypt, you should check the current currency rate on the day you trade your money,