Top 9 Things to Avoid While Visiting Egypt

Visiting Egypt

Having a plan before traveling to Egypt is a very important issue in order to have an exciting trip free of any troubles all through your as there are lots of places to visit in Egypt, some very recommended activities and other not recommended ones, lots of good places to stay at and others not that good so in order to manage your Egypt Trips and plan them in a perfect way, you should definitely know the main things to avoid in Egypt and that is why we have included in this article the main points to keep in mind while planning a vacation in Egypt so keep reading to get our point.

What to Avoid While Being in Egypt??

1- Avoid Traveling Without A Currency Converter App

It is highly recommended to have such a converter app with you while being in Egypt so that you don’t get deceived by anyone of the locals or at any place as this app show, you the exact exchange rate of the same day and that is how you will get the best exchange rate.

2- Avoid Not Knowing All About the Best Places to Visit in Egypt

Unfortunately, some travelers who visit Egypt alone without booking a tour with a travel agency miss actually a lot from the main sites in Egypt through spending lots of time at one or two places without visiting the other attractive sites but a travel agency with professional tour guides are exactly what you need to book with in order to have a real satisfactory vacation.

3- Avoid Drinking From the Tap Water in Egypt

It is highly not recommended to drink from the tap water since it is heavily chlorinated and it is even not being drunk by the locals unless it is treated or being purified so it is highly recommended for any traveler to buy bottled water while being in Egypt from and shop or market and drink lots of water during the day tour. The cost of a bottle of water is only 3 to 5 EGP in Egypt and can be found anywhere so you won’t face any kind of problem regarding having them.

4- Make Sure Not to Book Hotels on Your Own Before Scheduling Your Tour With the Travel Agency

Sometimes, tourists find it much cheaper to book hotels & domestic flights on their own and hire only a tour guide and a private car from the travel agency but they eventually discover that all of their bookings don’t even match the tours schedule or the Nile Cruise schedule and as a result, the tour itinerary won’t be doable. So the main advice regarding this point is that the guest should check with the agency first the itinerary he or she wants to go for, which special requirements the traveler wants to apply, and then based on the agreed on the itinerary, the traveler should do the necessary bookings to enjoy some of the best Egypt Tour Packages is a rich historical country like Egypt.

5- Avoid Waiting Till the Last Moment Before Your Arrival Date

Egypt is a wonderful tourist country that contains lots of amazing sites & landmarks and it is visited by thousands of tourists during the whole year and for your knowledge, the peaked seasons in Egypt are the Easter and the Christmas ones and you need to book your vacation in Egypt as soon as you can to guarantee that there will be available for you as if you come to book a couple of months or a month prior to your arrival, you may not find availability for you.

6- Avoid Wearing Inappropriate Clothes

You need to make sure that you pack culturally appropriate clothes with you before your arrival to Egypt as Egypt is an Islamic country and it is not appropriate at all to wear mini-skirts, scrappy tops, shorts, or that clothes that reveal too much of the one’s flesh as it will bring upon you too much unnecessary attention especially if you are a woman so make sure to wear what fits culture in Egypt and what makes you feel comfortable.

Here are some of the recommended clothes to wear in Egypt:

• Maxi skirts & dresses
• Pants & Jeans
• Cotton blouses
• Loose fitted trousers
• Jumpsuits if you are in a coastal city or on board of a Nile Cruise.

7- Don’t Forget to Tip in Egypt

Tipping is actually part of the Egyptian culture and it seems that everyone in Egypt expects that you give him “Baksheesh” after offering you some kind of service. It is something that is not obligatory but it is also expected and you need to give tips to the ones who offer you satisfactory services during your vacation in Egypt just like the local tour guide, the driver, the waiter at a restaurant, the cabin crew, and similar people whom you may meet and require their services. That is why you need to have some cash with you for the tipping matter to give money in a small currency like the 5 or the 10 pounds.

8- Avoid Buying Gold Without Doing Lots of Research

Since gold is purer and much cheaper from foreign countries, lots of tourists love buying gold during their vacation in Egypt but unfortunately, there are some gold scams by the Egyptians for the tourists who don’t have enough experience in gold just like weighting it incorrectly or manipulating in the price of the gold of the day without letting the tourists know. So you need to do your research to make sure you are getting the golden items at the best price.

9- Avoid Heading to Unsafe Places in Egypt

There are so many attractions in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria, and other cities in Egypt that should be visited and spend a vacation around but there are some places that aren’t recommended for travelers just like Sinai or the Western Desert which you can actually visit but things may change due to some political issues and they may not be safe for travelers.

There are some essential things to pack with you for your Egypt vacation including:

• An Entry Visa can be obtained upon arrival for some nationalities and should be prepared in advance for other nationalities so you need to check first whether you can obtain your visa upon arrival to Egypt or whether you need to head to the Egyptian embassy in your country to apply for the visa.
• Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, all travelers are required to bring a negative PCR test with them that should be issued a maximum of 72 hrs prior to their arrival.
• A valid Passport that has a validity of at least 6 months prior to the date of the arrival.
• Suitable comfortable clothes that match the season of the visit and of course suitable hiking shoes to be able to tour around without any pain.
• And medicine that the traveler is used to taking daily.
• The Tour should be booked with a travel agency and the traveler should be accompanied by a local tour guide who knows all of the most visited places, the timing that should be spent on each site, the best sites to do shopping trips, and also have the best negotiation skills to assist the guest to buy the things he or she wants with the most reasonable prices.
• Exchange some of your money in EGP and make sure to keep a little amount of cash with you for any emergencies or for any small purchases.
• Learn some Arabic words and phrases to be able to communicate with the locals who don’t speak English.

As a final word, make sure not to spend so much time worrying about unnecessary things in Egypt as it is such a lovely country that is blessed with so many natural, historical, and cultural destinations to visit and the majority of tourists who come to visit it, love every single moment they spend in Egypt and always hope to be able to return to it again in the future. So start preparing for your adventure and let your dream begin.

Sebastian

Sebastian was born and raised in the busy city of Abbottabad. As a journalist, Saad Mushtaq has contributed to many online publications including the PAK Today and the Huffing Post. In regards to academics, Saad Mushtaq earned a degree in business from the Abbottabad UST, Havelian. Saad Mushtaq follows the money and covers all aspects of emerging tech here at The Hear Up.Thanks