As usual, I told all my friends where I was going that year and asked if anyone wanted to come along. No one bit, so I started researching packaged trips. I usually don't do pre-planned, escorted vacations, but with the language barrier and significant cultural differences, I thought it would be the best course of action.
There were lots of variables to consider when choosing a tour operator. I found lots of super cheap packages that included most of the sites I wanted to see, but after reading the fine print, discovered that entrance fees and meals weren't included. Some included entrance fees and meals, but I found I had to choose between sites if I wanted to add additional tours.
Then I stumbled across Memphis Tours, based in Cairo. Their packages included all the sites I wanted to see, I didn't have to give up one site in order to see another, all entrance fees were included, as were almost all meals, and the single supplement wasn't ridiculously expensive. The package even included airport pickups and drop offs, as well as transportation to and from the train station and cruise depot.
I decided on one of the Budget Tours that included a cruise. I don't think my exact package is still available, but this is very similar. http://www.memphistours.com/Egypt/Packages/Egypt-Classic-Tours/Egypt-Budget-Tours I added on a day tour to Dashar and Saqqara, a day tour to Abu Simbel, and extra temple stops along the cruise route. The extra stops along the cruise I paid for the day of, but the rest of the package, including the single supplement and extra day tours was about $1380. This included all meals except for four, I think, and all my transportation. In Cairo, I had a private guide and driver every day, and I didn't even have to deal with checking in or out the hotel, which was not "budget" standards by any means. The rooftop terrace had a view of the pyramids, and the room itself was quite nice.
The tour itself was everything I could have expected and more. The tour leader didn't realize I had booked an extra day in Cairo, but I showed him my confirmation, he spent a few minutes on the phone, and done. I also wanted to divert from the scheduled tour stop lunch and go to a more local place I had seen on TV. No problem, and I probably ended up saving the tour company some money, as the place I wanted to go to, Abu Tarek, was much less expensive that the fancy tourist restaurants.
From Cairo, I took a train to Luxor to board the cruise ship. Let me tell you, a deluxe sleeper is not so deluxe, and is super tiny. I barely fit in the room with my luggage. I can't imagine having to share that space with someone else. It was an adventure and I'm glad I did it, but if I did it again, I would choose to fly to Luxor.
My guide and driver were waiting for me at the door of my train car, which was really nice considering the size of the crowd. From the train station we went to cruise ship, which was just as nice as the hotel I'd had in Cairo. Other than the train and the title itself, there really wasn't any "budget" about this trip. I was pleasantly surprised.
Once on board, I discovered that for the duration of the cruise, I would take my meals and tours with another couple who had also booked through Memphis Tours. This turned out to be the very best part of this trip. They were a married couple from Canada, and we couldn't have gotten along any better. The wife, Sandi, and I even shared the same birthday. We got along so well, in fact, that I've since traveled with them, along with another Canadian we met on board, to Peru, Cuba and Jordan.
I was also very lucky in the timing of my trip to Egypt. The January 25 rebellion happened a couple of days before I bought my plane ticket, but well after I had booked my trip. I went at the end of May, first of June. Everything had settle down by that point, but people were still leery of travel to the area. As a result, I encountered no crowds at all until I got further south, to Aswan, which was quite a way from the disturbances in Cairo. I even got a picture in front of Hatshepsut's temple with no one else in the background. Of course, as well all know, all hell has broken loose over there again, and I wouldn't recommend traveling to that part of the world right now. As for my trip, though, I couldn't have planned it any better, and got to experience Egypt without the crowds that most have to endure.
All in all, Egypt was a fantastic experience, and I even got a tattoo meaning "Adventure" in Arabic to commemorate the trip. If you ever decide to go to Egypt, I can't recommend Memphis Tours highly enough. My trip was completely worry and stress free. I was never alone, except while in my hotel room or cabin, and never felt unsafe or unprotected. This is so important as a women traveling alone in the Middle East.
As I mentioned, the next three trips I took were with the group I met on this trip, so while I'll miss my Canadian friends dearly this year, I am looking forward to my next solo trip, which is officially Paris!
