Five common pitfalls to avoid in Egypt
While a shish tawook (skewered and grilled chicken, peppers, and tomatoes) from a local restaurant like Felfela can be delicious, it can also leave you running for the nearest restroom later on…a common pitfall travelers do not realize when traveling in Egypt. Plan accordingly so you always know when a bathroom will be available!
When we travel, we often want to travel like a local, avoiding any potential gaffes, embarrassments, or conflicts. Since Egypt is a very different place from the U.S., avoiding common travel-headaches is much easier if you know what to expect. Let’s look at some common pitfalls that travelers in Egypt face, how to avoid them, and what to do if you are stuck in the middle of one. And of course, if you plan your trip with Egypt Adventures Travel, these pitfalls will not need to be a worry for you—nevertheless, it is good to know what to expect!
Pitfall #1: Scams
Setting the scene
You are walking from your hotel downtown to the Egyptian Museum. You notice a friendly person walking toward you, smiling, and you stop when he says hi.
“Where are you from?” he asks.
“The U.S.,” you reply.
“Oh, that is great! I have a sister who is living in New York!” he exclaims.
Now, this may seem like a friendly encounter with a local person who just wants to have a chat, but if you continue talking with him, it will inevitably come to you being led to his shop, where you will be told some variation of the story that the shopkeeper’s brother is getting married the next day, requiring you to buy something from the shop so the shopkeeper can buy his brother a wedding gift. You then will be badgered to the point where you will feel obligated to buy something from the papyrus, perfume, spice, souvenir, or whatever-shop-it-is, and then will pay way too much for something of poor quality. Even all this aside, you just lost precious time from seeing the Egyptian Museum to a scam, and that does not feel good either.
How to avoid
Be wary of anyone approaching you in the street who speaks English, especially in areas where there are large number of tourists (by the Egyptian Museum, by the Pyramids, in Luxor or Aswan, etc.). If someone tells you that they want to show you something or take you somewhere, politely refuse. Tell them that you are in a hurry to get to wherever you are going and that you appreciate their kindness and hospitality. Smile genuinely, and if they keep insisting, place your hand over your heart, say one final “thank you”, and then continue walking to your destination, not looking back.
If you get stuck
If you find yourself already in this person’s shop, simply say that you did not realize how late it was and that you need to get going. Be polite but firm and insistent. I have heard from some travelers that shopkeepers have closed the door on them and made them feel like they are trapped inside until they buy something. Do not fall for this. Calmly and firmly insist that you are leaving, and do not let up until you are able to get outside. Do not feel like you are being overly rude by rejecting their advances or pleas for you to buy something—many times scam artists like this rely on using feelings to influence travelers to buy something they do not want or need.
Gus in front of the entrance to the Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo. Outside of the Egyptian Museum, scammers run rampant. One of their favorite tactics is to try to convince you that the museum is closed for the day, closed for a few hours for prayers, or that tickets are sold out. They then will conveniently direct you to their perfume, papyrus, or alabaster shop, and begin to waste your precious time in Egypt trying to sell overpriced knick knacks. Always insist on going to a site or tourist area yourself to see if it actually is closed. Never believe what someone is telling you on the street!
Pitfall #2: Not agreeing to prices
Setting the scene
A major example: You meet someone who says they are going to take you on a trip to the Black and White Desert. You arrange with them to get you a Bedouin guide to escort your group, rent a Jeep for the trek into the desert, and have them organize the food and sleeping arrangements. You ask about how much it will cost, and the reply is something like this:
“It will be a very good price.”
“We will ask the driver and then see.”
“It will be $100 per person.”
Whatever answer is given, you accept, and upon returning from your trip, get saddled with a bill that you were not expecting, nor are willing to pay for.
A minor example: You are in Alexandria and need to take a taxi to get to the fish restaurant where you are having dinner. You say the name of the restaurant to the driver, he smiles and motions for you to get in, and off you go to the restaurant. Then, when you arrive, the driver quotes a price that is five times more than what you should pay. When you press him, he starts yelling and claims that that is the price it costs to go to this particular restaurant, that gas prices have increased, and that the traffic was horrible.
How to avoid
Every time you are about to engage someone for their services, talk about the price upfront. Before working with a guide, before getting onto a horse carriage, before agreeing to ride a camel, always, always, always, ask how much it will cost. If no price is give or the answer is in any way noncommittal, double down and insist on getting an exact price in Egyptian Pounds, not USD. If the person still is unwilling to tell you a price, you may suggest a price that you think is reasonable and ask what they think. If they refuse or if they are still noncommittal, walk away.
If you get into a taxi and the driver tells you a price that is too high, feel free to bargain with them. If the price does not come down to your liking, insist on getting out of the taxi. If the driver does not stop or slow down, open the door to the taxi and say that you are getting out—no taxi driver wants to continue driving with the door to their car hanging ajar.
If you get stuck
If you do not agree to a price and then find yourself being asked to pay more than what you wanted to or think is fair, you are in tough shape. It is often impossible to bargain with someone as a tourist to bring the price down after a service is provided. Believe me, I’ve tried. The best thing to do is learn the lesson for next time, pay what the person is asking, and avoid doing business with that person in the future.
Pitfall #3: Bathroom challenges
The bathroom in a first class train from Alexandria to Cairo. While not very appealing of a bathroom, taking the first class train between Alex and Cairo is a better option than taking a coach bus if bathroom access is important—many times the bathrooms on buses are out of order or so dirty that they are unusable for any but the most desperate.
Setting the scene
Egypt, like many places U.S. Americans can travel to, has a wide variety of foods and drinks that are both delicious and unique. When in Egypt, you will be tempted to try lots of different things, and as a result, may need to spend more time than usual in the bathroom.
Picture this: you tried a delicious falafel sandwich for breakfast complete with vegetables, tahini sauce, and fried pieces of fava-bean-deliciousness. The same day, your group is going to take an eight-hour bus from Cairo to Luxor. 30 minutes into the bus ride, after all of the bumping, lurching, and turning, you start to feel a strong urge to use the restroom. The restroom on the charter bus? Out of order. Next stop on the bus ride to use bathrooms and buy snacks? Not for another hour and a half. You brace yourself to hold it in for that long and send up a silent prayer that you will make it.
How to avoid
No one wants to have this type of situation happen to them at any point, let alone a trip in a foreign country. The best tips to avoid bathroom challenges or to make sure you are within close proximity to a bathroom are:
Avoid eating adventurous foods the day of a long trip without consistent bathroom access if you know you have a sensitive stomach
Never drink the tap water. I know some tourists who go so far as to only use bottled water when rinsing off their toothbrush, but this seems extreme to me
Ask your guide for the general plan of the day each morning so you can begin to think about when you will have access to a bathroom
As soon as you begin to feel the need to use the restroom, let your guide, driver, or whoever is with you know. The sooner they know, the sooner they will be able to help you find a restroom
When you have access to a comfortable restroom, try to have a bowel movement, even if you do not feel like you need to. It is always better to get it out when you are in a comfortable environment than to wait until you are in a tiny, stinky, dirty bathroom at a wayside rest somewhere
If you often have issues with needing to use the restroom often, avoid long train or bus travel, and try to fly instead.
It is smart to carry a small pack of tissues with you wherever you go (manadeel in Arabic) for when you need to use the restroom on-the-go
If you get stuck
When you find yourself in a dire need to use the bathroom but no options present themselves, don’t panic, and instead, try one of these:
Say that you need to use the bathroom (Egyptians usually understand the idea of #1 and #2…you can hold up fingers to demonstrate) and see if someone knows of a bathroom or if the bus/car can stop soon at a bathroom
If you are in a city, try to find the nearest chain restaurant (McDonalds, KFC, Hardees, etc.) and confidently walk in and go straight to the bathroom. No need to make a purchase, although you can afterwards, if you feel guilty
If you are in a secluded enough area, especially if you are in the desert/countryside, rough it and go outside. Try to use sand to bury what you leave behind. This would definitely be a time you will be thankful that you are carrying tissues with you!
Wherever you go, try to bring a spare change of clothes in a backpack. Accidents do happen, and being prepared with a change of clothes at the very least will give you peace of mind that you are covered, and at the worst will give you the chance to change after an unfortunate accident
Pitfall #4: Not packing warm clothes
Setting the scene
You are so excited for your trip to Egypt in March! You look up the weather and note that it will be sunny every day, with temperatures between the 60s and 80s. You pack your long-packed-away summer clothes with glee, throwing in t-shirts, shorts, and swimsuits with abandon.
You get to Dahab and one of the things you are most excited about it climbing up Mt. Moses to see the sunrise. In order to do this, your group takes a bus from Dahab into the Sinai mountains and arrives to St. Katherine’s Monastery in the middle of the night. As the bus gets further into the interior of the mountains, the temperature seems to drop sharply. You notice that the bus you are in does not have any working heat. By the time you get out at the monastery, your breath is fogging in front of you, and you are shivering, as you wonder how you will survive climbing up a mountain where it will only get colder as you go up.
How to avoid
We will go more into detail on a future blog post about what to pack for your Egypt adventure, but this story, while a bit extreme, illustrates an important tip: always pack one set of warm clothes for your trip.
At the very least, a pair of long pants and a sweater can come in handy during a long train, bus, or plane ride where the air-conditioning is on full blast and never lets up. And at best, a sweater and long pair of pants can keep you warm when you decide to spend a night camping out in the Black and White Desert.
Even though as a whole Egypt is much warmer than most parts of the U.S. during every part of the year, there are times when it gets cold in Egypt, and the desert and mountainous areas can be especially cold at night. Combine this with the fact that most Egyptian homes, public places, and transportation options do not have any heat, and you can be in for quite the chilly time if not prepared properly.
If you get stuck
If you still do not remember to pack a pair of warm clothes for your trip, you may be in luck if you are traveling between May-October, since you probably will not need them anyway. However, if you are in Egypt in the late fall, winter, or spring, you can easily pick up some clothes from a store or even from someone on the street. A warm sweater and pair of long pants will only set you back about $20 or so if you bargain, and you can always leave behind clothes that you do not want to bring back to the States. Some tourist sites, like St. Katherine’s Monastery, actually have vendors who specifically target tourists who forgot to bring warm clothes, and they sell an array of ponchos, sweaters, and other goodies to keep you warm.
Pitfall #5: Money
Setting the scene
You are in Egypt, and you followed the directions on our blog post about what to bring on the flight so you exchanged the cash you had for Egyptian Pounds at the airport.
Several days into the trip, you realize you only have 100 Egyptian Pounds left (less than $10), and you go to the nearest ATM. After inserting your U.S. debit card, entering in your pin, and noting that you want to take cash out, your card gets rejected. You try your card again, and it is rejected again. After trying your card a third time and it is rejected, you call your bank’s toll-free number using your local SIM card. Your bank informs you that your card has now been locked since you tried to use it three times to receive cash at an ATM that you do not normally use. You do not have any cash leftover in USD to exchange, and the one card you brought to remove cash is now unusable for the next several days.
How to avoid
Money problems in Egypt, like anywhere, are frustrating, inconvenient, and can even severely impact your trip. Here are some tips to avoid money-related-headaches:
Always bring more cash in USD than you think you need, and keep the cash you do not exchange in a safe place while traveling. There are plenty of exchange offices that will give you Egyptian Pounds when you get in a pinch
As much as possible, pay for things using a credit card/debit card (preferably one that has no foreign transaction fees!). Generally larger supermarkets, fancier restaurants, and hotels will accept credit/debit cards as payment methods. This way, if you pay for what you can with a card, you will not need to use as much of your cash
Before you travel, notify all of your banks and credit card providers that you will be going to Egypt. Let them know the dates of your trip, which cities you will have layovers in on the way to and from, and make sure they know you will need to use your cards at local ATMs to withdraw cash
Bring multiple debit/credit cards from different companies (Visa, MasterCard) and different banks, if possible. If one card does not work, you can always try the other one
Try at first to take a smaller amount of money from the ATM, instead of everything you think you will need. Sometimes ATMs in Egypt will only allow you to take out a maximum of 3000 Egyptian Pounds (around $200) at a time. Start with something small, like 1000 pounds, and see if it works, before taking out a larger amount
Get a local SIM card so you are able to call your bank in case you have trouble getting money from the ATM. Sometimes you can use a service like Skype or Google Voice as well to make phone calls to the U.S. if your local SIM card does not work
If you have trouble getting money from an ATM, call your bank immediately. Do not continue trying to use the same card to take out money. This can result in your card being locked so that it is unusable for several days. Believe me, this has happened to me before—not pretty!
Left: SIM card envelope showing the SIM card expiration date, telephone number, and card number
Right: SIM card (available in any size you need) with the SIM card popped out because it is in my phone!
Getting this local SIM card allows me to call my bank in a pinch, either using international minutes which are included in the plan I bought or using data and an app like Google Voice or Skype. The cost of this SIM card and voice/data plan set me back only $15 at the Cairo Airport.
If you get stuck
If you find yourself in a situation where you run out of money and are not able to use your credit/debit cards, there are a couple of solutions:
Notify a trusted relative/friend in the U.S. and have them send money to you via Western Union. There are several Western Union options in Egypt, and this allows you to get cash directly and instantaneously
If you know when you will next be able to take out cash (for example, your bank says your debit card has a 2 day hold on it and will be usable after that), you can ask to borrow money from your fellow travelers or possibly even your tour guide. It would not be prudent to borrow more than a few hundred pounds, though, so you may be eating simple meals and avoiding most activities for a couple days
Wrapping up…
While traveling to Egypt is mostly full of awe-inspiring, exciting, and unique adventures at every turn, it can also be a hassle if travelers fall into common pitfalls. Hopefully after reading about these five common mistakes travelers make when coming to Egypt, you will be more prepared to enjoy your experience to the fullest!
What questions do you have about the pitfalls we shared above? Do you have a story from a trip you took where you made a mistake and learned an important lesson? Tell us in the comments below!
