AN AMERICAN’S GUIDE TO EGYPT : BY DAVE FORDHAM

What Living in Egypt Has Taught Me, and Some Things you will want to know before you go!

I love Egypt, And now that they’ve opened the new egyptian museum it’s even gotten more amazing.

Egypt has always been a long time bucket list country of mine. I have been passionate about Egyptian history since I was a child and my fascination with Egyptian culture and history has only grown over my past few trips. So when I got the chance to travel to Egypt for work and live there for a short time, I jumped at it!

When I tell my friends that I’m going back to Egypt, they normally ask me why, you’ve already been so many times and isn’t it dangerous over there?

Those comments always make me laugh because it’s easy to understand where my friends would have that fear. So its time for me to set the record straight, And share with you the things you need to know about the Egypt I love.

Egypt is an extremely safe place, especially for Americans.

See, a few years ago when the pandemic hit and it shut the world down Egypt, almost collapsed. When tourism came to a grinding halt, the people of Egypt, and the government panicked. It was at that time everyone realized just how important the USD dollar was to their economy. For that reason they implemented strict regulations on the treatment of all foreign travelers. Now that tourism is coming back, Egypt has created one of the most amazing museums in the world. Having opened just last week Egypt has seen a surge of new traffic from all over the world. If you’re an American the Egyptians take great care in keeping you safe because they do not want to lose our revenue. The Egypt of old is gone, Welcome to the new Egypt.

I am writing this article on the plane flying back home from Egypt to the United States, and sitting in front of me is my mother who I brought to Egypt. She Loved it, and having gotten to see what I do for work while she was here, she now understands why I keep going back.

If your looking to travel to an exotic destination Egypt is the place. You want to have a great time, experience, amazing culture, travel cheap, eat amazing foods for next to nothing and your just a stones throw from the Mediterranean Sea, The Red Sea, Sahara Desert, and one of the 7 wonders of the world.

My mother flew out to Egypt this week because it is the opening of the brand new Egyptian museum, which I will do an article about later. Trust me its easy to do one, just on the Egyptian museum itself.

The museum is something Egypt can be very proud of it is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had and I will tell you it is worth flying halfway around the world to come see!

Oh and you have to come get a selfie with a camel … who doesn’t want a camel selfie!!

CAMEL SELFIE

So let me start off with the basics.

1) Getting to Egypt & VISA

CIA ( Cairo International Airport ) Is the largest airport in Egypt and I highly Recommend that no matter where you come from you fly into Cairo first and then make arrangements to travel to your other destinations from there.

Here are some important things that will make your flight into Cairo easier. Make sure that you do have American dollars. I recommend having at least 100 in cash. So that way you can convert it to ( 4700 Egyptian pounds ) as of this article … $1 is worth $47 Egyptian Pounds ( yes the American Dollar goes a very long way in Egypt ) Making EGYPT an amazing place to go on vacation!

When you get to the airport, it’s extremely easy to navigate, all the signs are in English and also Arabic. There are lots of information booths, and almost all of the staff at the airport speak english as well.

The first thing you’re going to do once you disembark from your plane, is your going to need to head down and pick up your baggage. Before going to the passport, checkpoint make sure you fill out your documents for entry. They will hand this to you on the plane, along with yourtourist visa, you will want to get this ahead of time before you head to Egypt.

To purchase your tourist visa at the airport you have to pay for it in American currency ( USD ) they do not accept any other currency. You will find the place to purchase a tourist visa on the right hand side just before the Passport Check. Look for the

BANK OFFICE …this is where you buy your visa for $25 per person, Remember USD CASH ONLY.

I recommend getting your tourist visa before hand and you can get it here ………Visa2Egypt. Here you will need to upload a copy of your passport and photo and it takes about 48 hours to get the visa but could take up to a week. PLEASE BE AWARE of Fake visa websites… I only useVisa2Egypt

Secondly, make sure that you have your paperwork filled out for your disembark from the plane that you flew in on. When you get to the kiosk to go through the passport Checkpoint make sure you also have a pen or a pencil because they do not provide them for you to fill out your paperwork. I am providing a photo below of what your looking for.

VISA

Now you will take your travel visa and this declaration paperwork and walk through the passport checkpoint. The customs agent will take your travel visa, and stamp your passport. Once you get that EGYPTIAN STAMP in your passport ….THAT IS NOW YOUR NEW TRAVEL VISA…from now on if anyone asks if you have a travel visa, just show the stamp in your passport!!

Now that you are finished with passport control, you will go through a final baggage scan … at this point they will scan your bag and go through it to make sure you have not brought a forbidden item.

DO NOT BRING DRONES or LARGE BINOCULARS to EGYPT …. THERY ARE NOT ALLOWED … and will be confiscated at the airport. ( you will be able to pick them up on your trip home but this is only if your flying out of the same airport) and you will have to pay a storage fee!!!

Once they check your bags for items they do not allow … it’s time to go downstairs and experience your first “ Welcome To Egypt “

At the base of the escalators you will be greeted by about 50 people trying to sell your taxi rides, They will give you a range from $10-$15 to go anywhere you need to go … DO NOT TAKE IT!!!! These are guys that are hustling to get you into a TAXI ….

On your left-hand side, you will see a giant welcome to Egypt statue of one of the pharaohs in gold. Make sure you grab that picture. It’s as iconic is taking a picture at the WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS SIGN.

First Egyptian Selfie

If you need to go to currency exchange, it is on your left-hand side up against the wall on the same wall as the escalators that you just came down on.

At this point in time, I recommend you downloading the following app (inDrive) this is the equivalent to Uber and Lyft but in Egypt the best part about this is you do not have to put your credit card in. You can make an offer In cash. ( Now remember this offer is going to be in Egyptian pounds not in the American dollar ) To put it into perspective, I took a 45 minute ride that cost me six dollars American or 350 Egyptian Pounds

NOW YOU SEE WHY A TAXI FOR $10 — $15 is a rip off!!!

If you decide to download theinDriveapp and you do get a ride, the app is very easy to navigate and it’s very easy to use. UBER is also available in Egypt, just not as popular.

Once you have a driver, what you’re going to do is walk out the glass doors and cross the street to the elevators that will take you down one flight to the street level down below and at that point this is the location that all the inDrive, Uber and private drivers will pick you up at.

Keep in mind ( 200 Egyptian pounds ) is the Equivalent of $5 …. If you’re going to give a tip 100 Egyptian pounds is appropriate.

Congratulations!!! Welcome to EGYPT!!!

2 ) Egyptian People

You just got overwhelmed while at the airport… I know you got hustled for a taxi from about 50 people and they can be very persistent… but nothing to worry about, Just politely tell them no thank you Ihave a friend coming to get me and they will leave you alone.!!

From here on out … ( until you get to the pyramids ) you won’t have to deal with that any more.

But let me explain something to you real quick and then it’ll put things into perspective for you.

The Egyptian people are very proud and very loving, they will treat you 100% with respect and that is all that they ask in return. If you understand what they live off of it will help you to understand why they are asking for our help.

3 ) Monthly Wage in Egypt

• Theaverage monthly salaryin Egypt is about9,200 EGP, which is roughlyUSD 303/month.

• Themedian monthly salary(half of people make less) is around7,840 EGP, roughlyUSD 258/month.

4 ) Middle-Class Estimate for an 8-Hour Day in Cairo

• If we take “middle class” as roughly10,000 EGP/month, that equals aboutUSD 330/month(using ~EGP 30 = USD 1, approximate rate).

• Assuming ~22 working days per month:

• Daily wage ≈10,000 EGP ÷ 22 ≈ 455 EGP/day, which is ~USD 15/day.

• For an 8-hour day: ~455 EGP ÷ 8 ≈ 57 EGP/hour, which is ~USD 1.90/hour.

The reason I am sharing the wage scale is so that you understand to the Egyptian people our american dollar is very valuable. Even tho $5 isn’t a lot to us, its almost half to One third of their days wage. So when you get a chance give them a 200 Pound Note!

Yes the. Egyptians make a lot less in wage but their expenses are also a lot cheaper. For example an apartment in Egypt is only $250 a month.

5 ) 200 EGYPTIAN POUNDS

I highly recommend that you stock up on the 200 Egyptian pound note, this note became my best friend! Yes its about $5 to us american’s but you get your moneys worth when you spend it.

For instance, when you hear someone ask for a “tip” like to cut to the front of the line to shave off a few hours of waiting, A 200 pound note goes a long way …. or your wanting to show appreciation to someone then use a note, They appreciate the tip so much!!! I loved making everyone smile when you give them a tip because they do not expect it and to them its a lot.

6 ) EGYPTIAN POLICE / SECURITY

I made the mistake of filming them for my travel blog, I was detained. they took my cell phone from me and deleted the video. It also cost me… yes you guessed it 200 Pounds fine. Honestly it was more of a tip but it got me off the hook.

In Egypt SPYING is a big worry to them, they do not like to be filmed and its also not good to invite trouble, but lets be real, when you see a police officer caring a machine gun, you kinda wanna sneak a pic!! I highly recommend that you don’t… and for this reason, I am am including a picture of a police official with a machine gun and give you permission to steal it!!!

Keep in mind, Police only make about $100 american a month in salary, so “shake downs” for tips from locals is normal. Like they ask for Tips from you parking .. in a spot that was 100% legal .. but hey they saw you getting into your car so they ask for a tip … lol

When I don’t mind I give them a tip but if you ignore them and act like you don’t understand…. and just get in your car and drive off, they don’t chase you …. Its kind of like Implied … but not enforced.

Police ... Feel free to use!

6 ) DRIVING IN EGYPT

When I said you came to Egypt looking for an adventure… lol All it took is getting on the freeway!

We drive in lanes… you know those dotted lines …. in Egypt … its kinda a free for all! They also have lines but some times drivers drive perfectly down the center of those lines and other times it just looks like a massive Mario cart game…. it may be five lanes but some how they managed 8 cars wide crammed into the 5 lanes, then you have the miniature took took’s to worry about, Motorcycles with 5 or more people crammed on them, ( Yes I said 5, Baby on gas tank, dad, Mom with Kid in one arm and dog in the other and another kid crammed between them … on the freeway! ) No Helmets …

Then don’t forget the horse’s dragging the carts, donkeys or oxen, or people riding camels on the shoulder. Its a mixture of everything and…. so just be aware… and If you do get into an accident…. as long as you say your “SORRY” its ok…. REALLY…. peoples cars get dinged up all the time and its not a big deal.

Just apologies and go on your way. And the way the traffic moves You really never see any bad accidents, which shocked me.

7 ) EGYPTIAN CURANCY

The EGYPTIAN POUND is their form of currency, currently as I am writing this article… $1 is worth about 47 Egyptian pounds.

If you are traveling from the UK or ITALY, there is no way to obtain EGYPTIAN POUNDS before your trip. You have to withdraw the Egyptian currency from the ATM inside the airport.

8 ) EYPTIAN PLUG TYPE

Power is everything …. So you will need to know EGYPT runs on plug type “ C ” and “ F ” the same plugs they have in Italy and Portugal. If your traveling from outside these areas plese by an adaptor. I love the Universal Adapters, and Ill add a link to one of my favorites below. I also bring a surge protector with me to plug into the adapter to protect my devices because who knows if there will be spikes or surges.

9) RELIGION AND RESTRICTIONS IN EGYPT

Egypt is a Muslim country. Despite it is more liberal than other Muslim countries, it is recommended to bring conservative clothing. You should wear these in all Muslim areas like ( Islamic Cairo ), and in the city of Cairo and Alexandria.

Smoking or tobacco is allowed everywhere. Many restaurants have a non-smoking area and you can also ask to be seated if you can’t bear the cloud of smoke all around.

Hookah is a very popular form of socialization in Egypt so you will find hookah lounges all over the place and it is a common practice.

Be careful when taking photography / videography, especially in Cairo as it is forbidden to photograph governmental / military buildings or workers.

This also applies to historical locations / buildings used for governmental / military purposes.

Be careful as you risk going to prison over this.

Bringing / buying drugs in Egypt is strictly forbidden and punishable with prison. Also, the use of some medication‘s is forbidden / restricted. You should always check what is allowed with your general practitioner or google if the medication you take is restricted in any countries.

If you’re taking some specific medications, bring your doctors prescription written in English. Keep all your medication’s also the general ones as such as ibuprofen Advil, and others in their original package never separate them from the packaging. And always separate them from other products to make it easier during inspections.

10 ) ENTRY TICKETS TO ATTRACTIONS

Never buy tickets online for the pyramids / Luxor these tickets will be a scam.

Unfortunately, you cannot buy online tickets for attractions like this in Egypt. You have to do it exclusively at the ticket counters outside of the attractions.

In an attempt to make it easier to distinguish fake tickets from legitimate ones the Egyptian government has provided holograms on all tickets to provide proof of their authenticity .

When it comes to purchasing tickets for the BRAND NEW Grand Egyptian museum, you want to purchase your tickets online because of the fact once you get to the museum, it is always sold out at the ticket office so always pre-order your tickets for the museum online .

11 ) THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA

GIZA is its very own City. Even tho it is close to Cairo, just on the other side of the Nile, It is its own city and will take you 45 min to get there depending on traffic. So if your main reason for going to EGYPT is to go to the New Egyptian Museum or the Pyramids, look for a place to stay in GIZA, as apposed to a place in Cairo!

I recommend, Airbnb, VRBO before booking a hotel, there are some great deals on booking.com.

NOW THE PYRAMIDS …..

REMEMBER: Tickets are never sold online. Unless your apart of a tourist package where they go and purchase the tickets before hand, NEVER get them online.IT DOES NOT EXIST this will be a scam!!!

When you get to the Pyramids you will have to go and purchase your ticket in person. I will Include the PICTURE of the EXACT PRICE to Purchase Tickets and post a video of where to go! The TICKET COST IS (700 EGYPTIAN POUNDS ) or $14.71 USD )

NOW FOR THE CAMEL VS CARRIAGE RIDE

This is one of the biggest drawbacks of going to the Egyptian Pyramids .. How do you know what a good Deal is. Well Im going to Explain to you theSCAMyou want toAVOID.

You will be approached to take a CAMEL or a Carriage ride. This is Legit…. I did them both and this is what you need to know.

1st off.PUT IT ON A CREDIT CARD and when possible pre order this through a group package. If you get this before hand you save all the aggravation.

VENDORS will tell you anything to try to sell you on a package like this… this is just like the TAXI rides at the AIRPORT …. they rent the camels or Carriages for a certain amount and GetKICKBACKSso do not spend more than$200 USD for a ride.

Now You have two Choices, the Long ride …. And the short Ride.

I personally Loved theLONG RIDE… it takes you to the top of the Hill and allows for the amazing Pictures you see with the Pyramids in the distance.

REMEMBER: A Trip to the Base of the PYRAMIDS and being Allowed to Climb the first few Levels…IS ALWAYS INCLUDED .. NEVER PAY EXTRA FOR THIS!!! if they offer to take you to the base and let you climb for more money tell them no and Ill find another vendor!THIS IS ALWAYS FREE

YOU MUST KNOW :WHEN YOU ASK TO DO THIS THE WILL ALWAYS TELL YOU THERE IS A 20% ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR USING CREDIT CARDS ( $140 ) Extra …. This Is A LIE this is a scare tactic to get you to payCASH.

BE AWARE …..ALWAYS BRING CASH…. They tell you you can put it on a credit card,But this is FALSE. What they mean is you can use a credit card at the ATM to withdraw Cash.YOU CAN NOT GET MORE THEN $80 AT THE ATM ( 4000 EGYPTIAN POUNDS )

I find $200 USD to ride the Camel Or take a Carriage for the LONG RIDE, Including the Base of the PYRAMID for Pictures and To Climb up on it for a Selfie Is Standard.

Anything Less than that is overpriced and You can always Negotiate.

If you Have aLOCAL GUIDE its EVEN BETTER

AFTER YOUR RIDE …. they will always take you to go to see a place that they make Lotus Blossom perfume or a place that you can purchase Papyrus paper souvenirs from …..YOU CAN TELL THEM NO…. they get kickbacks from taking you to these places. and are just trying to up-sell you!

TAKING SAND is not allowed …. But I do it every time. Just bring and extra empty bottle and put the sand in the bottle when the CAMEL POLICE are not Chasing after you asking for a tip …. and yes they will ask for a tip for their camel. lol if you decide to tip them … no more than 200 pounds is needed and you can always say NO!!!

12 ) GET A LOCAL TOUR GUIDE

The best thing I ever did was find a local tour guide. I found a Guy named “MO” and When I say he is awesome, I mean it! Not only is he an amazing guide but he also will be a private driver for you and help you negotiate all the pesky negotiations for tickets!MO KNOWShas become an inside joke for me… and I will be happy to share his contact information with you.

Mo is very dependable and he will take you on excursions…. His Average price is $3000 Pounds a Day, for an 8 hour day and that includes gas. ( $65.00 USD ) And its the best $65 you’ll spend and he can hold 4 people in his car, Mo is worth every penny!!! He drove me to several places including a day trip for my mother and I to ALEXANDRA … ( I payed for tolls and Gas Separately ) Ill Add a link to his contact information on Whats app ….