Thinking of traveling to Egypt and Saudi Arabia...

Anybody been there? How was it? Also what did you do and what would you do if you go again?

Just keep in mind that women are not respected in Saudi Arabia. Egypt would be a better choice, and there is a lot of history to see there.

CD

I've never been but CD has a point about SA and I know 2 couples that went to Egypt and both couldn't wait to get the hell out. The harassment was next level as well as the poverty and dead animals in the streets.....both said the pyramids were epic but the amount of harassment was apparently really nuts with multiple people saying they were officals demanding money every time they wanted to take pictures and nobody took no for an answer and were tailed and harassed for their whole time there and both said they had to just get out.....crazy stuff and the list goes on and it was a long list. I would really research this on line before you give it a go, imo

If you do go to Saudi Arabia, go in the winter. I heard a story on NPR this morning about people dying in the heat on their pilgrimage to the Hajj. High temps are reaching 125F.

I've never been to either place, but I have been to Turkey and my mother travels extensively. If you book with a tour group, you will be better protected from random street harassment.

Keep an eye on the international travel advisories.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt don’t sound encouraging at the present time.

and please, don't go alone!
especially just another woman! I know it goes against all our North American instincts, but it is NOT North America.

and please... no disrespect or offense meant towards those who respect.

We went to see the pyramids many years ago, staying in a 5 star hotel in Cairo, but the cost was much less than a 5star over here, everything was so cheap there.
Fantastic experience visiting the pyramids, Sphinx, I'll never forget how we had to literally crawl through those narrow tunnels in the Great pyramid of Giza. Like @pictonguy has said, there's no escape from those photographers chasing you, demanding money to have photos taken.

GotGarlic said:

If you do go to Saudi Arabia, go in the winter. I heard a story on NPR this morning about people dying in the heat on their pilgrimage to the Hajj. High temps are reaching 125F.

I've never been to either place, but I have been to Turkey and my mother travels extensively. If you book with a tour group, you will be better protected from random street harassment.

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In fact, it's a good idea to go on an organised tour, selecting a reliable company which will make all the arrangements for you, I wouldn't recommend a "do-it-yourself" holiday.

Great answers. I plan on going with a tour group and my two sons will be with me. We are trying to decide if we want to go or not. I heard it is cheap and I really want to see the pyramids. We are also considering Easter Island off the coast of Chile. If I go to Egypt or Saudi I would wear a face covering to keep people at bay. I am just in the talking about it stage right now.

First words out of your mouth? Greet them in THEIR language, to show respect for their culture. You are in their country! It doesn't matter if you are checking into a Hilton, it is all about showing respect. Please don't take the view of "If you don't speak English, you are stupid". Many vacations are ruined for this reason, regardless of country visited.

My tip- Learn how to say three things for any foreign country you visit. In their language....

'Hello" or a common greeting

'Thank you'

'"I am looking for" or "I seek" or "I am searching for"

All the better for this last one if you have a language/translation book to flip through as you say um, um, um... as if struggling to come up with the right words in THEIR language. You have greeted them in the local language, and you are TRYING to ask a question. You are making an effort. They will appreciate that effort and, for me, 100% of the time they are helpful or even go further out of their way to help. I have many positive stories about using this technique. (Like three free train tickets from Paris to Brussels, they held the train and escorted us, very quickly, to the platform.)

Leave the Metalica T-shirt at home as well as any American flag apparel. (Just a security thing for me. Some people out there look for targets)

E-mail photos of your passport info, plane reservations, medications, etc. to yourself so you can retrieve from anywhere there is a computer, in case of loss or if stolen.

Claim to be from Toronto, Eh!

Only been to Kuwait and Iraq, would not like to return....

I will second the don't go with another woman regardless of where. DD and I decided to take a trip without Craig one year after he had been working out of the country more than he was home for pretty much a year, and he was done with traveling for a while. She wanted to really go to Egypt, with Italy and Greece being the second and third choices respectively.

There was a lot of unrest in Egypt at the time and i wasn't comfortable going there with even a tour group, especially with DD, who is quite striking, think Snow White description. Told her we could either go to Italy just us as long as we stuck to large cities and traveled by train in between them, taking cabs or buses to get around in city. I was perfectly fine doing that because I had been to Italy 3 times by then and spoke enough Italian to get around. Or, we could take some time by ourselves in Rome, then join the tour group so she could see some of the smaller cities as well. Greece would be a cruise hitting up several islands, as well as the mainland.

She chose the combo Italy trip because she wanted to explore the Vatican museums extensively and there was also a traveling Egyptian exhibit in another museum while we were there. We did fine on our own in Rome. In a couple of the smaller cities, we left the group to visit museums that had exhibits she wanted to see. And, we got lots of unwanted attention during those walks to and back, with some being very uncomfortable.

I must confess that I preferred using my Italian passport when we went to Egypt, instead of my British one, I felt safer this way, for some reason. It was an advantage being able to speak English though, we didn't know a word of Arabic.

If you are keen to see the pyramids etc, just go!
Yes, you may be harrassed, but who cares. See it as part of the trip. You know it is going to happen, so prepare yourself to it.

Disclaimer: I've not been to Saudi and I have no intention of going there. Not been to Egypt, except for the airport, but been in lots of countries where tourists are being targetted, where there are beggars etc.

I've been lucky though with more mediterranean looks than Northern European ones. Blonde females, but also males, are targetted much more.

Back to Egypt, your hotel can help you with reputable guides if you travel by yourself

Badjak said:

If you are keen to see the pyramids etc, just go!
Yes, you may be harrassed, but who cares. See it as part of the trip. You know it is going to happen, so prepare yourself to it.

Disclaimer: I've not been to Saudi and I have no intention of going there. Not been to Egypt, except for the airport, but been in lots of countries where tourists are being targetted, where there are beggars etc.

I've been lucky though with more mediterranean looks than Northern European ones. Blonde females, but also males, are targetted much more.

Back to Egypt, your hotel can help you with reputable guides if you travel by yourself

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Thanks for the advice.

I am a little worried about our looks. We are all typical anglos(sp) with light hair and grey eyes. I even thought about dying our hair. I doubt it would help.


I did some research and found all kinds of information about clothes to wear to hide money all over your body and to carry "dummy wallets". Fake wallets with little money and fake credit cards. At Christmas we got some gift cards that I am saving because they look like credit cards for our "dummy wallets".

The last time we went to Europe, we got a pair of canvas passport holders that go on a cord around your neck so you can wear them under your clothes. They're big enough for ID, credit cards, cash and a hotel key card.

My wife has been all around the world. Me … halfway.

She went to Egypt with a very reputable American tour company and loved it.

I don’t think either of us would go to SA. Plus it’s not that enchanting.

We did go to Dubai a few years ago and that was super bizarre.

Everyone who wears the wallet on a chain around your neck — which is obvious— is a mark. Don’t do it. Use the safe in your room.

We bought little bags that tuck into your bra or underwear. Plus, I wore a fanny pack turned around to the front. Good thing too because we got swarmed with gypsy children in several large cities in Italy on our visits there.

medtran49 said:

We bought little bags that tuck into your bra or underwear. Plus, I wore a fanny pack turned around to the front. Good thing too because we got swarmed with gypsy children in several large cities in Italy on our visits there.

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I think that's your best idea - plus take only what is necessary for the outing... and use the hotel safe!

If you are interested in learning more about the pyramids, things like the 36 astrological decans (3 per sign) in the kings chamber, or what the pyramids are made from (from scientific evidence), or that the pyramids were actually built much earlier than 5500 years ago... There is a guy that speaks on that Gregg Braden https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-e&q=gregg+braden+egypt
I hope your trip is wonderful.

I agree with @jennyema
Don't use those neck hanging wallets.
Keep a wallet on you with a "normal" amount of cash for a tourist (this could be in your neck wallet)
. If you get robbed, it will at least seem like thats all you carry
Money beltt under your clothes works, but only for stuff you don't need often.
Money belt resembling a normal belt is better, but you can only keep small stuff in there. It's good for emergency money.

With all that..
Don't fret.
Nothing may happen

Before internet time, I always had a couple sets of copies of flight ticket and passport. One somewhere in my backpack, one with my travel friend and a set left at home. And one set that could be left with the hotel/guesthouse if so required (or car rental etc).

And if you do go...
Make sure you have the numbers for your card company so you can block them if needs be.
And remember to activate your card for the countries you travel to

And yes, if you are worried, go with an organised tour.
Egypt has lots if tourism and it is an important source of income for the country, so it can't be all bad