I know what you’re thinking. How it is someone like me, who prides herself on being a pretty good trip organizer, excellent with details and always looking for great flight deals, trust SOMEONE ELSE to organize a trip for her? Good question! Yes, I did it but this was definitely next level even for a control-freak like me!!!
How did this happen you might wonder? Well, I have always said there are some countries in this world that are a little more challenging to navigate than others. There are some countries that absolutely need local experts to make sure that all goes well so that you can enjoy all the hospitality that the country has to offer. Off the top of my head, the countries of Egypt, India and China most certainly belong to that group. So, without any more delay, here are the reasons why I chose to trust my hard-earned monies and precious vacation days to another tour operator.
Expertise of local guides
In Egypt one can get a university degree in Egyptology. Did you know that that is actually a thing?? Oh yes! Many go to the local University and gain their Bachelor’s in 3 or 4 years in this subject. How could anyone beat that! It was phenomenal to experience such historical sites with an expert, so this makes the list of one of the experiences that money can and you SHOULD buy when visiting Egypt!
Security
For this trip it was just my son, a female relative and I. Travelling with a small tour group provided the comfort of having the security we all needed. Egypt is a WILD country! The week before we arrived, there was a small bomb near Giza pyramids that almost deterred us from going at all. But we persisted and felt secure once we had those armed security guards with us every step of the way. Mesmerized by the Giza pyramids one might forget to follow the group but having that pistol strapped guard bringing up the rear and making sure no one was left behind, was very reassuring.
Local multilingual Guides
Aside from having university degrees, our local guide was also multilingual. So it was very easy to understand the history and details of all sites. We did not have to worry about dealing with locals and translating the language. If I needed help with a price or understanding the material of a souvenir, I had someone to help right beside me. Very handy in negotiating too!
Logistics
Egypt is HUGE!!! There were many different types of transport we needed to use to crisscross the country. We used all types; plane, boat, train, bus, van…some that were not all very sophisticated and not always on time. So leaving all those arrangements in the very capable hands of my tour organizer made my vacation hassle free and relaxed.
Food
Being with a tour group meant that they would be careful with our food choices. They recommended places that were safe and hygienic but also offered local delicacies. I am not one to go on a trip and eat only North American foods, so utterly boring!!! HOWEVER, as much as I want to experience all those delicious local dishes and not have my belly lose out on the Egyptian cuisine, there is also no way I want to get stuck on a toilet bowl puking out my liver string! So for that reason, tour groups are a brilliant go-to!
Costs
There is no doubt that costs are, more often than not, better in a group than by oneself because you can always decrease costs by leveraging off the group. Better yet, it always works out better when it’s a small group as everything you do only involves that small group, it makes you very nimble! We had 10 people in our group and after a couple of days, we looked out for each other as we did most things together as a group. Not only that, but we did also not have to contend with huge busloads of other strangers joining our group and certainly benefitted from all the private tours we enjoyed.
Like anything else, there are pros and cons with joining a tour group. One does run the risk of having a miserable group member on your tour, who does not get along with anybody. You could also have someone in the group that is always late who negatively affects the timetable and you end up having to race through a site without a clear understanding about what you’re actually seeing or hearing. I can go on and on but I like to think of these petty annoyances as opportunities for personal growth bestowed upon us by the travel gods. Small price to pay in the grand scheme of things, n’est-ce pas? But seriously, there are always going to be risks you have to pray you don’t encounter but thankfully, in this trip, we were spared all of these cons and were able to enjoy the company we had for the entire 2 weeks in glorious Egypt.
Thank you Expat Explore Travel and Michael Mousa, your organization was flawless!!!!
