Egypt: 10 commandments for a safe trip
1. TOURIST SAFETY & SECURITY
You are the one responsible for your own safety and security. Use your common sense and don’t take for granted that accidents don’t happen to you!
After Egypt’s revolution many questions have been raised about the tourist safety in the country. Generally speaking, Egypt is still a safe country but nobody can predict how the situation will develop in the near future. It’s important to consult the travel advisory of your home country before you leave. While in Egypt, stay away from demonstrations and large gatherings of people.
2. TRAVEL INSURANCE
Get your own travel and medical insurance. Make your own assessment of your plans, activities, belongings, and the practice of extreme sports such as professional diving etc. Then ask your insurance company to provide you with the right insurance. Check your travel insurance carefully. A wise man said:” If you can’t afford to buy a good insurance, you really can’t afford to travel at all”.
It’s important to note that according to the international diving safety regulations you should allow a minimum gap of 24 hours between when your final dive ends and your flight.
3. ETHICAL CONDUCT
What is acceptable in your country might not be tolerable in other societies. Take into consideration that Egypt is an Islamic country and the society is conservative. Most Egyptian’s don’t drink alcohol. Most Egyptian men don’t walk on the street wearing shorts. Most Egyptian Muslim women wear headscarves and keep their neck, ankles and wrists covered. Display of affection in public is intolerable. As a visitor, you should respect those differences and try to behave accordingly. You don’t want to offend the very people you’re visiting!
4. VISA
Most nationalities (not all) can obtain a tourist entry visa at any of the major ports of entry to Egypt. The visa sticker costs 25 USD. Check with your travel company or with the nearest Egyptian consulate/embassy for specific details and regulations relevant to your nationality.
5. IMPORTANT CONTACTS
Keep important contact details within reach. Useful contacts include those of tourist police, hospitals, emergencies, hotels, your embassy, insurance company, etc.
It has recently become a common practice to have a contact number marked as ICE (In case of emergency). Save all those contacts on your mobile phone AND write them on a piece of paper that you can keep together with other important travel documents.
6. CASH AND CREDIT CARDS
Do you still remember the story of all the eggs in one basket? Never store all your money cash and credit card(s) in one pocket. Spread them between two or three different places to minimize the chocking result of theft. Consider using safe boxes provided by hotels.
It’s also recommended to have more than one credit card in case of theft or card deactivation. Make sure that all your cards will actually work abroad. Besides, inform your bank about your travel plans to avoid any card deactivation. Some banks may deactivate credit cards if the frequency of use increases suddenly abroad. Note that in case of theft, it’s always easy to call the bank and deactivate a card.
7. IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
Scan your travel and other important documents into electronic copies. Important documents include your passport, air ticket, travel insurance, driver’s license etc. Attach those copies to an Email message and send them to your Email address. A HOTMAIL, YAHOO or any other web-based Email system could be useful for this purpose. In case of theft, you’ll always be able to access those documents in your Email box from any computer that has access to the Internet.
Alternatively, save those copies on a small USB memory stick that you can wear around your neck, or keep copies with your family/friends at home, or take pictures of your important documents with your smart mobile phone and keep those pictures in a special folder in your mobile phone album.
8. HYGIENE
It’s not uncommon that visitors to Egypt get upset stomachs or other sicknesses from eating food. That’s due to many reasons mainly lack of hygiene. Here are some pieces of advice that might help you in preventing stomach problems. Most importantly, trust your instincts:
– Eat at restaurants that look and feel clean.
– Wash your hands often or use antibacterial hand cleaner especially after touching money or before eating.
– Avoid drinking tap water or adding ice to your drink.
– Don’t drink directly from a can. If so, wash the can well before drinking and use a straw.
– Avoid eating food bought from stalls at the side of the road, ie. burgers, and local delicacies.
9. SWIMMING
Is it safe to swim in the Nile? Generally speaking, the answer is No, especially in Cairo. The Nile is polluted by many sources mainly raw sewage from cruise ships and villages, all sorts of garbage, and dead animals. However some tourists do swim in Upper Egypt, especially Aswan where the Nile water is considered to be cleaner. If you decide to take a swim after all, then it would be at your own risk.
10. SUN
Egypt is known as The Land of the Sun. In Upper Egypt, especially Aswan, the sun shines 365 days a year and it’s considered one of the driest places. Be aware and use sun cream with adequate SPF to avoid skin burn. It does happen often that tourists get sun burns. Last but not least, drink enough water to avoid dehydration.
ENJOY YOUR TRIP.