-
Pack light - you carry your bag a bit, you will buy
stuff, and every hotel had cheap and fast cleaning. I would estimate 3
pairs of loose cotton or linen pants, 4 t shirts, a dress/skirt (if you're a girl
obviously!), one pair of comfortable shoes, and one pair of nicer
shoes (unless you want to wear dirty walking shoes when going out in
the evening), and definitely a hat and two pairs of sunglasses (you
really don't want to risk being without them!)
-
Loads of sunscreen, extra camera batteries and
chargers, large memory card,
and socks and underwear!
-
Johnson & Johnson babywipes or Dettol handwipes in the small
travel packets are great for during the
day when you got hot and sticky, and also during longer travelling
days.
-
Small packs of tissues are very useful
-
ATMs are always easy to find, and seem to handle most
international credit cards with no problems at all - although probably
take some US currency just in case - you can change it at the banks if
the ATMs play up
-
Don't forget all your guidebooks at home like I did!!
-
When crossing the street in Cairo - attach yourself to
a local and stick to them like glue!
-
Always negotiate the price BEFORE doing anything
-
Small travel towels are always handy - sometimes the
hotels couldn't get towels.
-
All the hotels we used were clean, and had
airconditioning, so no need for a sleeping bag
-
Take a travel pillow, especially useful for the train
and bus trips.
-
Don't be afraid to wander the streets - I had no
problems anywhere, even on my own.
-
Talk to people - although some will get too pushy,
mostly they are really lovely people and love to talk. And don't take
the marriage proposals too seriously!!!
-
Even if you're tired and hot, try and do all the
excursions and add-ons that you can - you can sleep on the flight
home! Having said that, I never felt pressured to do anything, and
even though I skipped Philae, I had a really wonderful time on the
boat on my own watching the sunset and playing backgammon....
-
Never go anywhere without water....
-
Luggage on wheels is fine if you don't want to carry a
backpack (for this trip anyway) - just make sure it's light!
-
Antiseptic cream with local anaesthetic for any bites
or stings, analgesic for headaches if the glare gets too much
-
I got through the whole trip without any traveller's
stomach bug, but some weren't so lucky. The tour leaders recommended
this great stuff (Antinal) and it seemed to work brilliantly!
