Anyone been to Egypt??

[Chitterchatter48]

Almost everyone I know who has been in the past had stomach upsets and were sick. My DH desperately wants to go here on hols next year to see the Pyramids, and I'm a fly and flop kind of person, so happy just reading my kindle and sipping a cocktail (uncultured me 😂)
But...obviously I don't want to be sick as I've been ill on holiday before with food poisoning and it was utterly awful! We would only be going for 1 week and I don't want to spend half of that in bed!

The few various people I knew who went to Egypt was over 10 years ago, so maybe things have drastically improved since then 💁‍♀️

Does anyone have experience of travelling to Egypt. I would appreciate any thoughts.

TIA

My rule is to avoid yogurt, icecream and ice. If it's a place where you shouldn't drink tap water, then I'd usually avoid a salad as that's likely to have been washed in water. If you stick to hot, cooked food and carbonated or bottled drinks, you should be fine. Remember to wash your hands 🙂

Been twice but over 10 years ago - didn’t have any problems. In fact loved it. Thinking of going again. Did get a bit of hassle with people trying to sell you stuff - people trying to get you to go their shop saying “Asda price” which gets boring v quickly - but you just walk past and ignore.

Somewhere that’s amazing that your husband may enjoy with less of the downsides of Egypt OP is Petra. It really exceeded my expectations and Jordan was fine to travel in, we never got sick and food was good. Do Petra and a night in Wadi Rum desert and you can also go to a hotel by the Dead Sea which is fun! We did a private tour in an SUV to those three places with a guide but I would feel quite comfortable travelling independently as a couple in Jordan as well.

It was a long time ago but we went for a week, despite being careful I got ill then I had two and a half weeks off work on return with gastroenteritis. It was the start of the IBS I have suffered from ever since.

If you go just be super careful about everything that you eat and loads of hand gel. I think the culprit in my case was a salad on a boat trip that I forgot to avoid.

Snowfalling you used to be able to do a long weekend city break from UK, but I would certainly want to be guided and fully escorted.

Didn’t you use picaridin or DEET? I’ve just come back from a campsite elsewhere in Africa that had a truly absurd amount of mosquitos (think a sink full of them, window covered in them etc) and didn’t get bitten once, thanks to picaridin

Yes, though on a tour down from Cairo to Luxor. We ate authentic Egyptian food rather than western food and it was amazing, probably my favourite food destination outside Italy. We ate at local restaurants (koshari 😋) , or had people cook for us. Nobody got sick. We were advised to avoid dairy and raw vegetables as they often made people unwell, I believe because their water and refrigeration isn't always great.

No sexual harassment in hotels they don't even look at you suggestively.Not sure about in towns etc though

I've been to Egypt four times and loved it - please don't let a worry of getting sick put you off! I was quite poorly on I think my second trip there, had to get steroids from the hotel doctor and was fine after a day or two. It was drinking tap water that made me ill, which was pure stupidity after hitting the AI bar too hard one afternoon haha

We went, and none of us were ill. However, we're all vegetarian and we're also used to travelling in Asia etc so know how to minimise risks etc.

Didn't experience any problems with harassment either, despite having young adult dd with us. It shouldn't matter, but i do think being mindful of cultural norms with regard to dress helps with this.

I've been to Cairo for work and didn't experience any sexism - however the head of department and most of the technical specialists we were visiting were women. The Egyptian team we were visiting were incredibly warm and kind, really some of the nicest people I've met on my extensive work travels.

Cairo is dirty and ugly and it was hot - the museum and pyramids were well worth seeing though. We hired a local guide and driver for a day trip to see the main sites and didn't get any hassle.

There were 3 of us and 2 were really ill with diarrhoea, I had a bit towards the end but not awful. We stayed in a relatively fancy hotel and ate there and at the Four Seasons - colleagues are convinced it was the meal at the Four Seasons that made them ill, but I'm not so sure. If you buy the local remedies from the pharmacy they are far more effective than anything you would buy here and take over there. I would love to see more of Egypt but, like you, am wary about the D&V issue so reluctant to take the children there.

My sister and niece went to Hurghada earlier this year to an AI resort where they had no issues at all with D&V, so I guess it depends where you go - and possibly on the luck of the draw.

Re: mosquitos, I am one of those people who ALWAYS gets bitten but since using Avon Skin So Soft dry oil body spray, I am pretty much OK - I didn't get bitten once in Cairo whilst using it.

It's the one place i really wanted to go, but getting harangued by people for money every step I took made it intolerable.

Without the people, it's amazing!

Nothing on our Nile cruise, we had a guide- just me, DH and him, whenever we were off the boat though.

In Cairo travelling independently, nothing, we were mooching around Cairo on our own. I wore long trousers, generally long sleeve shirts and sometimes a headscarf.

I’ve lived in Egypt, a solid poo was an absolute novelty! It was fine though, I wasn’t particularly unwell other than that. A lot of people who ‘get ill’ on holiday aren’t necessarily getting food poisoning, but more heat stroke. Make sure to drink well above and beyond the amount of (bottled) water that you think, and if you do get ill, get medicine from local pharmacies rather than something from the UK. It’ll be targeted to the local bacteria.

I think it largely depends on where you stay and how aware you are. We were warned before we went not to even clean our teeth in the tap water (which we wouldn't have done anyway), as it will make you very unwell. We stayed in a 5* all inclusive adults only hotel where everything was made with and washed in bottled water. Food was constantly monitored and probed to ensure it was at safe temperatures. We were also very careful about hand hygiene and as a result were absolutely fine. We have just returned from our second trip for our first wedding anniversary - we went last year for our honeymoon and on neither occasion were we the slightest bit unwell.

We did fly to Cairo to see the Pyramids last year and have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life and I'd highly recommend it. Just be sensible, choose your accommodation carefully and you'll be fine! :)

We did a similar trip to Cyprus with a three day visit to Petra in Jordan. Was really easy and great value.

Many years ago I went to Cairo on a day trip from Bournemouth! I saw all I needed to see in the short time. Took my own water and food as only a day.

Visited the Cairo museum, given a driving tour through Cairo (filthy) saw the Pyramids and the Sphinx.

Was through Bath travel who had their own airline, Palmair (one plane )

I do know that they were trying to restart Bath Travel but that was before lockdown.

I was ill. Only ate at the 5 star resort. Felt really shivery and had to travel that way. Not great. It was fun whilst it lasted though

I've lived here for ten years now.

Had an upset stomach once, less sexual harassment than in the UK & am currently enjoying a glorious view of the pyramids from my study balcony.

I would avoid buffet salads especially in AI resorts, & when out & about try to look reasonably un-gormless in touristy areas, & you'll be absolutely fine.

This is a beautiful, fascinating country, & there's rather more to it than getting drunk & sunburnt in Sharm!

If only stomach upsets were the worst of it. Constant hassle to buy things, hire a guide etc if you leave the hotel, they won’t take no for an answer and get aggressive if you raise your voice at all. Constant leering at women and ongoing security issues. I wouldn’t go on a free holiday there.

Same experience here. Been to Cairo, and later Sharm and Hurghada.

I did get diarrhoea, but it was still the most amazing holiday of my life. The history of the place is just awe inspiring.

Been once off a cruise, loved the sight seeing bits. So wanted to prove everyone wrong by what I’d been told but was hassled to bits and felt threatened a lot by locals. Not for me.

DH and I went. Ate mostly at the hotel but also ate streetfood. We weren't ill.
The Pyramids and Sphinx are worth seeing. Would love to go again.