We are headed to Egypt tomorrow and I am starting to get worried that it will not live up to my grand expectations.
I am not sure if it stems from this adventure being our first ever group trip with a tour company or if it is because I have such a skewed view on Egypt.
I have been dreaming about travelling to Egypt and seeing some of the Historical Wonders of the World for a very long time now. I am insanely jealous when reading other travel blogs with photos of the Pyramids and stories about diving the Red Sea or cruising the Nile on a felucca. What happens if we don’t have as good a time as they look like they had?
By signing up to a tour with Expat Explore we have had everything taken out of our hands. We had never even thought about doing an organised tour before but this seemed like the best way to see as much of Egypt as possible in 10 days.
Usually our trips are based on crazy spontaneous actions or they are very well organised affairs through countless hours of our own research. By losing that control we are now at their mercy.
Sure they have amazing reviews so we are not too worried about that. But what happens if we want to explore around the base of the Pyramid’s or just stop for a beer. Instead they might be rushing us along to the next site with the hoards of other tourists.
Surely this may ruin the experience for us?
Okay, enough pessimism, let’s say the tour is going well and everything happens smoothly. What about the actual sights?
Niagara Falls in Canada was mind-blowing. Paris was as romantic as it could possibly be. All our adventures so far have lived up to our travel expectations and Egypt has set a high standard for itself in my mind.
With our tour starting in Cairo we have a lot to fit in during just 10 days. Visiting the 4500 year old Pyramids and the Sphinx, Cruising the Nile on a Felucca, delving into history at Aswan, Luxor and the Valley of the Kings before diving at the Red Sea. Could this trip be any better? I think not.
So what am I doing to allay my fears?
Absolutely nothing. It’s what I do best. It is also one of the best ways to travel in my humble opinion. By taking each adventure in your stride you are less likely to be disappointed and when (not if) something goes tits up then at least you will laugh about it.
Plus my worries seem trivial compared to Adela’s which seem to be purely focused on our Felucca cruise down the Nile. We had the option to upgrade to a 5 star floating hotel but opted for the sail boat option. Much more authentic.
The only issue is that it doesn’t have any washing facilities on board. Not even a single toilet… Apparently we have to take our own toilet paper and have been assured that if we need to go then the boat will pull over and we can dig a hole on the banks of the Nile. It’s moments like this that I love being a dude.