Can anyone tell me the best type of luggage to take on a tour in Egypt. Will I be better with a rucksack or a suitcase with wheels. I am a little concerned about lugging about a rucksack due to the hot temperatures.
Also what about money, I was going to get travellers cheques but the travel agent told me they would be difficult to change.
Any advice people.
thanks
Re: Luggage and Money - Previous knowledge needed!!!
My husband and I went to Egypt, Jordan and Syria in March 2006. In Egypt you will have to carry your own luggage at the station in Luxor. This invloves carrying it up and down a flight of stairs also manoeuvering across uneven road due to construction. For some reason unknown to me porterage of luggage is not part of the tipping kitty. While we were struggling with our luggage other tour groups breezed past us with their luggage taken care of by a porter and large trolley. In Cairo the hotel we stayed at was on a side street , the bus could not drive up to the hotel so you will have to carry your luggage to the bus.
The best advice I can give you is take as little luggage as possible and only what you can carry in comfort. It is amazing how few clothes you can survive on. I did not find cashing travellers cheques a problem in Egypt Thomas Cook travel shops are in all the places we stop. The tour leader will either take you there or point you in the right direction.
Have fun it is a feast for the eyes.
Re: Luggage and Money - Previous knowledge needed!!!
Hello Obxer7,
For both my tours of Egypt I took a wheeled suitcase. The first one died in action, but the second time I took a softsided one with rollerblade wheels & it stood up to the test!! I also took a daypack for carrying camera's water, tissues etc, etc.
Yes there are times when you have to carry/drag your own luggage, at times up & down stairs. However, I have found, that there is usually a local about who will gladly assist for a few pounds.....well worth the cost!
Both thimes I have taken travellers cheques in US$ & had no probleems cashing them. Having said this, I only cashed them in Cairo. Just ensure you take all the paperwork they give you when you purchase them & have your passport with you.
I hope this has helped & that you have a wonderful holiday. As always, I wish I could join you![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Kindest regards.....Debbie
Re: Luggage and Money - Previous knowledge needed!!!
I was assured by people that had been on Imaginative traveller tours that with traveller designation that you did not have to carry your own luggage. Boy were they mistaken. In Egypt that is not the case. (Sorry for the pun). it started in alexandria lugging our own luggage. I don't know why. Arriving in Luxor we were faced with a platform with piles of Sand, Gravel and other builing materials to manouver and just when you thought you were in the clear there were the stairs. I Just sat down and called it quits. I was prepared to go back to Cairo. No there were not people there willing to carry your case for a few pounds, nor did the tipping kitty allow for this expenditure. Luckily the tour operator, Shaun from Livingston Scotland, who was just wonderful, came to the rescue and took my wheeled luggage down and up the stairs at the station. My husband struggled with his case. If your are under 40 no problem the over 40's had a harder time of it. We did not run into lack of porterage in India Jordan or Syria, why Egypt?
So travel light. Your will be glad you did.
Ballylawn
Re: Luggage and Money - Previous knowledge needed!!!
Hi Ballylawn,
I read your posts with interest as you have been to Egypt since I was last there. Perhaps things have changed since I was last in Egypt? Can not give any explaination as to why you were unable to find a porter or a local to carry your luggage for you.
When I was in Alexandria, we travelled by bus & were dropped off at the door. So I can't make any comment there.
Like yourself, I was in my 40's & can understand how you felt!!
Can someone from ImTrav comment on this topic? Is this a oneoff situation?
Hope you have a great holiday, perhaps I could come along & lug your bags for you![[Wink]](wink.gif)
All the best.....Debbie
Re: Luggage and Money - Previous knowledge needed!!!
Hello there,
Thanks for your email.
You will notice that we always recommend a bag that is easy to carry and a weight that you are able to lift. There is never any guarantee that someone will be on hand to carry your bags for you and this very much remains at their discretion. For example when I was in Egypt, the doorman kindly grabbed my bag out of the cab, but from then on I was carrying it. It is important to remember that whilst the tour leaders will always try to lend a hand in this when they can, they are carrying the same amount if not more, than those on the trips.
So in sum, we have no formal policy towards the carrying of bags and so should not be expected. So remember this when packing is my best advice.
All the best,
Robert
Re: Luggage and Money - Previous knowledge needed!!!
Regarding money, I was in Egypt this past May and brought some cash (US) as a backup, but mostly used the ATM. There are plenty to be found in the cities and there was no trouble at all using them. I'm from the US, but there were travellers from the UK who used them as well. The only problem I tended to have is that the machines dispensed larger bill denominations, when you generally want the smaller ones. I would just find a bank to break them.
Incidentally, I had a wheeled carry-on, which worked fine. It was a pain on stairs, but most of the walking we did with our bags was on sidewalks (I was on the Nile Safari tour).
Re: Luggage and Money - Previous knowledge needed!!!
Hello,
I don't know about Egypt, but we have found it increasingly difficult to use Travellers checks.
In some states in the U.S. AAA offers a Travel Visa that is promoted as a modern alternative to travellers checks. It can be used used as a debit card at any ATM, and in some places may be used to make purchases as a Visa.