6 Important Things to Know Before Your Egypt Trip

Unknowingly, I planned to travel to Egypt on January 25th, 2011—the day of the first revolution in Egypt. During my first month of living in Cairo,  I had no phone, internet access, or way of communicating with my worried family back home. Although my embassy had tried countless times to send me evacuation warnings, I ignored all of them and instead rode out the storm.

I was settled in a horse stable a comfortable distance from Tahrir Square and despite the lack of customers, freedom to leave the facility and absolutely no outside contact or means of doing anything as simple as shopping for groceries, I fell in love with the country.

Although my entire family was military and I had been force-fed many misguided beliefs about Muslim people, I couldn’t get enough. The language, the food, the culture, the religion, the people, the sights—it was as if I had opened the door to Narnia.

Everything was vastly different, and it seemed I was a long way from California. My love for Egypt consumed me and in a short period of time, I found myself fasting for Ramadan and speaking Egyptian Arabic fluently. Nevertheless, here is a list of six things I knew before I decided to travel to Egypt.

6 Important Things to Know Before Your Egypt Trip

1. Egypt is a Muslim country and requires travelers to abide by certain rules

The biggest fact I can stress for a woman, especially a single woman traveling alone is to take care of the dress code. I understand that Egypt is a desert country and that it gets very hot. It’s still not okay to wear shorts or tank tops! Never. Do not pack any clothes in your suitcase that might tempt you into showing some skin.

Despite the number of foreigners they have seen or dealt with, even cab drivers and tour guides are Muslim men so it is in your best interest to dress respectfully.

2. It is never okay for an Egyptian man to touch you

Due to their strict religion, it is not even legal in Egypt for an Egyptian man to stay in a hotel room with a woman who is not legally his wife (and yes, a hotel receptionist will ask for a copy of your marriage certificate). Because of their strict religion, most Egyptian women are covered.

A handshake is appropriate, however any other form of touching, no matter how innocent it may seem, is simply a man’s way of testing a foreign woman. Unfortunately, as a foreigner, you will be subject to bad stereotypes.

Never let a man treat you differently–and less respectfully–than he would treat an Egyptian woman. Don’t be afraid to say no out of fear of offending someone. Egyptian men know when they have crossed a line and will respect you more for putting them in place.

3. Be sure to adjust to “Egyptian time”

One of the things us westerners have a hard time adjusting to is what we expats like to call “Egyptian time.” If an Egyptian tells me she’ll meet at a certain time, I like to multiple that time by 3. For example, “I’ll see you tomorrow at 3” generally translates to, “I’ll see you maybe tomorrow or the day after between 6-8 PM.” And if you hear the word “inshaAllah,” it probably means they aren’t coming at all.

4. Arabic is a beautiful language

Before coming to Egypt, I was afraid of Arabs. I used to hear Arabic on the television and because it had such strange guttural sounds, it only sounded like shouting, screaming and spit flying. I admit, the first time I saw two Arab men speaking to one another, I again had flashbacks of Hollywood movies and watched in horror as the men’s faces appeared to get closer and closer and the shouting grew louder and louder.

Now I realize that the majority of the language is not fighting but laughter instead. The language has the most beautiful slang and is actually extremely romantic. Once I understood what the people were saying, I couldn’t wait to speak it!

6 Things to Know Before Your Egypt Trip

5. There is much more to Egypt than the pyramids

After the revolution, tourism in Egypt died. People were too terrified to travel to Egypt, even though the Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

To this day I can’t believe anyone wouldn’t be just as fascinated by the idea of seeing the pyramids as I am, even though I see the pyramids on my way to and from work every day! But shockingly, you’ll find the pyramids these days not very crowded and you might even get lucky enough to be the one and only tourist for the day.

Although the Pyramids are truly a remarkable, there is much more to Egypt than the pyramids and those who travel to this wonderful country should plan to stay for as much time as possible in order to absorb all of the culture, history and artifacts! You could also try riding an Arabian horse or camel in the desert!

6. Islam is not the enemy

I learned so much about Islam simply by asking. I was surprised by how open and friendly the Egyptian people are! Both men and women were more than happy to answer any and all questions I had about their religion. And, they never once passed judgement on me or attempted to convert me.

In fact, I felt more warmth and acceptance from the Egyptian people than I did in the majority of my travels! You would be amazed how much you can learn just by having an open mind and kind heart.

Don’t let the reputation of a few bad eggs, destroy your chance at meeting some fascinating people. Even in America, there are certain neighborhoods you just don’t go, or certain places you avoid and people you take caution with, but that doesn’t stop you all the same!

As Dean Spanley said, “Only the closed mind is certain.”

6 Things to Know Before Your Egypt Trip

Related Reading

5 Places Female Travelers in Egypt Must Visit

Have you traveled to Egypt? What were your impressions? Email us at editor@pinkpangea.com for information about sharing your experience and advice with the Pink Pangea community. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Photo credit for 6 Things to Know Before Your Egypt Trip by Krystal Kelly