Egypt Do’s & Don’ts

Is Egypt safe? You may wonder, and specially for a female solo traveler. I say solo because, even though I went there through AIESEC and kept in touch with the people from the organization during my stay, it kind of felt I was on my own. So, to answer that question, I am going to say YES. However, I suffered a culture shock as soon as I arrived in Alexandria. Moreover, being my first time in Egypt, or any Arabic country for that matter, I had quite a few preconceptions about it. But even if some of it is true, my experience was actually better, and I felt safer, than expected. So, I put together a list of Do’s & Don’ts you should take into consideration if you have an upcoming trip to Egypt.

Egypt Do’s

• Do apply for the Travel Visa online. The application is very easy and it saves you a lot of time and hassle in the airport. It costs 25 $ and is valid for 45 days (even if it says 30 on it, you can stay 2 more weeks without any penalty or fee)
• Do get an Egyptian SIM Card for your phone. Do not get it at the airport though, because it is probably more expensive. They have Vodafone, Orange and Etisalat. I got the Etisalat one and it worked out fine (I mainly used it for internet rather than phone calls).
• Do change your money into Egyptian currency: Egyptian pound. There are just a few places where you can use your card but they have plenty of ATMs. I recommend using the ones from the National Bank of Egypt as they don’t charge fees for international cards (eg: Revolut).
• Do try getting change and coins rather than big banknotes. Egyptians will always ask you for change because for some reason no one has it.
• Do learn some Arabic words. Most of the people in Egypt only speak Arabic. You may find young people who can talk in English, but I wouldn’t count on that. Google Translate also comes in handy so make sure you have internet.
• Do bargain in souvenir shops and bazaars. It is part of the culture and the vendors actually expect you to bargain. Never settle for the first price they tell you.
• Do ignore any verbal hassle or cat-calling completely. It happened to me and it can happen to anyone. Just ignore it and move along. They will probably leave you alone.
• Do ask people for directions or help. All Egyptians I met were really friendly and always willing to help. I expected them to be more reluctant to foreigners but they were quite the opposite.
• Do try as much Egyptian food as you can. I found their cuisine different than anything I have ever tasted before, but I will tell you more about it in a future post.
• Do use public transport. It is the cheapest way of transport, but if you want a private car I would rather choose Uber instead of taxi. Taxi drivers tend to overcharge foreigners.

Egypt Don’ts

• Don’t take photos of locals or military buildings. If you want to photograph locals you should ask them and they will probably be fine with it. However, anything military or police related is strictly off limits.
• Don’t wear shorts or tank tops. Women, in particular, are expected to have their shoulder and knees covered and to wear modest clothing. However, this rule doesn’t apply in the touristic areas such as beaches in Dahab or Sharm El-Sheikh.
• Don’t drink tap water. Bottled water is very cheap and you can find it at any store. Avoid tap water if you don’t want serious stomach aches.
• Don’t expect people to be on time. Egyptians are very laid back and they are almost always late.
• Don’t drink alcohol in the streets. Muslims are really strict about alcohol because of the religion. That’s why it is also very hard to find liquor stores in Egypt.
• Don’t hold hands or kiss in public. Display of affection should be kept at minimum or even avoided if possible because in Egypt it is frowned upon.
• Don’t freak out about the AK-47 carrying guards. You may see them around touristic attractions, or they might even escort you to some of them. For example we had such a guard with us during our Siwa desert safari. You also may encounter border controls when travelling by bus near borders such as the one to Libya or Israel.
• Don’t forget your student ID card if you have one. There are a lot of touristic attractions where you can get a considerable discount if you can prove you are a student.