ARRIVING IN EGYPT
Oct 05, 2018Traveling to Egypt
What to expect when you arrive in Cairo, Egypt
When you’re going to be traveling to a new country, there are a lot of things to consider before you leave. However, after months of planning and anticipation, there are still a lot of aspects in a trip that are beyond your control.
I, like many other travellers, enjoy reading blogs and articles with peoples real experiences to help me make my decisions when it comes to where to go, what to do, and the best way to accomplish these tasks. I found many resources to help prepare us, however, I feel like I was misinformed on a few aspects. In this article, you will find some great tips of what to do before and when you get to Cairo, Egypt to help your journey be smooth and hassle free.
Before You Leave Your CountryFirst things first - when traveling to foreign countries, it’s always a good idea to register with your countries government to inform them of your travels. This way, if there was ever any kind of unrest or natural disasters, your country can do their best to help locate you and get you to a safe place. As a Canadian, we registered with Canadian Consular Services https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/emergency-info/consular/canadian-consular-services-charter
Here you will find a form to fill out to inform the government of your travels. It will include an email which will provide you with a list of all of the Canadian Embassies in the areas where you’ll be traveling. There are also other useful tools such as travel checklists, services and how to get assistance when abroad. You will also find a link to a handy app called “Travel Smart”. This is great to help you know whether or not you need visas to enter the countries you’re traveling to, protocols, risks, etc.
I was a little concerned when I started to input the countries that we were going to be visiting and I saw the warning of “AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL”. I even had a few sleepless nights building some anxiety about our upcoming trip. However, I was very fortunate to have coffee with my neighbours who are actually from Egypt, and they informed me of the “real” situations going on in the country. Don’t get me wrong, there are some areas that I wouldn’t want to stumble into, but I find the same is true in most countries. The media does do a good job painting a picture for foreigners that makes Egypt seem like an unsafe destination full of war, scandal and terrorism. After arriving in Cairo I instantly felt this false picture and after being in Egypt for days and weeks I can see that the country is filled with kind people, working together to create community for themselves, expats and tourists.
I’m not one to follow the news and create unwanted anxiety by seeing all the awful things around the world, so I am glad that I had the opportunity to speak to people from the area and experience this for myself. As a Canadian women I feel very safe and welcome in Egypt and I encourage more people to put Egypt in their list of destinations to travel to.
Arriving At The Cairo Airport
There are three main areas that you will pass through when you arrive at the Cairo Airport. Most areas are well labeled and it was a very easy process. Don’t be nervous about being in Egypt. Most people are very happy to have tourists visiting their country and they want you to have a good experience. You will find a few people being “extra kind” for tips, but for the most part, everyone was genuinely helpful. You will find the three easy steps to arriving at the airport below:
- Obtaining Your Egyptian Visa
- Claiming Your Baggage & Going Through Customs
- Transportation To Your Accommodations
Obtaining Your Egyptian Visa
I don’t know about you, but I am always nervous about going through customs in other countries. I’m not even sure why, it’s not like I’m trying to smuggle anything in or be devious in any way. I think it has to do a little with the language barrier and the unfamiliar surroundings. Reading different blogs and even the Canadian Travel Smart App it said that getting your Visa for entry can be long and tedious. It even suggested that you obtain your Visa through the Egyptian Embassy in your country before leaving because of the hassle trying to get it at the airport.
OBTAINING YOUR VISA FOR ENTRY IS EASY!!! There’s nothing to it. As soon as you deplane the first place you need to go is to one of the Currency Exchange. This is where you will purchase your Egyptian Visa. Just ask the man for a visa, show him your passport, pay your $25 US and you’re onto the next step! It really only took 5 minutes! I also suggest that you take the time that you’re there to exchange your Canadian or US dollars into Egyptian Pounds. We travelled with about $1000 US dollars and exchanged around $500 into Egyptian Pounds. If you can get them to give you a mixture of bills that would be great. You’ll need lots of 20s and 50s for tipping.
Claiming Your Baggage & Going Through Customs
Getting your baggage and going through customs was very similar to back at home. We quickly received our bags off the carousel and got in line to go through customs. There was a bit of a wait during this process, but the great part was the hospitality from everyone around us. We were the only Caucasian people in the airport at this time, so we stood out a bit. One gentleman offered to help us with our bags, which we did not accept. It would not be a problem to accept this offer, as long as you are aware that he will be looking for some gratitude. The wages are very low in Egypt, and many people work mainly for tips. He did not hassle us once we declined, which in nice, because in other countries this can be a problem.
There’s one thing we discovered quickly in Egypt - THEY LOVE CANADIANS!!! When we entered the customs line, we practically waved our passports and flew right through! We did not get asked any questions or didn’t have to have our luggage checked. We got a nice big stamp on our Visas and a very gracious “Welcome to Egypt!”
Transportation To Your Accommodations
(Confirmation from the cost of our Uber transportation from the airport)
If your hotel or travel agency does not provide you with transportation to your accommodations, don’t worry about it. Your best off to use the Uber services throughout your stay in the Cairo area. I highly recommend taking the 15 minutes before leaving the airport to get a SIM card for your smartphone to give you access to data during your stay. It is very inexpensive, and it will allow you to quickly book Ubers to transfer you around the city. There are two different companies Vodafone and Orange. Both will work fine, although there seems to be more Orange offices throughout the country, so this might be the better choice in case you run into problems. We did not take the time at the airport and went to a local shop later in our trip. We would have saved time and money if we would have done this before leaving the airport.
The nice thing about booking an Uber is that you can select the destination and you do not need to worry about handling any money. I do recommend following the route along on your phone, just in case you feel they are not going in the right direction. Most drivers seem to be able to communicate in English in the Cairo area. It is a little difficult finding your car at first because the outside area where all the taxis and cars are is very busy. Take note of the door number you are standing at and the terminal. You can message this to your driver. There may be taxi drivers asking for your fare, but they do not hassle you once you decline.
Once you’re in your transportation, prepare yourself for the Cairo traffic! It is fast paced, loud with honking and very little rules. If you’re lucky, your car will have seatbelts, but not all do. Even though it seems very chaotic and a little scary, the drivers are very calm. Try to sit back and take in the first sights of the city. The next best thing about traveling by Uber is the price! Our ride to our hotel was about an hour long and it only cost us 178 Egyptian Pounds, which is equivalent to 10 US dollars.
(Outside the Cairo airport)
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