In October, I traveled with my wife, Jenny, to Egypt and Rome for a week.  During the whirlwind tour, we visited many historic sites and met many wonderful people.  The major purpose of the trip was to research locations I use in my Facetakers trilogy, both modern and historic.  Some of the sites, particularly the ones in Rome, will be featured in book 2 of the series – Rune Warrior – while most of the Egypt sites will feature in book 3 – Aeon Champion.

Jenny acted as my scribe, photographer, and assistant during the trip.  We took hundreds of photos and lots of video.  Part of the process of organizing all that footage will be a series of blog posts and Youtube videos.  This is the first in the series by Jenny.

12 Things to Know About Egypt Before You Go

1. Bring pens – You’d be surprised how many times you need pens in Egypt. Our guidebook said to bring them because the children love them. They really do! They were thrilled to get them in Abydos. Also, several places that we’d expect to have them, like reception desks and even hotel rooms did not have a pen.

2. Get shots  – As I sat with my daughter at the pediatrician, I remembered that when going to a less developed country it is advisable to get inoculations. Sure enough, we needed 3 immunizations.

3. Don’t drink the water, anywhere! Sure, Egyptian water looks clear and it may have ice in it, but if you drink it you WILL get sick. We carried bacteria-filtering water bottles with us—saved us a few times.  

4. Watch out for Pharaohs revenge . . . (think Montezuma’s revenge) In case you disregarded the water warning or ate unwashed food, make sure to buy some Antenol on arrival. If you start to feel sick, as Frank did, take one. They work really fast.

5. Frogg toggs are essential – What is it? A super-absorbent cloth that stays cool while it is wet. It doesn’t drip, just put it on like a scarf and it keeps your neck cool!  Check it out here.

6. Bring an umbrella – For sun protection. The Chinese tourists did this the best. It really makes a difference when it’s 105 degrees. Even my wimpy compact umbrella helped. A parasol would be even better since it holds up to the wind.

7. Don’t go in October! When we booked our trip to Egypt, average October temps were supposed to be in the 80s. Ha! Try 100-plus. So I would definitely recommend November through February.

8. Be friendly – Most Egyptians will say, ‘Welcome to Egypt!’ and sometimes ask for a picture. Many of our fun experiences came from casual conversation with teenagers we met.  We were amazed by how many local kids asked to take photos with us.  We felt like celebrities.

9. Don’t even look at the land sharks.   Just don’t. As you leave every site, you have to run the ‘gauntlet’ of in-your-face salesmen/hustlers. We found it’s best to just walk straight through the middle with our eyes facing forward. Sunglasses are definitely helpful if your eyes tend to wander to the shops.

10. Change your money at the airport- We intended to do this but our transfer was so rushed. Once we were on the boat we didn’t have the opportunity to find a bank during open hours. So we ended up using the ATM to get Egyptian pounds.

11. Don’t forget to notify bank, credit cards and get international calling plan – Most travel blogs didn’t have this tip included, and it’s really important to do this before leaving! It is a lot harder to do from a foreign country. We were 9 hours difference from Oregon while in Egypt.  Inform your credit card companies that you’ll be traveling so they don’t lock down your card.  And it’s very economical to buy the international plan package and use your own phone while abroad.

12. Bring a spoon! Seriously. I so wish I had. On the plane, I really could have used it. The spoons they give you are really tiny! I looked at the child-sized spoon, with a handle not even big enough to wrap my fingers around, and thought, my Dad with his frying-pan hands would never be able to use this spoon. Sometimes you just need a decent spoon. It can make all the difference.          ~ Jenny Morin