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Post by bet on Jul 5, 2015 22:20:29 GMT
Has anyone been to Egypt recently or know the current situation there? I know tours to Egypt have resumed and Trafalgars Egypt tours seem to be popular enough with many being guaranteed.
But from the travel warnings I've read though, it advises a high degree of caution and advises against non essential travel. I know there is always a certain risk involved but don't want to take any unnecessary risks.
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Post by chech on Jul 5, 2015 23:25:54 GMT
The Canadian advisory says that but when I read the warning, it does say that if one travels to Egypt, it's okay if you do so with a reputable tour company. I have my eye on a tour in Egypt with a company that also goes to the Sinai (the resorts are not under any warning) and to the western desert (which does have a specific warning). The tour that went through last March had no issues. I might do the one next February.
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Post by bet on Jul 6, 2015 0:20:44 GMT
Thanks Chech, I'm having to reconsider my Greece with Turkey plans and Egypt is next on my list but that has its own problems. I wonder if doing Turkey and Egypt will be too much of a history lesson in one go, although that's not really an issue. Unfortunately I don't have the funds to jetset across the globe at a moments like you, so I'm not planning this until September next year and anything can happen between now and then, but if things stay as they are, I'll go. I'm considering Trafalgar or a small group tour, which is more my thing
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Post by Oz-T on Jul 6, 2015 0:34:28 GMT
Bet, The Australian government advises its citizens to reconsider the need to travel to Egypt at the moment. The main reasons are terrorism and political turmoil. The advice for anybody travelling to the Sinai region is "Do not travel" and has been like that for several years.
The reason for the recent warnings has been the anniversary of the 2013 revolution which can easily cause troublemakers to emerge. The travel advisory seems mostly concerned with the period up to 3 July.
There was also a political assassination on 29 June of Egypt's Prosecutor General. Whilst tourists aren't specifically targets of the unrest, it's all too easy to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I'd pass on Egypt for the moment, just to be extra sure.
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Post by bet on Jul 6, 2015 0:53:44 GMT
Thanks Oz T, I've read both the NZ and Australian travel advisory websites last week, both said high caution and reconsider non essential travel, but seeing Trafalgar and others has resumed their tours I thought it might be generally 'safe', but it doesn't take much to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least I have time to reconsider other options.
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Post by Oz-T on Jul 6, 2015 1:02:56 GMT
Personally, I'd avoid going there for the time being, Bet. But if I was already committed via a reputable tour company, I'd feel more comfortable. These companies monitor the situation and will take reasonable measures to avoid problems.
Most of the time on the Egypt tours takes place on the upper Nile (e.g. Luxor, Aswan etc) and you're there much longer than Cairo where most of the potential problems tend to be.
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Post by chech on Jul 6, 2015 1:11:37 GMT
Thanks Chech, I'm having to reconsider my Greece with Turkey plans and Egypt is next on my list but that has its own problems. I wonder if doing Turkey and Egypt will be too much of a history lesson in one go, although that's not really an issue. Unfortunately I don't have the funds to jetset across the globe at a moments like you, so I'm not planning this until September next year and anything can happen between now and then, but if things stay as they are, I'll go. I'm considering Trafalgar or a small group tour, which is more my thing For me, September would be too hot. It would be hard to enjoy the visit when all one wants to do is escape the heat. When I went in January, 1994, it was comfortable hot. My choice of timing for Egypt would be end-Nov to early March. TT has a great tour of Turkey now...Secrets of Turkey I think it's called...it includes four days on a yacht off the southwest coast!
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Post by Oz-T on Jul 6, 2015 1:16:23 GMT
I'd agree with visiting Egypt in the cooler months (say, October to March). When we were there in June 2009 it was 45 degrees C in the shade and so hot that our TD got us out early (8am) to visit temples etc., then return to the air-conditioned cruise ship by mid morning. We would then relax in comfort before venturing out again late afternoon. It all seemed a bit weird timing, but not when you consider the need to avoid the extreme heat of the middle of the day when the sun is overhead.
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Post by bet on Jul 6, 2015 1:58:39 GMT
Well if Greece and Egypt are no goes then that leaves Peru or India next on the list. Turkey is a definite so I might stick with somewhere else in Europe, like Italy. I regret not getting to Egypt sooner. I like that Trafalgar Turkey tour as well, Chech, as well as the Best of Turkey, but I'm considering another tour company as well which includes the cruise.
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Post by chech on Jul 6, 2015 10:55:07 GMT
Cool. The cruise option looks phenomenal. I've seen other companies offering it too. Have you considered Norway? Have you been? Early September would start seeing cooler weather, but it would be sunny...and dark skies late at night might mean a chance to see the Northern Lights. I highly recommend Peru! In fact, Insight just introduced a tour to Peru that has two nights in Machu Picchu which maximizes the time you can spend on the mountain. Whatever tour you do, make sure it has at least a one night stay. The ones that go in and come out the same day would be quite rushed. A lot of tours to Peru now offer extensions to Easter Island.
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Post by plane2catch on Jul 6, 2015 14:52:29 GMT
Bet, I visited Egypt in November of 2012 with Insight's Grand Tour of Egypt. The weather was perfect there were very few tourist visiting the country which made it exceptionally nice to visit without the throng of tourist. I remember the first time I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in the summer of 1980 I was able to stand alone and view her for a small period of time. Fast forward to 1997 when I went back with my niece and there where four rows of heads in front of any possible angle to view the painting. So when the numbers are down it is a plus. As for the Sinai although I was fortunate enough to be able to visit, I see that Insight is no longer taking passenger. Didn't 60 plus military personnel get slaughtered their within the last couple of months? I think Chech should consider visiting the Hawaiian islands before heading to the resorts on the Sinai. Look what just took place in Tunisi? Granted you only live once and life is full of risk and at the end it comes down to individual choice. Bet, you are so young the world is a big place you have many options. By the way I enjoyed your two travel reviews that you published. Switzerland is such a beautiful country. I flew once into Milan and once into Zurich and both times I remember being in awe of the Alps as we flew overhead.
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Post by bet on Jul 7, 2015 8:31:42 GMT
Cool. The cruise option looks phenomenal. I've seen other companies offering it too. Have you considered Norway? Have you been? Early September would start seeing cooler weather, but it would be sunny...and dark skies late at night might mean a chance to see the Northern Lights. I highly recommend Peru! In fact, Insight just introduced a tour to Peru that has two nights in Machu Picchu which maximizes the time you can spend on the mountain. Whatever tour you do, make sure it has at least a one night stay. The ones that go in and come out the same day would be quite rushed. A lot of tours to Peru now offer extensions to Easter Island. Yeah, I'm really liking the cruise option, I'm considering a tour with a company called 'On the Go' but still shopping around. I haven't been to Norway, I would like to go one day & go right to the top but it's not a high priority at the moment. I've only been to Stockholm and Copenhagen, and for some reason Copenhagen did nothing but bore me to death. Peru sounds exciting and its definitely up there, I'm looking at tours including Easter Island as it seems such a shame to go all that way and not go there
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Post by bet on Jul 7, 2015 10:06:25 GMT
Bet, I visited Egypt in November of 2012 with Insight's Grand Tour of Egypt. The weather was perfect there were very few tourist visiting the country which made it exceptionally nice to visit without the throng of tourist. I remember the first time I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in the summer of 1980 I was able to stand alone and view her for a small period of time. Fast forward to 1997 when I went back with my niece and there where four rows of heads in front of any possible angle to view the painting. So when the numbers are down it is a plus. As for the Sinai although I was fortunate enough to be able to visit, I see that Insight is no longer taking passenger. Didn't 60 plus military personnel get slaughtered their within the last couple of months? I think Chech should consider visiting the Hawaiian islands before heading to the resorts on the Sinai. Look what just took place in Tunisi? Granted you only live once and life is full of risk and at the end it comes down to individual choice. Bet, you are so young the world is a big place you have many options. By the way I enjoyed your two travel reviews that you published. Switzerland is such a beautiful country. I flew once into Milan and once into Zurich and both times I remember being in awe of the Alps as we flew overhead. Thanks Plane2catch, there's so much of the world to explore. I'll wait and see regarding Egypt, im sure to get there one day
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Post by tiffany on Jul 23, 2015 11:51:29 GMT
Hi Bet, just wondering why you are reconsidering Turkey and Greece? I understand why you may want to avoid Greece now (although my travel agent says it’s still safe to go there), but the Best of Turkey with cruise option should still be okay. I think it would be safer to go to Greece right now than it would be to go to Egypt? I’d like to go to Egypt someday, but not right now.
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Post by bet on Jul 23, 2015 13:30:18 GMT
Hi Tiffany, Turkey is still my plan for next year, im not reconsidering Turkey just Greece. Safety isn't a concern but as I like to plan well ahead of time, who knows where Greece will be in a years time, especially if they default again. I dont want to go on a cruise to nowhere and have a ruined trip because of strikes etc. Im sure it will fine but I still want to look at other options and Egypt was next on my list but I have to consider other options too. I wont book anything until after I get back from my Christmas trip so I have plenty of time to decide but not much time to save.
Im considering Trafalgar's Best of Turkey tour or going with a company that does small group tours. The itineraries are similar except the small group spends time on the Turquoise Coast, which is tempting. Im not sure if the Trafalgar TD will 'unofficially' offer the option for the hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, it looks amazing.
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Post by marielouise on Jul 23, 2015 13:50:59 GMT
The hot air balloon rides can usually be arranged at the hotel in Cappadocia. I did not go on the ride as there had been accident before I went there. It must be an amazing experience but you have to get up very early. I loved Turkey and went on the Insight tour twice, as a single traveller in 2007 and in 2010 with my husband, he loved it too.
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Post by plane2catch on Jul 23, 2015 17:33:27 GMT
Bet, I went to Turkey with Insight because they seemed to cover the same areas and the price was just a tad more. For the little extra it limited the group to a size of 40. As it turned out they ran two tour groups at the same time but in the opposite direction. I can see why MarieLouise would go on the trip twice it was a very scenic trip and the value was amazing. Great hotels. Our TD had us get up early to be the first into Ephesus before what he called the invasion of the Sea People, i.e., cruise ship crowd. It was so nice to be at the ancient city by ourselves. Toward the end of the trip past Ankara and Anatoly we stayed in a high rise hotel and the country was celebrating their independence so I got treated to a free firework show from my hotel room, what a view. Many on our group signed up with independent companies for the hot air balloon rides. I was on a hot air balloon ride over the rainforest in Australia the cost seemed cheaper than the US and I knew if there was an accident and I ended in a hospitals I would feel in good hands. But most folks are more adventurous than I in some regards. I also have a PADI scuba certification but won't dive in most foreign countries. Brave in some ways but a big chicken in other ways. I know you'll love Turkey!!
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Post by bet on Jul 23, 2015 21:24:08 GMT
Thanks, I have a feeling I'm going to love Turkey and will return. I'm not much of a risk taker but I do want to do the hot air ballon ride, although I'll be nervous. I did look at Insights Turkey tour, but after going with them last year I'm not too keen to go with them again, not until I'm a bit older. I do prefer a slightly younger crowd or a wider age group than my Insight experience and I really want to spend some time on the turquoise coast.
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Post by chech on Jul 24, 2015 4:40:42 GMT
Which Insight tour did you do? On all of mine, the average age was younger than my TT tours. The tours I took were more "adventourous" like Iceland, canyonlands, Israel, Jordan and this Swiss one. I don't think it's the company as much as it might be the tour. The European tours - the UK, France, Italy etc are all big magnets for older people....but I don't think Turkey would be as big a draw. That being said...TT's new Secrets of Turkey tour looks awesome!
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Post by bet on Jul 24, 2015 6:09:18 GMT
Hi Chech, I of course did Insight's CR of Switzerland. Your probably right with the more adventurous tours with Insight attracting a younger crowd, as from what Ive read Insight customers are generally a bit older than TT. My swiss tour was on the upper age scale and it was probably more noticeable to me as I was the only person under 60, but there were a couple of Intrepid Grandmas on tour, they were fabulous and they were well into their 80s.
Secrets of Turkey tour does look awesome but it doesn't include the Cotton Castle Springs at Pamukkale, which is odd and unfortunate.
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Post by plane2catch on Jul 24, 2015 11:07:33 GMT
Bet, it really is quite amazing how you have to study these itineraries to carefully observe what has been added or removed from the prior year. I was astounded when I saw the changes that Trafalgar made to their Patagonia Adventures trip. I usually would book all my trips 12 months out but the last Patagonia trip on the old itinerary leaves this November so I went ahead and booked it. I've also noticed that my 2007 South America Revealed trip has never returned to the itinerary which I took under that heading.
I took note that you were looking at another company that does the turquoise coast? (sp) Help educate me is that the coastline that faces Greece. As I am fortunate enough to have those second cousins living on Skiathos Island in Greece off of Thessalonica I know that you can purchase some beautiful day sailing trips around the island. I felt a little uncomfortable until I located a retired Olympic Airline pilot who was offering lunch and a day sail around the island. His English was really good and he said he had a son who was running a restaurant in Florida. I went with my niece and brother and there were two Swedish women tourist also on the trip. In retrospect it could have been a big risk because we may have never returned to port. He advertised off his boat and kept the boat in immaculate condition. I think the years living in California exposed me to the love of sailing. I am only a quarter Greek with English and Irish heritage. I know of the long history between Greece and Turkey. Turkey isn't in the EU and I found that they had excellent hotels and over all value for the two weeks I spent there. My cousins give me a hard time when I don't visit Athens and the island with them every few years. The first time I went to Greece it was 104F and I didn't care if I was spending three dollars for a bottle of coke in that heat. That was in July of 1980. Know I always try to go the first week of September the water is warm to swim in the sea and the crowds aren't as bad. If you are not planning on swimming a lot and going to the beach I would wait till the end of September or first week in October. I remember when I flew to Istanbul I had a free ticket and by traveling after October 15 I was able to use less miles so that is when I visited Turkey. If you go with other than Insight or TT be sure to give us feedback.
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Post by bet on Jul 24, 2015 12:11:01 GMT
Hi plane2catch, yes the turqiouse coast is part of the Mediterranean coast, Marmaris, Koycegiz & Fethiye are some of more well known resorts in the area.
Enjoy your Britain trip.
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Post by marielouise on Jul 24, 2015 14:17:16 GMT
When I went in Oct 2007 I found the temperatures comfortable during the day, maybe mid 20C but cold in the water at Kusadasi but fine in Antalya.I found it too cold to go into the hotel pool at Pammukkale. I enjoyed the inside thermal pool there. In early Sept 2010 we found it a bit hot in the 30sC at the sights and tiring, and very warm for swimming.
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Post by tiffany on Jul 24, 2015 17:19:42 GMT
Bet, on my tour of Turkey, I asked our tour director about the hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia at our welcome meeting, and he told us that he would arrange for the balloon company to come to our hotel so that anyone who wanted to go on the hot air balloon ride could sign up. Over half our group signed up, and a few people tried to sign up at the last minute, but there was no more room. There was another Trafalgar group doing the same tour in the same direction, and almost everyone on that coach signed up for the balloon ride, so it very busy. You do have to get up very early (4:00 a.m.), but it’s well worth it. The views were spectacular. A couple of pictures are below. I’ve done two Insight tours, and I have to agree that the crowd is usually older. Of course, they were not adventure tours. One was a tour of Spain and Portugal, and the other was of Morocco. Another thing I’ve noticed is that the longer the tour, the older the crowd. I guess that’s because older people who are retired have more free time to travel, while younger people who work full time are limited by vacation days. I’m fortunate enough to get 5 weeks’ vacation, but not everyone is as lucky as me in that department.
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Post by bet on Jul 31, 2015 8:42:49 GMT
Thanks for posting the photos Tiffany, they look great. I think the ballon ride will be a highlight.
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Post by tiffany on Aug 4, 2015 11:39:29 GMT
The balloon ride was the highlight of the trip for me Bet. I loved all of Cappadocia though. Turkey is one place I’d like to go back to someday.
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Post by purvis on Nov 6, 2015 4:05:00 GMT
Sorry to say that travelling to Egypt could be a little difficult at this time when it's not too certain what brought down the Russian airline with 200 plus innocent people onboard. ISIS has claimed responsibility but then they just may want to get credit for something they didn't do but then again maybe they did bring down the airplane. The results of the investigations are still unknown but until they are I would be fearful of flying into that area of the world. Purvis
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 23, 2015 19:59:55 GMT
Purvis, I would definitely opt for a visit to my lovely neighbor to the North, Canada, over a return visit to Egypt.
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 25, 2015 5:26:58 GMT
Just heard on the news that 7 more were killed at one of the Resorts on the Sinai Peninsula. The hotel was the LeMeriden.
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Post by Oz-T on Nov 25, 2015 10:23:12 GMT
The Sinai Peninsular is definitely not a place I'd be going to. Even when Egypt is considered safe enough to travel to, Sinai is very often stated as an exception. Egypt is a fascinating country and I enjoyed it. Had I not already been there, I'd consider visiting now, but there's plenty enough to see near the Nile without venturing into the dangerous Sinai.
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