At a party recently, I asked a woman about her summer travel plans. “Well, my husband and I had this trip to Egypt and Israel planned,” she answered, “but I guess that’s not a great idea now…”
At the time, I weakly replied, “Oh, I’m sure everything in Egypt is fine….”
Now I wish I’d pushed the issue. Because now I’m home, combing through my photos from my last visit, in 2007, and thinking how much I’d like to be there right now. And how it would in fact be just fine to be there now.
Yes, there has been violence since the uprising. And there was this story about a crime wave in Egypt in the New York Times last week. But let’s put this in perspective. There was previously zero violent crime in Egypt—Cairo, despite its population of 19 million, was one of the safest cities in the world (ah, the bittersweet bonuses of a police state). So any lawlessness is instantly a “crime wave.”
Well, yes, but: Lara Logan, you’re saying. Harassment of women on the street is not a new issue. But all that you, as a tourist, have to do is avoid mobs of agitated, shouting young men. So don’t go to a soccer game, and don’t join a street protest. But you’re perfectly OK sitting in a cafe drinking tea or walking around a museum.
One simple way to avoid all the post-revolution anxiety is to leave Cairo. I recently got an email from acquaintances who reported having a great time in Luxor and Aswan—they had all the ruins to themselves. The only drawback with traveling now, they said, is that the vendors are all a bit desperate due to low tourism, so sales pressure is high.
But…that’s Egypt. You’ll never have a sales-pressure-free vacation there no matter what. It’s practically where tourism was invented—I’m sure Herodotus got the hard sell too.
Of course something bad could happen tomorrow. But it’s important to remember that something bad can happen at any time. I mean, don’t remember this 24/7, or you’ll be paralyzed with fear. But just know that travel–and life in general–involves a degree of uncertainty, no matter where or when you do it.
I was living in Cairo in 1997, an otherwise unremarkable year, when a tour bus was bombed in front of the Egyptian Museum, spitting distance from where I sat in class every day. Not long after, there was the terrible massacre of tourists in Luxor. Despite these two events, I still felt safer in Cairo than in most other places I’ve lived, and every Egyptian I knew went out of their way to tell me they were so sorry and shocked about what happened.
And I was sorry too, as I saw my friends who worked as tour guides lose their work overnight. That’s why, when I hear someone express worry about going to Egypt now, I think, “Stick with it! Those people need the money!”
Not that your trip should be a charity case. But the last thing Egypt needs now is for its tourism industry to collapse. What’s especially wonderful about the mass uprising this winter was that it was by Egyptians, for Egyptians, and there appears to be a greater sense of pride and independence across the country. But that doesn’t mean Egypt can be so independent as to not rely on outside money from tourism.
In fact, I think there’s no better time to go to Egypt than now. You’ll be showing your support for the country at a time when it needs it most. You’ll get to talk to Egyptians directly about what they think can and should happen next–so many social issues are out on the table now (see the movie Cairo 6,7,8 if it’s at a festival near you!).
But perhaps the best reason to go: Years from now, you can look back and say, “I was in Egypt the year everything changed.”
(Curious what to do in Egypt once you’re there? I just wrote a post about what I’d see in Cairo on Gogobot, a great new travel-info-swapping site.)
i hope its not rude if i ask u to let me know when u come , i’d really love to meet ppl from america and improve my english , and also make friendships , don’t get me wrong plz , and also i could be a hand that help u to visit new places … we could be helpful for eachother , thanks
I’m so glad to have stumbled upon this post! I think you’re absolutely right about people visiting now more than ever. Cairo, and Egypt in general, is really safe in comparison to a lot of other places around the world, and since tourism is such a major factor in it’s economy, tourists are kept safe and protected by the government. Great post to encourage people to visit!
Meedo, not rude at all, and very nice of you to comment! I will send you an email if I’m coming to Egypt in the fall.
And Mona, thanks for giving a report from Egypt!
thank you zora , i will be waiting for that 😉
Hi Zora,
Thank you so much for your post. My partner and I were in Egypt during the first portion of the 18 days of protest. We left though, due to the uncertainty at the time – we had landed in Cairo during the night of rage and happened to leave right before history looked positively on the side of the revolutionaries.
But we promised we would return, and are set to do so at the end of October, this fall. It can be a nearly impossible feat trying to explain to our family and friends, US Americans in general, why we want so badly to return (this deeply felt urge is truly a force of its own!). Your posts articulates an understanding of Egypt today that is truly grounded and reasoned. It reflects our own sentiments; it’s reassuring to know that others see things the same way as we do.
Please shoot me an email when you are there. Perhaps we can meet up!
Thanks again for your judicious and perceptive post! – Michelle
You’re so welcome, Michelle, and so glad to hear you’re planning a return trip! Maybe we will overlap–it would be fun to meet you there! I still haven’t sorted out my definite dates, but it looks like I’ll be there all of October.
Very cool! Lets stay in touch. Let me know when you finalize your dates. We fly in Oct. 21st.
Hey Zora,
Quick question: how are you procuring your tourist visa for your trip? Are you doing it state-side or at the Cairo airport?
Last time I went I obtained it before I left, but it was quite the hassle, plus you have to send your passport off into the snail mail abyss. I know plenty of folks who received it upon arrival at the airport.
Any advice? Thanks! – Michelle
I’m just getting mine at the airport. I did this in ’07, and it was pretty much no hassle at all. Assuming it’s still the same. The only reason you’d have to do it through a consulate in advance is if you were planning to stay more than 30 days and didn’t want the hassle of going to the Mogamma in Cairo to get the standard tourist visa extended. (Which I’m kind of wishing I’d had the foresight to do… Oh well.)
Michelle, just a heads-up: A friend in Cairo just emailed with some info that makes it sound like maybe Egypt is changing its visa policy and not issuing them at the airport, starting maybe even this week. I’m investigating, and will post here if I find out anything for sure. Apparently there have been rumors about this kind of thing before, so it could just be another thing like that. Or it could be a true pain the neck…
Hi Zora, yeah, I just came across the news a few days ago — after finally deciding (with lots of helpful advice, thanks!) to get it at the airport. The US and Egyptian press have reported on it and the news seems consistent enough, yet no clear dates have been issued – Almasri Alyowm said that it would go into effect immediately, others say soonish–while some of my Egyptian friends have heard that it has been “suspended.” I would like to speak with someone at the Egyptian embassy but I have always had a HUGE problem getting in touch with ANY human at the Egyptian Consulate in the US, either by phone or email. A taste of the mugamma3, lol!
Let me know what you hear, thanks again – Michelle
Hey Michelle, just FYI, I got to Cairo a couple of days ago, and everything went fine–same old system. Pay your $15 at the bank desks, get a sticker visa that goes in the passport. Good for 30 days, I think, though I didn’t look that closely.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/20907.aspx hope that would be helpful
Thanks Medo.