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Package Tours vs. Independent Travel to Egypt:Which is right for you?By Jimmy Dunn We at Tour Egypt have often promoted independent travel to Egypt, and we will continue to do so. Particularly for well-informed and experienced travelers, an independent trip to Egypt can be fun and fulfilling. But for many visitors, this is not the best way to visit Egypt, and for many more, it will certainly not be the least expensive way to view the country. For the first or second time visitor to Egypt, a guided package tour will work be much more satisfactory. There are several reasons for this.
A number of readers have been emailing us who are trying to make rather complex arrangements for travel to Egypt. Independently, they are often attempting to include other areas such as the Holy Land, as well as various European destinations as part of their itinerary. That is all fine and good, and tour companies do this all the time, but it can get very tricky, as well as costly for a private individual.
The typical thinking is that tour companies must charge a profit for their services, and hence, traveling independently saves that money which would otherwise end up in the tour operator's bank account. In many, if not most cases, this is an incorrect assumption.
Costs and Pricing
Most of the tour and travel companies bringing tourists to Egypt receive deep discounts from both airlines and hotels. Often, they may pay as little as half of the going rate for such services. This is due to the number of bookings they make, which entitles them to "wholesale" discounts. Package pricing varies among tour and travel operators, but it is safe to say that in some instances, a percentage of this savings is even passed on to tourists, making the trip cheaper then they could have arranged it themselves.
Once inside Egypt, independent travelers must always arrange to visit the antiquity sites that they are interested in seeing. This can be done in one of two ways; either by going it alone completely and only hiring transport to the antiquity sites, or by joining a day tour. Particularly from the standpoint of an inexperienced traveler, hiring the transport to sites can end up being as expensive or more expensive than a day tour. In either case, if one wishes to visit a number of antiquity sites throughout Egypt, day tours or transport can easily add up to more then the cost of a packaged tour. On top of that, making all these arrangements can take time out of the trip. One can easily find oneself spending several weeks in Egypt, but using several full days to make independent arrangements for various day tours or transport.
Aggravating this situation is the fact that many independent arrangements cannot currently be made prior to arrival in Egypt. Certainly one may arrange day tours prior to the trip, but transportation to certain locations can be a real problem. Trains, busses and Red Sea ferries are very difficult to book from outside of Egypt. Tour and travel companies receive no commission for simply booking a train, bus or ferry so about the only way for the independent traveler to make these types of transportation arrangements is to do so after arrival.
Other Concerns for Independent Travelers
Tour operators often provide somewhat of a shield for inexperienced travelers from hawkers and other potential tourist ‘snags’, as well as good advice on many aspects of the visit, such as help with visas, entertainment beyond the tour, places to shop, help with taxis and more. In some highly tourist-oriented areas such as Luxor, this assistance can be invaluable.
Another aspect of packaged tours is simply the company of others. Traveling far away from home can be somewhat lonely, even for couples. Planned tours bring together people, usually of the same nationality, and very often, with similar interests and can make a distant trip much more enjoyable.
Finally, even for some experienced travelers, there are times when only a good tour or travel operator will be able to efficiently make certain arrangements. For example, certain areas of Egypt, including some major antiquity sites, require a special permit that must be arranged days in advance of the visit. Even if one is a highly experienced traveler, where to go and how to get these permits would end up being not only a problem, but a time consuming one as well. In addition, tour and travel companies often offer opportunities which independent travelers will never get, such as lectures or visits by famous Egyptologists or special entertainment (one tour company arranged dinner for its guests inside the Temple of Luxor).
A Final Word on Independent Travel
In reality, most successful independent travelers to Egypt have made prior visits to the country. Often, they are not intent on seeing a wide range of antiquity sites throughout Egypt, but are rather focusing on specific sites. In many other instances, they may not be that interested in antiquities at all, taking instead beach vacations, or experiencing the culture of Cairo. For those wishing to travel to Egypt independently, the material presented in Tour Egypt will enable you to do so, but this material must be studied thoroughly. I personally love traveling to Egypt independently, and I always enjoy myself. But, no matter how you choose to see Egypt, please do go and have fun, as there is no more fabulous place on earth to visit.
Love on the Nile By Mark Antoine
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