AnAmerican-in-Saudi

From the initial email to Fatima regarding my vacation to Egypt, to being dropped off at the Airport by Hamada once it was over, Memphis tours took care of everything. When my vacation time shifted, Fatima was helpful in making adjustments quickly, and giving me exactly what I asked for. Hamada met me at the Airport, was informative and an all around pleasure to be around. He was my constant contact that could help me arrange things, or just answer questions. There was never a time he didn't answer his phone, or a request he couldn't happily complete. Maha, my tour guide in Cairo was very informative, happy and didn't waste any time, which I appreciated. She was helpful in giving me tips as to handle the locals, where to buy quality gifts and was very knowledgeable as to Ancient Egypt, Modern Cairo and was never pushy. If I wanted to do something it was no problem, and if I didn't, I wasn't forced. She was able to answer all of my questions and was an all around joy to be around. Osama, in Sharm, was just as helpful as everyone else in the company. Very knowledgeable and also available anytime to answer even the dumbest of questions I could come up with. He found me a boat to go diving from and a dive leader who was concerned both with safety as well as concerned with my having a fun time. Overall, the staff at Memphis from start to finish were a pleasure to be around while also being very professional. I would recommend Memphis tour to any and everyone. One of the only problems I had, was the food on the cruise portion of my tour. Of course, this is a problem with the cruise line, and nothing Memphis can do anything about. Finally, a group of us decided to have a meal or 2 off of the ship and found good restaurants away from the tourist destinations. Again, Memphis does not deal with the food, it is something that happens aboard all of the ships, so be adventurous and go into Luxor or Aswan to get some really tasty food. There are some things that you should keep in mind when traveling to Egypt. People want tips for everything, and I mean everything. There are some locations where a person wants to be tipped when you use the restroom. Literally, whether the person actually does anything or not, they want a tip. I found this to be mostly at the tourist locations. Once you broke away and went deeper into a city like Luxor, there was a lot less expected. Listen to the tour guides as they explain how to deal with some of these people. Also, at some of these stops, everyone wants you to come into their shop to buy things. They can be pretty pushy, despite their claims of being hassle free. Maha gave me the best advice which was to keep walking and saying La Shukran (no thank you), and that seemed to work. And since the tour includes some meals, but no beverages, it is better to get with your guide, and find out how much you should pay for certain things so that you do not get ripped off. Beyond the initial hassle of everyone wanting you to buy something or to tip them whether they did anything or not, Egypt is a wonderful place and Memphis Tours made sure it was everything I wanted it to be.