Essential Tips For How to Visit Egypt As A Solo Woman Traveler
Because of the iconic Pyramids in Giza and the winding Nile River, Egypt has managed to dominate the tourism industry and thousands of tourists come monthly to enjoy the amazing beauty of the Egyptian attractions and sightseeing. Among those tourists, you will find lots of solo women traveling to Egypt and spend some unforgettable time while touring around its historical sites and attractions. It is unfathomable for many Egyptians to travel alone as a female so you should expect a lot of attention while being in Egypt. Egypt Tours is a magical key to always provide new ways for solo women travelers or any kind of tourists where its travelers will be enriched by the Egyptian culture and tradition to make you enjoy the best experience ever. You will be welcomed by the majority of the Egyptians and really spend some exceptional time since Egypt is really such an exquisite country where you will have the chance to explore the magical Pharaohnic tombs in Luxor, sail the longest river in the world, and soak up the rush of Cairo.
14 Top Egypt Travel Tips for Solo Woman Traveler
You will have tens of interesting activities to do and places to visit while being in Egypt and the most important thing to put in mind is that you should always travel with respect to local laws & traditions. You will find Egypt a very friendly & attractive place to visit but at the same time, it is a deeply religious country that is why you should appropriately be dressed especially for women and you should also learn the nuances of Egypt’s customs to be able to enjoy the most while traveling alone. There are some essential tips you should put in mind as a solo woman traveler who intends to spend your vacation in Egypt to spend the best possible time and we will mention below the most important among them:
1. Dress Appropriately
Just like what we have mentioned earlier, Egypt is mainly a Muslim and a very conservative country and you should pack your bags accordingly. So you need to bring modest clothing with you even if there is no dress-code in Egypt, you still need to pack a lightweight scarf with you in case you decided to visit the mosques in Egypt, clothes that cover shoulders, knees, and cleavage. Make sure that your clothes are made of fabrics like linen or cotton as summer months are pretty hot and you need to bring light clothes with you to enjoy your tours. You should also notice that T-shirts, long pants & skirts will assist you to avoid unnecessary attention in addition to having the chance to interact with local women especially those who don’t approach travelers who wear skimpier attire. If you are on a private beach or at your hotel, then you are allowed to wear your bikini or your swimsuit but on public beaches, you should wear a t-shirt and shorts that cover your swimsuit.
2. Always Adopt the Right Attitude
It is highly recommended that you ignore any verbal harassment you face while being in Egypt as it will be something not recommended to respond to everyone as you will put yourself in an undesirable situation. If you faced any situation like that just try to ignore that person and he will leave after noticing that he doesn’t even get your attention and you haven’t even noticed him. You should act confidently and most importantly, you should keep in mind that not everyone who starts a conversation out there is just trying to get you. Most Egyptians are really friendly and they are naturally gregarious and they even open to talking to strangers so this is something of their nature. The majority of the people who work in the tourism sector are actually males and if you kept avoiding talking to them while being in Egypt, you will miss a great part of your tour.
3. Decipher Cat-Calls
You should understand what you hear to act accordingly and we have collected to you some of Egypt’s most common cat-calls with their meanings to know if someone is trying to start a conversation with you or if he is harassing you.
- Muza: it is a term used for a curvaceous pretty woman and this word actually came from the word Muz “Banana” since it is slim and curved.
- Asal: which means honey in English and it actually has the same meaning in Arabic.
- Sarokh: its meaning in English is a rocket and this term is used in Egypt as a compliment for your exceptional beauty.
- Ishta: means cream and it refers to the beauty of your skin. It is used to describe a good-looking female.
There are other terms used in Egypt to describe the beauty of a woman and all of what you need to do it to ignore the strangers and don’t give them much attention to what they are saying.
4. Places to Avoid and Be Wary of
- You should definitely avoid sitting in the front seat next to the driver in any vehicle you are using including a taxi, a microbus, or a car and it is going to be much better to sit next to another woman.
- You shouldn’t head to the local bars unaccompanied.
- Try your best to avoid city buses during a crowded time.
- In the special celebrations in Egypt, you should avoid walking alone at night in busy streets as young men take this as a chance to harass women.
- You should definitely avoid walking in crowds just like street protests, football match celebrations, etc.
5. How to respond to persistent Harassment
Don’t be shy to ask for help in case of facing persistent harassment by saying any of those local phrases “Haram Aleik” or “Ayb Aleik” and both of them mean in English Shame on you. You can also raise your voice and say “Imshi” which means go away and by doing so, you will force any of the ones who are harassers to leave. Don’t hesitate to ask others to assist you and you will find tens of Egyptians ready to help you at the most. However, Solo women never face such situations in Egypt and they spend really marvelous time in their second country.
6. Invest in Our Safety
Kindly notice that your safety is the most valuable investment you can ever do while having a tour in a foreign country. Egypt is a really safe country to visit and have your amazing Egypt tours as a solo woman but it is necessary that you don’t put yourself in difficult situations just to save a little money. You need to book your Egypt vacation with a really well-known travel agency which is going to be responsible for all of your tours, transfers, accommodation, your safety, and everything else. If you are traveling alone, you need to be really careful and book yourself a good room in a good hotel, hire a taxi and let your hotel know where exactly you are going, don’t walk alone at night, and never put yourself in danger. If you can’t afford to travel and provide an absolutely safe tour, then you shouldn’t travel.
Time is money but safety is quiet priceless. To have an ideal vacation then it’s best to look for the best Egypt tours for solo woman where every portion of your money will be invested in providing the safest surroundings & the most calming entertaining atmosphere
7. Tell Someone Where You’re going
It is very important to take a minute or two to tell someone about the place you are going to, how you will go there, and when you should come back and this is definitely will be very important in case of any emergency so you should make sure that at least one person knows your whereabouts.
8. Walk with Purpose
It is very important for you as a solo woman traveler to stand up straight and walk with a poker face of confidence. You should look like a woman who knows exactly what she is looking for, where to go, and how you act in a lot of confidence. Don’t smile at others while walking alone in a foreign country as you may be understood in the wrong way.
9. Don’t Look Like A Lost Solo Female Traveler
Try your best to avoid the obvious tourist look as you will be that way an easy target to be deceived. If you actually got lost and can’t find your way, all of what you need to do is to calm down, head to a coffee shop to drink something, look at your map or call someone, and you can also ask one of the staff to assist you with your direction.
10. Use Your Common Sense and Trust Your Gut
Of course, you have seen lots of scary movies where a traveler or someone takes a wrong decision and soon puts himself in a dangerous situation, kindly don’t be that person and stay away from such issues and keep yourself as safe as possible while traveling as a solo woman through using your common sense. If you felt that a hotel is not good enough, that driver looks drunk, a street is empty, and so on, never take the risk. You can have fun but without getting drunk if you are out on your own.
11. Be Aware of Your Surroundings
You definitely should learn some of the self-defense skills first because you are a woman and second because you are traveling alone. If you are walking down the street and a group of people is getting up the street, the first move you should do is to walk towards the other side of the street to stay away from them. You can’t do so by just looking down at your screen but you should notice all of your surroundings and see how you act in different situations.
12. Keep Emergency Information Handy
As a solo Woman traveler, this is one of the most important safety measures you can talk while traveling to Egypt. You should save emergency numbers in your phone so that you can react quickly in case of any emergency. Among the emergency numbers, you should save are the phone numbers of your family back home, the number of your hotel, your driver, anyone you get in touch while being in Egypt and he lives near you. You should also keep a copy of your formal documents with you during the whole way just like your ID, passport, bank statement, visa, etc.
13. Put Yourself As the First Priority
Your life is actually what really matters and you should do the best and take the highest measures to keep your life safe and secured. Remove yourself from any situation that seems dangerous and undesirable. Know that your intuition is a powerful force and you should always listen to the little voice inside you that tells you that something is not right or that it is a bad idea.
14. Pack your Important Items with you
As a woman, there must be important items to bring with you just like your sanitary products, suitable clothes, sunglasses, and most importantly bring a fake wedding ring with you in order not to receive a lot of attention and to enjoy your Egypt Vacation at the most.
Extra Tips for a Solo Woman Travelling to Egypt
- Always expect to be asked copious questions about your marital status, the number of your children, and so on since Egyptians are highly family-oriented and love talking about their families especially with strangers. If you are a single woman or don’t have children, expect thousands of questions about the reason behind this and you can skip the drama by making up a story about having a husband and a child back home and that you are just having an adventure on your own.
- Enjoy a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan where you will have a close look at the ancient Egyptian wonders in upper Egypt where it will change from your experience mood.
- Try to use the women-only carriages in the Cairo Metro since they are less crowded and you will also have the chance to meet lots of local women and start a conversation.
- Make sure you pack with you all of the female products as you may find difficulty in finding the items you are used to even in the main centers.
- Try some of the local food while being in Egypt and if you loved a specific meal, don’t hesitate in asking the chef about its name, ingredients, and how to prepare so that you try to prepare it back home.
- Try to look older as after the middle of your thirties, the hassle diminishes and you will have the chance to tour at any time to any place you want with no problem.
- Feel free to arrange any of your Egypt vacations as a solo woman as hundreds of solo women come to Egypt monthly and they all have very positive feedback about how amazing their experience was and that they will definitely repeat the adventure again in the great land of Pharaohs & civilization.