Got My Travel Visa

I got my Egyptian travel visa. Surprisingly, it consisted of an ink stamp and looks like 2 postage stamps in our passport books.

I have been doing extensive research on Egypt, reading lots of reviews and looking at people's vacation pictures. A few of the things I have learned from those who have already been there is that you shouldn't drink the water including ice cubes, bottled water only. Fruits and vegetables are not washed so do not eat any salads or fruit unless you peel it. Stick with cooked foods.

Several people suggested I take Antinal with me which is a anti-bacterial medication in the case of food poisoning or bacterial illness. I will take Antinal along with my usual Imodium which I always take and because of all the dust I will also take plenty of Asthma medication for my son and allergy pills.

My son and I have been doing a lot of studying on Egyptian history so we know the history behind what we are seeing.

As it turns, we will have quite a long layover in Madrid, Spain. We will have stops in New York and Madrid. Our layover in New York is about 3 hours which is not bad but in Madrid we have about 7 hours. The good news is that Ilberia Airlines has a lounge at the Madrid airport that we will be able to use. It has TV's, couches, beds, showers, food, drinks and newspapers. So we will at least have a comfortable place to hangout.

I was hoping for the long layover in London. You can easily catch a train right from the airport into the city and knowing the city I would feel comfortable running around it for a few hours. But no such luck. I will do some more research into whats close by the Madrid airport to see if there is something we can do nearby.

We are very excited about this trip and can't wait to go!

Oceania 2-for-1 plus Free Air

In honor of Oceania's 5th anniversary, the cruiseline is offering 2-for-1 pricing plus free airfare.

Sample of fares:

7/23/09 12 Nights Athens to Istanbul $2499

10/12/09 10 Nights Barcelona to Athens $1799

Check out the rest of their anniersary fares at:

http://www.onlinevacationcenter.com/landing/cceletter_011309.cfm?header_show=off

My Trip is Booked!

I finally got my vacation booked, though I made some major changes to it. We will not be going to Kenya after all. I called the state department to check on any travel warnings and sadly there are serious warnings for Americans traveling to Kenya. There have been credible threats against Americans and 2 people were recently kidnapped. As badly as I wanted to go, its not worth risking my life or my son's life.

Se we will be visiting just Egypt. We will be leaving May 1 and return on May 11. We will be traveling with a tour group. I am not comfortable traveling alone. In Egypt, it is frowned upon for a women to travel alone. Its different when you are with a group. Its recommended for single women to wear wedding bands. The local men have more respect for married women.

From California, my son ad I will be flying to Cairo with stops in New York and Madrid, Spain. Its going to be a long flight. But the two stops will help break it up. Our tour includes a 4 night Nile river cruise. We will be seeing the Great pyramids in Giza, the step pyramid, which is the oldest pyramid in the world, several temples and we get to tour the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

I sent off for our travel visa's today. We could get our visa's at the airport in Cairo but that leaves a window for unexpected problems to come up. So we are getting ours here in the states so everything will go smoothly.

It should be great fun.

My New Adventure

In October 2008, my mom passed away from complications of Alzheimer's. She loved to travel and was my travel partner for a long time. She was with me when I made my first international trip which was to England. And to this day London is one of my favorite places to visit.

Even inher advance stages of her illness, she always remembered her travels and talked about the next trip she was going to take. Before she had gotten too sick she had put away a little money and she told me she wanted me to use it for an amazing trip. Its not a lot of money but I am really good at stretching a dollar. That talent I got from my mom.

So after much thought I decided to take a trip to a place I have wanted to see since I was a little girl, AFRCIA!!

I will be traveling with my 12 year old son. I found two tours that include both Africa and Egypt, which Egypt is my son's dream destination. I found two tour companies I like that have really good prices. I definitely want an escorted tour. I am still looking into some other tour companies and waiting quotes, but unless they can beat the two I have already found I will be going with one of these two.

With the number of people traveling dropping airlines and tour companies are offering some really great deals. Africa is not really in a budget travelers range but these days, it's amazing what you can get. A year ago airfare alone to Africa was about $5000 for economy but today you can get tickets for $1600.

Check back soon to see which tour company I decide on and follow our planning and preparation for our dream vacation.