Cairo Chronicles: A Trip We'd Rather Forget

Great Pyramids

You know us, we love an adventure. We’ve crisscrossed the globe with Ava and Aidan, embraced new cultures, and faced our fair share of travel hiccups. But our recent trip to Cairo, Egypt? That was a different beast altogether. What was planned as a seven-day historical deep dive, with dreams of Luxor and ancient wonders, quickly became a two-day dash for the exit. And honestly, if we could have left sooner, we would have. We paid thousands to change our flights, losing hundreds on our hotel, but truly, we didn't care.

From the moment we stepped off the plane at Cairo airport, we were met with an unwelcoming atmosphere. We headed to passport control, prepared for the usual lengthy queue. When our turn finally came, the attendant took our passports, looked at them, and without a word, motioned us to the side. Confusion washed over us as every person behind us was processed, their passports stamped, and they moved on. We stood there, bewildered, until the entire area was empty except for us. Then, with a curt wave, she stamped our passports and dismissed us. Her demeanor was so incredibly rude, you'd think we'd offended her, but we barely exchanged two words. We tried to shrug it off, attributing it to a bad day on her part, and continued on.

Our next stop was declarations. We were pulled aside again. The reason? Our small, personal drone. Now, we are fully aware of Egypt's strict drone laws, and we completely respect them. We were more than willing to hand it over and retrieve it upon departure. It's a logistical challenge traveling country to country without a home base to store such items. They told us the process would take about 10 minutes. Forty-five minutes later, as the agents sat around, seemingly mocking us with their stares and whispers, our kids were growing restless. The negative energy pouring from them was palpable. We asked what was happening, and they simply said "a few more minutes" before turning around, laughing, and pointing at us again.

At this point, I was fuming. We told them they could keep the drone, throw it away, we didn't care. We had a pre-arranged car picking us up, and with no Wi-Fi or means of communication, we couldn't let the driver know what was going on. (Spoiler alert: they left us stranded after two hours of waiting). Then, without a word of explanation, they took Kyle’s passport. My husband was separated from us, his passport withheld, and no one would tell us why. My children were crying, and I was dumbfounded that these "professionals" were treating a family with small children like this. We waited over two agonizing hours, separated and questioned without any clear reason. Exhausted and utterly frustrated, we finally left the airport only to discover our driver had indeed abandoned us.

Finding a ride was another ordeal. We ended up with a driver who, halfway to our hotel, pulled over on a random side street to try and strong-arm us into hiring him as a tour guide for our entire stay. When he realized we weren't budging, we finally continued. On the highway, right in front of us, a fight erupted between two men, yelling and jabbing each other over what seemed like a minor misunderstanding, as cars zoomed by. Terrified of what might escalate with our kids in the car, I was completely over it. All I wanted was to head back to the airport and get on the first flight out.

We finally made it to our hotel, the Intercontinental Cairo Semiramis, a supposedly 5-star establishment. Before even stepping inside, our car was searched by army dogs, and we then had to go through airport-like security to enter the building itself. (Safety concerns in Cairo? Red flag number 1,239). After checking in with the kindest person we’d encountered since arriving, we went up to our room. It reeked of cigarette smoke and felt old and outdated. Defeated, exhausted, and hungry, Kyle and I agreed we’d decide what to do after a decent night's sleep.

The next morning, we woke up feeling just as off-put. At breakfast, we were completely ignored, had to get our own silverware, and repeatedly asked for coffee. While bad service exists everywhere, it didn't help the already overwhelmingly negative impression Cairo was leaving on us. Kyle and I both decided we would complete our pre-booked tour, then leave immediately. We barely left the hotel, as we simply didn't feel safe on the streets.

When we finally did venture out for some touring, the scammers were everywhere. From haggling over trinkets to people waiting in public bathrooms to demand tips for toilet paper – it was relentless. Our tour of the Great Pyramids was a highlight, but even that was dulled by the pervasive scamming. Camel rides were a classic example: quoted one price, then refused a ride down unless we paid more. The same went for entering the tombs. Our tour guide was wonderful to us, but we were horrified by how she treated other tourists, barking at them to "hurry up and take pictures."

Our entire experience in Egypt was far from what we expected. And believe me, I know negative experiences can happen anywhere. We’ve had our fair share of hiccups even in America! But why would anyone want to spend their hard-earned money to be treated the way we were treated in Cairo? It simply baffles me.

Even leaving wasn't without its challenges. Getting our drone back was a nightmare; the Cairo airport felt like an absolute free-for-all, with no one knowing what they were doing. We ended up not getting it back at all.

Now, I want to be very clear: just because we had a bad experience, we are also aware that countless families have had a completely opposite, wonderful time in Cairo. From what I've gathered, this often seems to be because they went with a comprehensive tour group or had someone from the area guiding them. It really highlights that sometimes, paying for your safety and seamless experience is an extra expense you have to consider when traveling to places like Cairo. We would never be so incredibly narrow-minded and ignorant to generalize that all people of Cairo, or even Egypt, are like the ones we encountered. That would be absolutely unfair. However, it is important for those considering a trip to know the potential experiences they could have.

Based on our experience, I absolutely would not recommend this city for families traveling with kids if you're planning to navigate it independently. If you do decide to go, for the sake of your sanity and safety, please, go with a dedicated tour guide from start to finish. Our Cairo chronicles were a lesson in travel resilience, but it’s a lesson we’d rather not repeat.