Egypt

My husband and I read this book before traveling to Egypt and found it very helpful in preparing for our travels. We did not go the typical route of American hotels and tours, but rather stayed with a friend and found our way around Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor more or less on our own. It is an excellent book to make you aware of many cultural differences a traveler might not be aware of. I felt that we were able to be more respectful and understand cultural differences than we might have otherwise, had we just ready one of the regular sightseeing travel guides. This book makes some excellent points for women travelers especially, who need to be especially aware of the image they portray in many of the Middle Eastern countries.

There are two types of travel books: Those we skim through and those we read. As a book to skim, it's ok. It does not have much to reference quickly, if at all. However, as a book to read and to contemplate, it is very good. If you buy this book, take the time to read it carefully from cover to cover. Unlike a lot of commentaries on foreign culture, which tend to be trite, this author is very respectful of Egyptian culture without being ingratiating.

Wilson's book provided me with the "cultural common sense" that made for a successful stay in Egypt in June 2000. Her chatty tone invited me, as a reader, into her own experiences living in Egypt and set a context for me to be open to the warmth of the Egyptians as well as to be prepared for the very real challenges of travel here. While other books provided guidance to the sights, Wilson's provided guidance to the people and customs. I'll be returning to Egypt for future work and will rely on her book as a continuing resource.

Thank God for this book! I recently have been accepted for a job in Egypt and boy did this book help me prepare. Without it I don't think I would have made it through. It's content is rich and full of great tips on local custom and it is truly in depth about the "do's & don'ts" when you get there. Highly recommended.

This book proved to be invaluable, when I took a three week vacation to Egypt last year; alone. If you are like me and don't like to travel in groups this book will teach you how to steer away all the street vendors, camel, carriage and fellucah drivers, as well as providing some practical arabic phraseology. It really helped to turn a good trip into a great trip by helping me to avoid offending or being taken advantage of by anyone. Ms. Wilson's personal experiences in Egypt have been transalated into practical information that can benefit any potential traveler to this wonderful country.