Comments and Costs of my Egypt-Jordan Trip-September 26 to October 18, 2023

Trip Costs

My out-of-pocket costs were just $1,190 for this 22-day Egypt and Jordan trip. Here is how this round-trip flight to Egypt and Jordan along with a 15-day Intrepid tour cost so little.  

The Turkish Air flight originally cost $990, and the 15-day Intrepid originally cost $3,800.  After using my Capital One Venture credit card, I redeemed my Capital One points—99,900 points for the flight and 380,000 points for the Intrepid tour. 

I arrived in Egypt seven days before I joined the Intrepid tour so the 6 nights of lodging costs were for the first portion of the trip. The Intrepid tour covered 24 of 66 meals—mostly breakfasts.

The out-of-pocket cost was $1,190 —a daily cost of $54.

Food costs were $394—daily cost of $18 per day—at home my grocery and dining costs average $11 per day.

Lodging costs for 6 hotel nights were $161—daily cost of $27 per night—one night at the Istanbul airport pod sleeper was $97—the average cost of the other 5 nights was $13 per night, including hostel tips.

Other travel/tour costs were $635:

$110 for the trip and tour Abu Simbel, 

$140 for the hot air balloon ride, 

$100 for the two Intrepid Guides' tips, 

$72 tips for the collective servers and drivers kitty, 

$52 for round trip train to Alexandria, and

$161 for museum fees, metro, and taxi rides.

COVID-19 Restrictions Are Gone

This was my 8th international trip during the COVID-19 era. There were no COVID-19 documentation requirements at the border crossings. Mask-wearing was almost non-existent.

Getting Money

Before leaving the Cairo and Amman Airports, I used ATM machines there to get the funds I needed for travel and replenished at one of the many ATMs found everywhere.

Getting Bank Fees Back

When I travel internationally I always take about $300 in USD and then rely on ATMs for funds.  I recently got a Schwab ATM card which reimburses customers for all ATM bank charges and exchange fees.  For this trip, Schwab reimbursed me $17.36 on these charges. 

Returning Early

At the end of the Intrepid Tour, I had planned to return to Cairo, Egypt for my remaining week, but instead, I returned with most others in my group from Amman, Jordan.  

With the war between Israel and Hamas there were increasing demonstrations in Jordan and Egypt against Israel and also the USA—because of its strong support of Israel.  Shortly after the war broke out, a policeman in Alexandria, Egypt killed two Israeli tourists and their guide.  During our time in Amman, Jordan we saw Palestinian demonstrations and an increase in security around the King’s Palace.  

While traveling, I was increasingly getting messages of concern from family and friends to either return or be very cautious.  

The State Department issued a “Worldwide Caution” notice urging travelers to register for their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and to make it easier to locate registered travelers.  I had registered for STEP before I left the US.

I was able to cancel my flight to Cairo and hostel reservations with no fees, but my Turkish Air change from flying from Cairo to Seattle to Amman, Jordan to Seattle cost $540.  I plan to file a claim with Travelguard to see if I can get that added cost covered by insurance.  I was successful in doing this when the COVID-19 pandemic struck when I returned early from Thailand in March 2020.

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Madaba, Roman Ruins, and Departure--10/15--18, 2023

The highlight of our time in Madaba was our visit to the well-preserved and restored Roman ruins of Jerash.

After checking into the Salome Hotel in Madaba, we took a walk to the Byzantine Saint George Church.

In this church, we saw some remarkable mosaics of the fourth-century church, which included a mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

The following morning we took a drive north past Amman to Jerash, once one of the grandest, ancient Roman cities in the world that existed over 2,000 years ago. It is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world.  It declined rapidly following an earthquake in 747 and was only rediscovered in 1878 with the arrival of the Circassians from Russia.  Its archaeological value was quickly recognized and excavation began and continues to to date.

We started at Hadrian’s Arch with a group photo and then proceeded along the walkway until we came to the huge Hippodrome used for Roman games.

Hippodrome

We then came to the Forum with its many columns that curved around the forum which also contained the Temple of Zeus.

Once again, Musa took a group shot at the Forum forum following his wonderful talk about the Roman complex here.

After that, we were free to wander about the area, and I continued my walk past the following historical attractions.

The Cardo Maximus--Main Street

The Byzantine Cathedral--455--749 AD

 The Nyphonaum--190 AD, was built to provide water for the baths and drinking water and came from a nearby reservoir.

Sanctuary of Artemis

North Theater

Temple of Artemis

South Theater

Temple of Zeus

We ended our tour at Hadrian’s Arch just as the big storm clouds were looming up overhead. we then passed through the nearby bazaar on our way to our bus and route back to our hotel.

That evening we had our final dinner and of course, Musa did his group shot with us at the Fokar & Bhar Restaurant where Musa treated us to plate after plate of delicious mezzes including baba ghanoush, hummus, falafel, shrimp, kofta, vegetables, and other tasty delights.  I was too busy eating to take good pictures of the food offerings.

Just after leaving the restaurant, Musa took his final group shot along with the Fokar & Bhar Restaurant two owners.

Some left late at night or early morning and four of us left around noon on October 17th for the Queen Alia International Airport just 20 minutes away in the desert.

My Turkish Air flight left at around 3 o’clock to Istanbul and arrived there around 6 PM.  After dinner, I wandered about a bit and found some comfortable lounge chairs where I could read and watch the other planes arrive and depart.  

I needed some sleep so I checked out the Istanbul airport hotel and the cost was over $320 USD I looked around a bit and came across these sleep pods where the cost was just under $100, so I used one for a very good night's sleep until morning.

I enjoyed some Turkish coffee along with my mango drink and mushroom omelet and again enjoyed sitting in the lounge chairs waiting for my October 18th, 2 pm Turkish Air flight back home to Seattle—a 13-hour flight over Greenland and northern Canada.

When I arrived in Seattle at 4:30 PM I caught the light rail back to downtown Seattle under a beautiful clear, crisp sky with Mt. Rainier welcoming me home.  Very cold but a beautiful end to my Egypt-Jordan 2023 adventure.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

I have recently uploaded all of my travel videos to YouTube now that they allow longer uploads.  I have also added other shorter travel videos. 

 

That link is https://www.youtube.com/c/huntforgold  

If you do go there, please subscribe to my video channel since it will help me eventually get some income there and help with my future travels. Fewer people are using DVDs so I am transitioning to streaming my travels on my YouTube channel.