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.
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.
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