A Guide To... Egypt

There are many guides, all over the Internet about what you should take, how you should act and horror stories about the food, people and illnesses. After spending two gloriously hot weeks in Egypt earlier this year I thought I would give a first hand account of what to look out for and take with you.

Before You Leave:

- Inoculations. If you are staying in Sharm El Sheik there is no need for malaria jabs as there is only one, tiny section in the middle of Egypt across the Nile that is a hot spot for malaria. Just make sure you take repellent spray and try to have it included in your sun lotion too. Everyone needs to have Hepatitis A and B and Typhoid. Most people that have already been abroad will only need a booster of Hepatitis A or B or not need them at all. There is no cure for Rabies so don't touch any animals whilst your out there.

-Hotels. I stayed in The Sierra Hotel which is an English 4/5 star Hotel. In Egypt there ratings are about 1 or 2 stars less than our rating. Which means that if a hotel is rated 3 stars in Egypt it is about a 1 star in an English equivalent. I definitely recommend going all inclusive as there aren't many places to buy food in Sharm, just make sure you go for a high star hotel.

Whilst You're Out There:

-Food. I was warned not to eat ice cream, don't have ice in my drinks, don't have fruit or salad that hasn't been washed etc but after three days I did all of those things and felt fine. No matter what you eat or drink in Egypt you will have a jippy stomach. Everyone will go through it and it should last more than a day. True you wont have too good a day but you can still lie by the pool, just make sure you're close to a bathroom or your room. Also there is a miracle pill that I swore by. Its a little yellow packet that will cost you 5 Egyptian Pounds. Of course this will be after haggling as it can be as much as 80 or 90 Egyptian Pounds which is about 15 English Pounds.

-Haggling. I tried this once. I haggled a bottle of sand down to 300 LE from 1500LE. I thought I had done extremely well. That was until I walked away and realised that I had just spent £40 on a tiny bottle of sand. If you're going to haggle make sure you know the exchange rate and what is a fair price of what you are going to buy. Always think about your purchase before you go ahead and enter into a haggling war.

-Natives. They're all very friendly, some a tad over friendly. They will all try and shake your hand, give you a hug. Maybe even a kiss or two but just be careful. When we went to Naama Bay we were frequently being hassled and shouted at to come in to shops, to stop and talk and this left me with an angry feeling, of which meant we never went back to Naama Bay but I'm told that if you go in groups you should be fine.

-Trips. We did a few trips whilst out there and I recommend them all. The Ultimate Desert Experience was amazing. Quad biking through the desert, camel riding as the sun went down and then a Bedouin dinner before returning to base in the dark, in the desert on our quad bikes. There was also Cairo. You can travel there by coach or by plane. We went by plane and by 5pm we were shattered with all the travelling which was nothing compared to the people that went by coach. We visited The Citadel, The Pyramids of Giza, The Sphinx, The Egyptian Museum and T.G.I. Fridays. The Museum was amazing, holding Tutankhamen and many other spectacular, historical pieces of Egyptian History. You're tour guide will be with you from the minute you arrive in Cairo until the minute you leave at the airport. Ours was called Wally and snaps to him for making the day memorable, funny and informational.

Overall, an amazing holiday, an amazing country and amazing people. I will definitely be going again and I recommend to everyone that you should see the Pyramids at least once in your life.