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Ever since I was a little kid, I've dreamt about traveling to Egypt.

The ancient Egypt sections of my history classes were always my favorite. I could always pinpoint where the country was on the giant map of Africa when I watched “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego.” And I still to this day will watch “The Mummy” (the original one!) anytime it's on TV.

Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt

But Egypt has had a rough last decade.

I was working as a newspaper editor in 2011 during the Arab Spring, and was reading stories daily about uprisings and revolutions. It all started in Tunisia, but spread to multiple nations in northern Africa – including Egypt. And, for quite a few years afterwards, Egypt just didn't seem like a safe place to travel.

But if I've learned anything from traveling the world, it's that the news media makes most places sound a lot scarier than they actually are.

Mediavine
Feluccas on the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt
Nothing scary about these feluccas on the Nile in Aswan.

Many tour companies did indeed suspend operations in Egypt following the revolution; not many people were going there from 2012-2015. But we're into 2020 now, and things are changing. Tourism still isn't anywhere near what it was pre-2011 in Egypt, but visitors are starting to come back each year in larger and larger numbers.

Long story short: right now is an excellent time to visit Egypt.

Middle Pyramid in Giza
Look! Hardly any crowds at the pyramids!

Earlier this year, with a trip to the Seychelles already planned, I decide to go for it, and booked a 12-day tour of Egypt with Intrepid Travel. I knew Egypt wasn't somewhere I wanted to travel 100% solo, and