How to Take The Stress Out Of Your Next Travel Trip

The chances are that things might still be a little different the next time you get to travel abroad. The last thing you will want from any vacation is added stress, so here are a few things to consider as you begin to dream about your next big adventure. 

Image Credit

Airport Transport

Airports can be exasperating with all the queues and protocols you have to go through. Once you finally pick up your luggage, the last thing you want is to be struggling with local transport systems. Consider booking ahead a dedicated travel service that can transport you straight from your airport to your accommodation. Rather than merely being an essential part of the journey, you could book a high-class vehicle and make this a luxurious and memorable part of the vacation. Look for well-reviewed and trusted transport providers. In Arizona, for instance, the phoenix transport service has a fleet of vehicles that can suit your needs, whether traveling alone or as part of a family group. Services like this often have a global network and vehicles in multiple locations, so check out if they also provide your destination services. 

A Local Guide

A knowledgeable local guide can be a godsend if you travel somewhere that is culturally very different from your home country. The local guide can help you navigate a city. Their local knowledge will often result in you getting cheaper tickets for local attractions or handy little tips that can help you stay away from the money-grabbing tourist traps. A local guide could also help, especially if you want to get a real flavor of the local culture, pointing out neighborhoods that might be hidden gems and eating at restaurants the locals may use themselves. 

Check Your Destination’s Travel History

While a destination might look glorious from the glossy brochures, it is always worthwhile to do a little digging and find out more about your chosen destination. If a country is politically volatile or continuously shifting in and out of being a restricted health area, it might not be wise to book too far ahead. Another aspect of exotic travel is ensuring you have the right vaccinations. Please do your research and plan ahead; sometimes, it is advised to be vaccinated months before traveling.

Create an Itinerary

A lot of us, when we travel, don't want to over-plan. We want to respond to any little discoveries we might stumble upon or even take into account the day to day weather forecasts. But a loose itinerary might be a wise idea if you want to avoid queues and guarantee access to must-see attractions. An itinerary will allow you to book ahead and ensure you get what you want out of the trip. It is wise to leave space in the itinerary so you still have relaxation time and don't feel you have to rush if you want to spend longer in one location. There are even templates out there that will allow you to update the itinerary as you go.

Exploring Pyramids Around the World + 10 Travel Tips

A few weeks ago, we took a staycation to Egypt to explore the pyramids and take a Nile river cruise. It lit a fire in me to really plan a trip to Cairo and surrounding areas, because it has been on my trip wish list for a long time, but seeing how truly unique and beautiful it is really pulled me in. Egypt isn't the only place with pyramids, but it is the most known. Check out all the other places with pyramids and then learn some tips on traveling within Egypt. 

If you plan to visit Egypt, here are 10 tips for visiting: 

1. You will need an entry visa - This will cost $25 at the airport, and it will need to be paid in cash (not in local currency).
2. Agree on  prices ahead of time - You can haggle on pretty much everything, so make sure to agree on prices, especially on things like taxi rides and tours.
3. Don't hesitate - Walk confidently across the street, because traffic can be crazy and hesitating is not your friend.
4. Carry tissues or toilet paper with you - Many places don't have toilet paper, including busy places like airports. Make sure you are prepared.
5. Carry cash/change - Tipping is expected almost everywhere, for everything. 
6. Don't feel pressured - You'll feel like you're getting the hard sell on a lot of things. First off, learn the phrase "La, shoukran", meaning "no thank you". You can also leave a small tip for demonstrators to show your appreciation.
7. Get travel insurance - It's highly recommended to have insurance if you're traveling in Egypt.
8. Dress conservatively - Egypt is primarily Muslim, so cover up more than you normally would in a hot climate. It will also help protect you against the desert conditions. Think Indiana Jones: long pants and long sleeves (at least no tank tops). Columbia Sportswear and other outdoor clothiers sell lightweight clothing that's moisture-wicking and embedded UPF to keep you from burning in the blazing sun.
9. Use Uber - Uber is a great mode of transportation, plus you pay by the app and you have a price set up-front. It relieves you of haggling one place. Just make sure you double-check your car and driver before getting in. 
10. Smoking is allowed - People can smoke everywhere, pretty much. Don't be surprised by this. If it greatly bothers you, this might not be a destination for you. If you can tolerate it, expect to do laundry, or carry a spray bottle with plain vodka in it to spritz clothing. As it evaporates, it removes odors like smoke. Since it doesn't have it's own smell, you won't go around reeking of booze.

Is Egypt on your wish list? If so, what do you most look forward to seeing?

Exploring Egypt from Home

Hey, hey! I'm back with another Destination Date Night. This time we visited the pyramids in Egypt. If you can't travel, you might as well make the best of it. We had a great "view" of the Great Pyramid and the Sphynx.

Things are super stressful right now, so any break from reality is nice. We've been doing little things, like going to corn mazes, taking virtual tours, and walking our neighborhood to look at Halloween decorations. There are still things to enjoy and be safe. I have a handful of friends who've been fruit-picking a ton this month. You just have to look for different opportunities or ask friends what they're doing. 

I've been thinking a lot about Egypt. This has been on my travel list for a while, and my name is, unintentionally, Middle Eastern (my parents mashed two names together) and it's pretty popular among Egyptians. Eventually, we'll get there, but until then, we've got this.

This date night gave me vibes from The Mummy (circa 1999), so I pulled together a quick little table setting with this cute little aloe plant and vintage-feel hourglass, then finished with this Anubis statue I purchased specifically for this. I meant to use a gold tablecloth for this that I already had, but I had purchased a rust table cover for another thing, so I decided to use it for this for extra color, but still keep with a neutral palette. I also used my gorgeous blue and gold melamine dishes by Opalhouse.

I ordered dinner ahead from a great Middle Eastern restaurant. We tried to choose things we've not tried before. We started with Kashkeh Bademjan - similar to Baba Ganoush -  and "big bread", which is basically giant naan. Then we moved on to Mirza Ghasemi, a roasted eggplant dish with rice, and Kotlet, a ground beef, potato, and onion patty inside a wrap with tzatziki sauce. 

While we ate, we took a tour inside a pyramid and a river tour down the Nile with a couple of vloggers. They took a 3-day cruise that included all their meals and it was highly affordable: 200 Euros. Even if that's for one person, it's one of the cheapest tours you'd be able to do anywhere for everything included. We also took a highlights trip. 

As with all our dates, we ended with dessert. We took a short break so I could whip up a batch of Sahlab, a milk pudding drink that's served warm and topped with cinnamon, coconut, or pistachios or a combo. It was quick and easy. I served it with our dessert sampler, which came with rice pudding, baklava, baklava cake and kanafeh (a really cool cheese and shredded phyllo dish). We learned a bit about hieroglyphs while we indulged. 

This was a surprisingly romantic date, and we got a small heater for our back porch, so now we can continue to have outdoor dinners through winter without freezing to death. With dinner and our backdrops, plus my souvenir Anubis, we spent around $105. Egypt is a great destination if you are looking to try your hand at ethnic foods. And if you're not, and you don't want to order out, you can get many of the staples for a fantastic dinner at Trader Joe's, including dessert. 

If you want to do your own destination Egypt date, here are some things to make it more memorable:

• Backdrops:
• Pyramid and Sphynx
• Hieroglyphs 
• Statue centerpiece
• Anubis
• Ankh
• Obelisk
• Neutral tablecloth (mine is the burnt orange shade)
• Egyptian cutting board/serving platter
• Gold flatware set
• Hieroglyph alphabet and papyrus
• Turkish tea/coffee cups
• Middle Eastern cookbook
• Moroccan-style lantern
• A great YouTube playlist
• Here's mine
• Egyptian music

Make this a few hours or  a whole day event with your special person or your family. Learn to write your name in hieroglyphs, play games with your kids, take a an online class about the Egyptian gods. The possibilities are endless. 

Have you ever been to Egypt? If so, what was your favorite thing? If not, what do you look forward to the most?

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I may be compensated should you choose to make any purchases through them. This allows me to keep this blog running for you. Thanks in advance!