Travel Egypt and Jordan

When are you planning to travel? Are you going with a tour group or setting it up on your own?

I canceled my January trip to Egypt & Jordan because the final payment was due and it just didn't seem like a good time to go.

As of today, the US State Dept has a red advisory for US citizens traveling to the Middle East which basically says to use increased caution. You and your wife are the only ones that can determine if you are comfortable traveling under these conditions. No one on here should do that for you.

Trip was planned end of November and we had booked a private guide for the entire trip.
Do you have link to the red advisory? That would be very helpful.

US State Department has information about every country in the world. To be accurate, Egypt is under orange level "reconsider travel" recommendation; Jordan is under yellow "exercise increased caution."

Egypt: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Egypt.html

Jordan: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Jordan.html

If you decide to go, sign up for STEP notifications for both countries to be informed timely of any urgent matters related to US Citizens visiting the countries.

Egypt is wonderful, we just did a two week tour with Gate 1 Tours in January.

I think it is safe, there is at least one armed guard on every bus. The Egyptians aren't letting any from GAZA into their country.

I was in Egypt when the war broke out on October 7. From Egypt I was scheduled to go on a separate tour to Jordan and Israel. The tour provider canceled that tour, so I went to Jordan on my own.

I experienced no challenges, no sense of danger or risk, no concern. The fighting was not close to where I was.

I heard from multiple providers (hotel managers, souvenir shop owners, and such) that they were having a lot of cancelations.

If you are comfortable, go. If you will be anxious the entire time, don't. Only you can decide. But the businesses in Egypt and Jordan are not responsible for what's going on next door, and they don't deserve to be damaged again after getting through Covid.

I think it is safe, there is at least one armed guard on every bus.

Ordinarily I'd say go and enjoy the trip. However, if tour companies are having an armed guard on their busses, that would give me pause. And I'm not sure what one guard could do anyway. The history of the area is such that there will probably be a time in the next couple of years when it is perfectly safe. Right now it's a little too dicey for me. Just my opinion. As someone posted above, only you can decide the amount of risk you are willing to take.

I believe the armed guard was a police officer or a government trained officer. He seemed to know what he was doing. I was an MP in the Army and noticed his behavior.

I've been watching You Tube videos by several Egypt tour vloggers since the war broke out. 2 of them were just posted yesterday. Most are Americans living and working there. ALL of them have reported no change in daily life in the tourist areas, aside from a few peaceful (albeit noisy) protests in a few cities. As for the safety level by the US State Dept, one vloggers pointed out that Egypt has been consistently at level 3 for 11 years- so nothing new there either. The border with Gaza is all the way across the Sinai Peninsula(not a tourist destination); annd a long way from Cairo, and even further from Luxor or Aswan.

Regarding the armed guards- these have been common place on tourist buses for years; it's nothing new. They are either police or government security. Armed police and military presence is also commonplace at tourist stops and in cities. It's not a cause for concern.

We will be visiting Egypt and Jordan in mid January, and so far have no plan to cancel.

However, if tour companies are having an armed guard on their busses, that would give me pause.

We had security guards on our buses before the war started. It was my understanding that this is standard protocol for tour groups in Egypt. Maybe just groups from the USA, I'm not sure about that.

All the western-style hotels in Egypt were also heavily guarded, with metal detectors at every entrance. Nothing changed after October 7.

Regarding the armed guards- these have been common place on tourist buses for years; it's nothing new. They are either police or government security. Armed police and military presence is also commonplace at tourist stops and in cities. It's not a cause for concern.

I respect your opinion and do not mean to be argumentative. It just seems a bit dicey to me. As a general rule, I think most places are safer than the U.S. But the situation there now is a bit beyond the norm. But everone's tolerance for risk is different.

But the situation there now is a bit beyond the norm.

There? Egypt? As I said, the situation there is very much the same as it has been for years. Or are you merging the entire Middle East (plus northern Africa) into one big amorphous area and suggesting they are all the same? Because I would definitely disagree with you for the present. That's a bit like saying because of the war in Ukraine, no one should visit any if the Eastern European countries.

Jordan is safe. The current advisory is level 2, not red as someone indicated above. Yes, we share a border but it's a different country and a very stable one, at that. There have been regular protests and the road from Amman to the Dead Sea has occasionally been closed on Fridays, but that's the main impact tourists are experiencing right now. Petra is in the middle of nowhere and operating as usual. Unless things change drastically between now and then, don't cancel your trip.

I can't give first hand experience for Egypt, but assume the advice is the same.

The OP solicited advice. Advice was offered in the form of an opinion and it was noted that it was an opinon. The point was made that tolerance for risk varies, and that only the OP could make a decision about the amount acceptable risk. My opinion has not changed. Apologies to any and all who may have been miffed by or disagreed with that opinion. I'm done.

As the war in Gaza intensifies, anti-American sentiment is possible to increase and American tourist groups are easy to spot. If you are individual travelers with private guides, you are much less likely to be a target - if indeed Americans will become targets.

Are you concerned or really worried? How comfortable do you think you'll feel? If you're going to be on edge the whole time, that could spoil the trip.

These are the factors I would take into account in making your decision.

I had planned a trip to Israel and Jordan for Feb 2024 but cancelled it. I travel solo and felt it's not the best time to go to that region, when there are plenty of other places to see instead.

Gaza has been Level 4 for a very long time yet there are now 500-600 Americans trapped in Gaza and they can't get out. So I have to wonder why 500-600 Americans disregarded the State Department's Level 4 warning and still went there. There is always a risk that you cannot get out of a country and that flights will be cancelled. At least in Europe, there are multiple ways to get out of one country and maybe take a train or boat or drive to another safer country.

In other words, I couldn't think of a good Plan B if I did go to Israel and I couldn't leave via Ben Gurion. Do you have a Plan B in place if you should have to get out of Egypt or Jordan in a hurry?

Replying to Daisy, who said: "So I have to wonder why 500-600 Americans disregarded the State Department's Level 4 warning and still went there."

Please understand that these are not people who wanted to holiday on the Gaza Strip and went anyway. Some are aid workers; the WP reported that one of the first out was a prosthetic specialist from Seattle. She was there on one of her many trips making prosthetic limbs for disabled children. Most are likely Palestinian-American families; maybe the kids and Dad have US passports, but mom doesn't, or the grandparents don't. That is the reality of the Americans who decided to disregard the warning.

But I very much agree with previous posters, especially the ones who are living in or recently traveled to the region, that it ultimately needs to come down to individual risk assessment.

We just returned from two weeks in Egypt. Felt safe the whole time. We were with Djed Egypt Travel. I wouldn’t go alone. We are seasoned international travelers and have a moderate risk tolerance but committed to leaving Egypt if things got too dicey. Never got close to that point. Half of our group went on to Jordan as pre planned and they are having a wonderful time. So as others mentioned it depends on your own risk tolerance.

Egypt puts armed guards with all tours from three countries and the USA is one of them. I believe the UK is another but not sure.This was one of our favorite trips ever! The guards were all nice, kind young men dressed in suits in cities and in casual wear on boats and out in the countryside. Their guns were visible to warn anyone to stay far away from our group.

They kept the very aggressive touts away which was a huge positive.
Only you can decide whether to postpone your trip. We felt extremely safe in both Jordan and Egypt.