Just finished booking our Egypt travel plans. Will be using Djed Travel Egypt. Nile River cruise included. Very excited! Now, the practical stuff kicks in. I understand you must have travel insurance to gain entry. No problem as we always purchase travel evacuation and medical. Looking for insurance that covers Covid related coverage. Not worried about cancellations, just Covid coverage if needed medical attention in Egypt. We are fully vaccinated, but understand you need a negative Covid test to enter.. Test should not be older than 96 hours prior to entering Egypt. I understand test results must have a laboratory stamp.
Do you think that at some point proof of vaccination will be enough?
Any info you can share on those practical matters is greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
Vaccination doesn’t provide 100% protection and there are a number of variants circulating, which may or may not be covered by your vaccination plus more are likely to emerge, so I think that Covid testing is here for some time. The U.K. is planning to give everybody a third booster jab in the autumn, which so far I haven’t heard mentioned about other countries.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15807 posts
Do you think that at some point proof of vaccination will be enough?
Camille, I don't think anyone can definitively answer that. It likely will depend on the virus situation at the time of your trip. As Jennifer said, there are unanswered questions around the variants + how long current vaccines protect. Right now, you need a negative test within 3 days (or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days) both to enter Egypt AND to re-enter the U.S.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/covid-testing-required-us-entry.html
https://eg.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/covid-19-information/
Tourist Visa and other info:
https://www.egyptembassy.net/consular-services/visas-travel/visa-requirements/
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Egypt.html
Posted by
New Orleans
1206 posts
Camille, how exciting! I've been tentatively planning a trip to Egypt in Jan/Feb 2022, with a lot of help from people on this forum, and have also settled on using Djed Travel Egypt, going with a slight tweaking of their "Classic Egypt Adventure" though I haven't finalized my plans with them yet. From my reading, Djed will help you arrange the negative test that you will require in Egypt, before boarding your flight back home. I'll be interested in learning who you end up using for your travel insurance. I'm just beginning that research, and have read that some folks have been happy using insuremytrip dot com though, again, I haven't yet plowed through that website to see the options that they carry. Good luck with your planning! I'd be grateful if you do let us know who you end up using for your insurance, and maybe even post a travel report once you return?! Have fun planning!
Posted by
OP
point pleasant beach, nj, usa
646 posts
Thank you for your responses!
Posted by
4517 posts
you must have travel insurance to gain entry
Note that the requirement is having medical insurance, not travel or evacuation insurance, at least from what I have deduced. Some Americans have home medical insurance with out-of-network international coverage that should work. The Egyptair website doesn't list insurance as a requirement for passengers, maybe that indicates its importance.
Posted by
New Orleans
1206 posts
Camille, I just discovered another new thread on this forum that specifically discusses different kinds of travel insurance, including whether or not specific policies cover Covid-related expenses. Here's the link: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/budget-tips/trip-insurance-comprehensive-vs-medical-evac-only
Posted by
Last Frontier aka Alaska 🏔️
3225 posts
Camille, we are also going to Egypt in October. I would think that Djed would have all the answers to the questions you are asking. I know that we expect our tour operator to have answers to those kinds of questions.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15807 posts
Good point, Tammy. I was sort of wondering why they hadn't provided that information but maybe they were thinking at least the testing requirements might change by the time tours got off the ground?