Surprised about Egypt

Egypt is fantastic! Your trip looks great. Re mummy tummy - now known in our house as Tutankhamun's revenge - take along a Z-pack, azithromycin. That saved us when the OTC meds couldn't. Take two along, in fact!

You will have a great time!
Just to let you know that the Valley of the Kings/Queens has absolutely no natural shade and you will do a lot of walking especially when you visit the Temple of Hatshepsut so be sure to take an umbrella and wear a hat. I also had a damp/wet bandana around my neck. We were there in early May and it was HOT.

Food in tourist hotels and on the ship should be as clean as one gets on any other ship or hotel. But you could ease into it with the 'cook it, peel it, or forget it', or prep your gut with acidophilus, yogurt, etc. Some people get stomach reactions just flying and any new combo of foods, but you will know your gut best. If it hadn't been my hunger and jet lag that let me forget an eat in a local mall, I wouldn't have had any issues.
Abu Simbel is going to be your hottest spot. I took a look. Seems October is low 30s Celsius or mid 80sF. When I went in May, that day it was 50C...122F. Hot, definitely, but also a 'dry heat' so feasible. If the ship isn't too crowded, your guide may try to get your to the sites as early as possible, and you can get back to the ship sooner meaning air conditioning and cooler waterside temps.
Loose, cotton, linen or rayon clothing. Cover knees, shoulders/elbows, cleavage and butt. Capris, trousers, or below knee skirts are fine for mosques. Bring a scarf to cover your head, and even use as a sun shade if you don't want to carry an umbrella. Yes, you will see tour bus tourists having heat stroke and sunburns in their tiny strap Tees and short shorts, but that isn't advisable to emulate.
Remember, you still have 6 months to prepare and you want to leave some room for surprise and wonder. It will be wonderful!

Sounds like a wonderful itinerary! Thanks so much for sharing; I hope you consider writing a trip report upon your return (pretty please), my DH and I hope to visit Egypt as well and we'd love to learn from your experiences. Regarding travel in Muslim country: we visited Turkey (Istanbul & the area around Ephesus) in 2010 & 2012 and had no issues. I packed two large lightweight scarfs (one silk, one bamboo) so I could always carry one with me in case I needed to cover my head - which was anytime we entered a mosque. Be respectful and you shouldn't have any problems.

Since I'm sensitive to heat and prone to skin cancer, I always tend to cover up so dressing modestly isn't an issue for me. I live in loose fitting, long sleeve cotton & linen blouses + wide leg pants or long skirts - all of which are great for keeping cool. If you've seen The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, pay attention to what Dame Judi Dench wears - that's basically my wardrobe. I avoid 100% synthetic clothing since it traps body heat. And yes, pack a wide-brimmed hat. I've had the same Paddler's hat from REI for 12 years and take it on every trip we take. It fits perfectly in my carry-on. Here's a link:

https://www.rei.com/product/126628/rei-co-op-paddlers-hat

I concur about traveling with antibiotics for "mummy tummy", but be sure you discuss the protocol for using them with your doctor or nurse. Also, pack plenty of oral rehydration salt / electrolyte replacement packets with you and don't hesitate to use them. Having these were an absolute live saver on our safari in Botswana - seriously. It's always best to be prepared. Here's a link to the brand we use, recommended by the doctor at the travel clinic where we got all of our travel vaccinations:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OG8GA7Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Have a wonderful trip and keep us posted! I'd love hear more about your traditional Dahabiya cruise.

We took the train a sleeper car to Luxor. It was a long ride though. We went in January the weather was perfect that time of year.

Tammy, How fabulous that you've arranged your itinerary already! It looks wonderful! I have been avidly reading responses to your earlier forum posting and also those to my question "travel guidebooks & other resources for Egypt?" to which many kind folks have responded. So much great advice! In a private message to me a few days ago, "AshleyMIA," who has happily traveled independently in Egypt, suggested the old tried-and-true method of averting "travelers' tummy" by chewing a couple of Pepto-Bismal tablets before eating anything. I used that method during several trips to Mexico and Belize, back in my scuba diving days, and during a trip to Cuba, and never got sick even when table-mates did. It's cheap, it's easy, and seems to work for many of us.
I'm curious, though, if you are willing to share: Did you arrange any parts of your trip with a travel company, or a specific tour guide? I am working on designing a trip that I hope to take to Egypt in Feb. 2022, and would very much appreciate your sharing if a specific tour guide or travel company has been particularly responsive or helpful in your planning! (Your tour looks very similar to the "Classic Egypt Tour" with Djed Egypt Travel recommended by "Marie" whose smugmug photos are so amazing...) Thank you so much!
Anyway... Congratulations! I look forward to reading more as you prepare!!

Egypt really is amazing. The Coptic area in Cairo is well worth a visit, and I’ve found the people there very welcoming (went on my own). Restored churches with beautiful mosaics. If you aren’t going to any of the desert monasteries, this could give you a feeling for early Christian traditions and contemporary perseverance.

I second the pepto bismol tablets advice. You can get a box of off brand tablets that come 2 tabs individually packaged. My son and I used this method in Turkey. We ate street food and raw fruit/vegetables and had no troubles. The bismuth coats your tummy and makes it more difficult for any infection to take hold.
Have a great trip!

I'm curious, though, if you are willing to share: Did you arrange any parts of your trip with a travel company, or a specific tour guide? I am working on designing a trip that I hope to take to Egypt in Feb. 2022, and would very much appreciate your sharing if a specific tour guide or travel company has been particularly responsive or helpful in your planning! (Your tour looks very similar to the "Classic Egypt Tour" with Djed Egypt Travel recommended by "Marie" whose smugmug photos are so amazing...)

After getting three quotes from three Egypt based travel agencies (one of them the RS recommended EgyptandBeyond Travel), we went with Go Luxor tours, not the cheapest, but extremely responsive to all my questions and we were able to communicate via WhatsApp. We will have driver/Egyptologist guide, but it will just be my husband and I, so a private tour.

Sounds like you have a great trip planned, Tammy! You have all the bases covered. That's a pretty standard itinerary for Egypt. Yep, everything is on the Nile. It's amazing how quickly the terrain transitions from green and irrigated to absolute desert.

We were there in March, and the weather was comfortable -- mid-50's at night and low 80's during the day. It did start to warm up when we got south of Luxor. October will be warmer. I wore a lot of linen and those cheap rayon elephant/harem pants south of Luxor.

I didn't have any issues at all food-wise. The food was pretty much standard Mediterranean fare --- lots of hummus, falafel, tabouli, eggplant, and fruit. My friend had minor trouble whenever she ate anything with hibiscus. She learned pretty quickly just to avoid anything with hibiscus.

Egypt is very much a Muslim country, and for the most part much more conservative than Turkey. I dress fairly conservatively anyhow, and so I didn't encounter any issues. The people were very kind and gracious. When Covid brought everything to a grinding halt half way through the dahabiya cruise, everyone was so incredibly kind. The crew members on the boat assured us immediately that we had nothing to worry about, that their homes were open to us and that we could stay with their families. It was very touching.

You are going to have such a wonderful trip!

Our trip to Egypt was also amazing! It was a dream come true.
Our favorite part was sailing on Lake Nasser and pulling up to incredible sites including Abu Simbel. No crowds. We liked the Nile cruise but no where near as much as Lake Nasser and it’s antiquities.
I highly recommend you add four days in Jordan since you are very near. Just a short flight over there for more ancient wonders including Biblical ones.
The food was excellent in both countries especially the chicken and the falafel. We went in January 2020 and it was very cold, down coat, gloves, hat. We got this trip in just before COVID stopped travel.
There is an excellent medical center for expats and tourists in Luxor if you need one. Very modern and impressive. English spoken. The doctors there had to solve the problems given to me by an incompetent doctor in Rome when we stopped there enroute to Cairo.
Our doctor had us chew Pepto Bismal Tablets 3-4x a day. We never had any problems but our travel mates who didn’t take it, did.

Tammy, how exciting! We are planning on going to Egypt late October, early November. Will be using Djed Travel. Private tour, hubby and me. Nile Cruise on Dahabiya. Will be in Egypt for two weeks. We are fully vaccinated, but will be adhering to all Covid precautions. My concern is having a Covid test for re-entry into the US. Djed reassured me that our guide would help in that matter.
Next up is booking our flights. I saw a recent quote on Lufthansa for around 3K for both of us round trip, premium economy. Will probably be making reservation fairly soon. My thinking is that airfares will be increasing the more people are vaccinated.
Any recommendations from you all will be greatly appreciated. Safe travels!

@ Camille
We used our Alaska airline miles to get to Cairo on Emirates, so I am not going to be able to help you with a good fare, but I agree that you should book now as I also think they will go up.

I'm still working on convincing my wife regarding a trip to Egypt. I'll be watching for your posts to gather more ammunition to make my case.

I have been to Egypt twice back in the 80s, when I lived in the Middle East. It is amazing.

Some tips:
Never, never drink anything unless it is bottled and you open the bottle.
Do not eat street food or even go to restaurants that are lower than a 4 star hotel restaurant.
Do not use just any taxis, make sure you take the taxi from your hotel and the hotel takes down the driver's name and taxi number.
Do not wander off into strange areas by yourself, especially at night.

Hi Tammy,

Good news - I booked my flights to Chicago and I plan to be there for at least the latter part of your visit. I was going to discuss the weather - similar to what we have here - but I'll save it till we meet.

By the way, I am jealous of your trip. I actually wanted to do something similar with a friend a few years ago. Just as we were about to make plans, the Arab spring erupted.