220: African Safaris
Vacation Mavens
Tamara is hosting an all-women small group trip to Portugal this fall and she would love for you to join her! . Did you know that Kim has been on safaris in four African countries? Today she shares some great tips that will help you decide where you might want to go, understand the differences between various safari experiences, and provide some advice for planning an African safari trip. You can read more about a few of Kim's safari experiences here:
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219: German Christmas Markets Trip
Vacation Mavens
Tamara is hosting an all-women small group trip to Portugal this fall and she would love for you to join her! . In this episode, Tamara talks about her two-week German Christmas Markets road trip! If you have this magical holiday trip on your radar, make sure to give this episode a close listen and check out the following articles:
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Barge and River Cruising Through France
Vacation Mavens
Before we say goodbye to summer and pull on our flannels and break out the pumpkin spice, Tamara and Kim are back with a recap of Tamara's European summer travels including a month spent exploring France by river and barge cruise! Tamara first spent two weeks in the United Kingdom, on a road trip through both Scotland and Wales with two other travel writers. She then took the Eurostar down to France and spent one week cruising through the Canal Nivernais on the Hotel Barge Elisabeth. Next, she went to Bordeaux and her husband joined her for a weeklong river cruise with AmaWaterways. Tamara...
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217: Scottsdale and Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka)
Vacation Mavens
Well it has been a minute since we had a chance to catch up and record a podcast but in this episode Tamara shares her insights and experience from her recent family trip to Japan. Kim and Tamara also share their love for Scottsdale, Arizona and some of the things they did on a girls' trip together. Read more at: Tamara also talked about her time in Paso Robles, California. You can read her to get inspired to visit this wine region. Kim attended conferences in Walt Disney World (read her tips for using DVC points to ), Disney Land, and San Antonio. She also took a family cruise to...
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216: Ireland and Northern Ireland
Vacation Mavens
Kim took a last minute spring break trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland with her younger daughter and this week on the podcast, she tells us all about it! She flew into Dublin and then stay at a country estate hotel in Northern Ireland before visiting Belfast, the Causeway Coast, Derry/Londonderry, and Galway before looping back to Dublin. See Kim's articles on: Ireland Trip Highlights: in Northern Ireland Belfast - Titanic Belfast and city architecture - Carrick-a-Rede bridge, Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle in Derry - walk the walls around the city Galway - Kim...
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215 Oceanside Disneyland California
Vacation Mavens
Spring break is almost here and on this episode Kim and Tamara share their experience on a girls' trip in Oceanside, California and then their mother-daughter trip to Disneyland with their girls. If you want some inspiration for a SoCal getaway, be sure to listen in!
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214 Northern Italy + Big Announcement
Vacation Mavens
Happy New Year! We are back and apologize for taking so long to release a new episode. Moving forward, we will strive to have one episode a month to share our travels and tips, as we continue to each put more time into our respective websites. But first, Tamara has a big announcement and that is that she is hosting a women-only small group trip to Iceland in September 2023! You can get all the information on and she really hopes that some listeners will be able to join! Note that there is a discount of 15,000 ISK if you register by January 15, 2023. Next Tamara tells us all about her...
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213: Glacier Country, Montana
Vacation Mavens
This episode is sponsored by Glacier Country Tourism. All opinions are our own. This week, Tamara shares what it is like to visit Glacier Country, Montana on a girls' trip and Kim shares her thoughts on this scenic part of Northwestern Montana. From Missoula to Whitefish, Kalispell to Glacier National Park -- if Montana is on your bucket list, give this episode a listen! Read more: Things to do in Glacier Country, Montana Glacier Country is a tourism region of Northwestern Montana that covers eight counties To get to Glacier Country you can fly into Missoula or Glacier Airport in Kalispell,...
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212: Summer Travel Catch Up
Vacation Mavens
We are back from our summer travel and packed a whole lot into a one episode recap! We apologize in advance for some audio difficulties on this one, especially after taking so long to get it live. Thanks for hanging in there with us! On this episode we cover Tamara's summer trips to: Nantucket (read her ) New Brunswick, Canada (, , and ) Prince Edward Island, Canada () Sailing on the And Kim shares about her adventures: Mediterranean cruise on Costa Cruise Lines () Gorilla trekking in Uganda Alaskan cruise on Holland America Graduation trip to Disney World and Universal Orlando ()
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211: NYC to Bahamas Cruise
Vacation Mavens
We are still catching up about our spring break trips and this time Kim shares the ups and downs from a Norwegian Cruise Lines voyage from New York City to the Bahamas with stops in "Orlando" and Norwegian's private island. Listen in and see if you are ready to set sail. In NYC, Kim stayed in the Hyatt Centric in Times Square for 2 nights before her cruise. The hotel was part of the American Express Fine Hotels Collection and she was able to get a $200 statement credits on her Amex Platinum Card. The hotel has a good location, but slow elevators and the rooftop bar is not open to minors....
info_outlineNothing like starting off the new year with a bucket list destination! This week we chat with Keri Hedrick, from Family Travel in the Middle East, about visiting Egypt with kids. We dig into what you need to know -- is it safe? how should you book? when should you go? and more.
ON THE PODCAST
00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara
04:11 - Talking with Keri Hedrick
06:25 - How long to spend in Egypt
09:05 - Getting around Egypt
15:50 - Visas/Money/Safety
21:50 - Tour companies
23:15 - Highlights of Keri’s last trip
27:10 - How to dress
28:35 - Keri’s favorite travel gear
29:10 - Keri’s upcoming trips
31:30 - Shoutout!
ABOUT KERI HEDRICK
Keri is a British-Australian mum of three who has been based in the United Arab Emirates for the past seven years. She founded the website Family Travel in the Middle East to remove misconceptions about the region and encourage family explorers with inspiring stories and practical information. She also runs a personal family travel blog Our Globetrotters and is the co-host of the City Travel with Kids Podcast.
Follow Keri on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
TIPS FOR VISITING EGYPT
- The best time to visit the Middle East would be between October and April, though Christmas to New Years tends to be the busiest. Going just two weeks before the holidays, you will have a lot less tourists to deal with.
- Depending on the locations you would like to visit, you could need anywhere between 3 -14 days to visit Egypt. You can easily visit Luxor and Cairo in three to four days. If you plan on traveling along the Nile you could spend about a week seeing all of the highlights. Then if you plan on really exploring the country you will need 12 - 14 days.
- Traveling around Egypt by air is often easiest and the main airline is EgyptAir. Be prepared for a lot of security in the airports. You will need to take everything out of your bags and you will be thoroughly checked before being permitted on a flight.
- Another travel option is to catch an overnight train or even a short cruise along the Nile and visit different temples and other landmarks.
- Keep in mind that when you are negotiating any kind of price, whether it is for a tour or just buying a souvenir, that you want to be very clear on if you are talking about US Dollar or Egyptian Pound. There is a big difference and you don’t want to be stuck paying more than you thought going in because of a misunderstanding.
- Be very mindful of your tipping. Anyone that helps you at all expects a tip.
- There are a lot of different kinds of security all around Egypt. Everywhere you go you will have to walk through metal detectors or you will see bomb sniffing dogs.
- Don’t drink the water! You will see warning signs everywhere.
- You will find that tour companies can be very restrictive with their dates and if you have younger kids you will find it hard to book boat trips and things like that, so you may be better off finding an experienced travel agent or working with a local company to plan a custom trip.
- When visiting a temple, it is really great to take a tour with an Egyptologist that can explain what the hieroglyphics mean.
- Make sure dress a little more conservatively. Women and girls should have knees and shoulders covered. It is also a great idea to bring a shaw or light jacket with you in case you go anywhere that you need a bit more coverage. You should also make sure that you are wearing closed toed shoes when walking around. This is more for the dust and grime that your feet will end up covered in with sandals rather than being conservitive.
FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR
Keri loves to wear looser cargo pants that offer some air flow if the heat of the Middle East along with her casual Skechers.
MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST
Bakseesh Tipping Culture in Egypt
FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD!
If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email at [email protected]. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!