Tag: female travel

So how did I end up in Egypt?

In Jan. 2021 as a healthcare professional I had the oppurtunity to become vaccinated and then knew I wanted to go some where for spring break (April.) Once I decided I was going to travel I had three priorities: visit somewhere that my money would go far, support the locals directly as much as possible, and do 1:1 tours. So after researching what countries were open to Americans I stumbled upon Egypt.

Egypt is home to one of the earliest civilizations and one of the 7 World Wonders of the Ancient World. Archaelogists are literally discovering findings daily. For example, while I was there the Lost Golden City was discovered. But to be honest Egypt wasn’t in my top 5 or even 10 places to visit. After researching Egypt including listening to podcasts, watching tons of YouTube videos, and reading varrious blogs I decided to make the long trip to Egypt.

My itinerary included 2 nights in Cairo, 3 in Luxor, and 2 in Hurghuda as the Red Sea.

So how far did my money go in Egypt?

My flight from Seatle, WA to Cairo was $900 USD through Delta. I stayed 7 nights between The Great Pyramid Inn, Hilton Luxor, and Steigenberger Pure All Inclusive. All together my hotels totaled $800 USD. I definitely could have stayed cheaper but opted for more luxurious hotels and or rooms with the best views. My private day tours ranged from $50- 80 USD. I chose private tours, as one of my favorite parts of traveling is getting to know the locals and a group setting often feels like you’re just a number. I also did 3 excursions; a hot air ballon ride in Luxor for $90 USD, a private cruise on the Nile River at sunset for $40 USD, and a private snorkeling trip on a speedboat for $110 USD. Again, I could have probably found a cheaper snorkeling excursion but I wanted to avoid crowds as I’ve never really enjoyed groups and even less with COVID-19.

How can you support the locals?

Tourism is one of the largest sources of income in Egypt. In 2019 over 13 million tourists visited Egypt compared to roughly only 3 million in 2020. Supporting the locals was a priority for me. I booked my tours in Cairo and Luxor with Mr. Brown Sugar , who was suggested to me by numerous people in various travel groups. Mr. Brown Sugar and his team were amazing. I consider them “brothers from another mother.” I ate at three locally owned restaurants that I highly recommend; Cafe& Restaurant Maratonga, El Hussein Restaurant, and White Elephant Thai Restaurant. Egypt is a very tip centered county and I tipped graciously. For example at El Hussein my meal including soup, salad, soda, chicken skewers, potato, and bread totaled $12 USD. The service was great and the food was delicious, I tipped the server $12 USD.

What do tourists need in order to visit Egypt during COVID-19?

As of Spring 2021 Egypt is open for tourism without qurantine. In order to avoid qurantine US tourists are required to show negative PCR test resultes dated within 72 hours of departure. In order to re-enter the US you need an additional negative PCR test result dated within 72 hours. Most hotels either have the option for a lab to come to your hotel room for testing or coordinate transportation to a nearby testing site. I opted for a lab employee to come to my hotel for $85 USD and received my results in less than 24 hours.

Egypt was amazing and I can’t wait to share more content about Egypt! Have you been to Egypt? What questions do you have about Egypt?

How to visit Barcelona solo……

Summer of 2019 I had the pleasure of checking one of my bucket list destinations off, Barcelona. I had always wanted to visit Barcelona but thought I needed to be fluent in Spanish, had been told it wasn’t safe for solo travelers, and had no idea how to even start with an itinerary. Well, I spent months researching and planning my trip. I spent 4 full days in Barcelona and could have easily spent more time there. I fell in love with Barcelona and could see myself living there if I ever moved out of the US. I mean it doesn’t get much better than tapas, fresh pastries, siestas, and sangria with dinner every night.

Public transportation in Barcelona is super user friendly. I recommend the AeroBus for transfers from the airport to the city center. Tickets for AeroBus can be purchased online in advance or in person at the airport. Once in the city center, you will want to switch to either the Metro (subway) or the TMB (public bus.) I purchased a Hola BCN multiday pass in advance before arriving to Barcelona. Public transportation in Barcelona is clean, runs promptly, and is easy to use. I used Google Maps to plan routes on the train and subway.
I stayed at Acta Atrium Palace which was beautiful, convenient to public transportation, within walkable distance to the best churros (see below), and the concierge staff went above and beyond answering any questions including drawing little maps on napkins.

Barcelona is an amazing city full of culture, great food, friendly people, and stunning architecture. Here is my 3- day itinerary.


Day 1- After checking into my hotel I quickly freshened up and headed off to find Xurreria Laietana, an intimate churro café. Be prepared to stand in line, but I promise you it’s worth it. I had the delicious churros with chocolate and an espresso. It was delicious and I may have visited twice. Afterwards, I hopped over to Toress Venecianes, where I took in the sights. Next, I headed over to the beach. I had lunch at Surf House, a casual restaurant that offers seating outside with views of the beach. I highly recommend the nachos with a cocktail. Then I ventured over to the beach where I rented a lounge chair to relax, listened to the waves and people watched. I’ll warn you now, partial nudity is common at the beach.

Day 2- I didn’t have set plans for day 2. I explored Las Rambles where I took in the stunning architecture before venturing to Mercado de La Boqueria, often referred to as “the heart of Barcelona.” You guys, this market is a foodies dream come true. You can purchase some of the freshest produce I’ve ever seen, buy local meat/ seafood, pick up just-baked bread for dinner at home, or have a sit- down meal. I seriously ate my way through the market. I had a smoothie, scallops with a nice glass of white wine, and the best spinach cheese empanada ever.


After the market, I hopped on a hop off/ hop on tour bus to this lookout point right before Muntjuic Cable Car. The cable car is a gondola lift that climbs up to Montjuic Castle. I didn’t purchase a ticket to the castle but did walk around the breathtaking grounds. The lawns are manicured to precision and there’s great lookout points of Barcelona. I highly recommended taking the cable car up in the late afternoon/ early evening to catch the sunset. I’ve lived in the pacific northwest of the United States and seen some beautiful sunsets but this sunset in Barcelona was the most stunning sunset I’ve ever seen (photos are not filtered.)

Next was dinner and I was determined to try paella while in Barcelona. Paella is a Spanish rice dish consisting of rice, Spanish green beans, garrofo ( a variety off lima or butter beans), and a protein (rabbit, chicken, duck, seafood, etc.) Friends recommended L’arrosseria Xativa, just to warn you this restaurant requires reservations which can be made online. I ordered chicken and shrimp paella with sangria. I was a little hesitant at first to try paella, I’m working on being more adventurous when it comes to food. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the paella. It has somewhat an earthy taste because of the saffron.

Day 3- I was exhausted by day 3 from all the walking and staying up late. I ended up missing my reservation for Sagrada Famalia and was unable to get another reservation. However, later that afternoon I attended my first Air BnB experience. I made my own mosaic tile art piece with Martin, a well versed and talented artist. This experience brought on a whole new respect for mosaic tile artists. It requires a lot of hand strength to use the tools when breaking the glass into pieces, precision, and patience. Martin was a great host and his home was incredibly welcoming.

After my mosaic tile experience, I walked over to Cerveceria Catalana, a beer bar and tapas restaurant. This restaurant came up when researching my trip to Barcelona and didn’t disappoint. Plan to go with an appetite so you can try a few tapas. I tried the Beef Tenderloin, Patatas Bravas, and Pimentos de Padron. I had seen the pimentos all over Barcelona before this and finally decided to try them. Pimentos d Padron are small Spanish peppers cooked in olive oil and coated with flaky sea salt, they are simple but delicious. I ended my day walking around the Gothic Quarter before returning to my hotel early so I wouldn’t miss my red- eye flight to Morocco.

So how safe is Barcelona as a solo traveler? I used public transportation for the majority of my trip and never felt unsafe. Barcelona is a well known place for pic pocketing that I fortunately did not experience. However, I could see how it could happen as you are often in crowded places and as a tourist can be so busy taking in the views that maybe you let your guard down. I wore a crossbody bag that I would hold with my hand when in busy/ crowded places and in restaraunts I always put my purse on the table vs. hanging it on my chair. I traveled with two credit cards and left one in the safe of my hotel room so that if I was pic pocketed I would still have access to funds. I think Barcelona is like any other place, you just have to be aware of your surroundings.