If you are like me, you will have learned a whole heap at school about Egypt, the ancient Egyptians, hieroglyphics, Pharaohs and a people who were at the forefront of technology for their time. When I started traveling Egypt was right up ether as one of the paces that I just had to visit, I wanted to set my eyes on the Pyramids of Giza and the Valley of the Kings not to mention seeing what it feels like to sail down the famous River Nile. The problem that I had during the early years, like many travelers, was cash or the lack thereof, it didn’t hold me back though and despite being a little short on finances I went ahead and flew to Cairo. I was really surprised when I got there to learn that living on a budget in Egypt really isn’t that difficult, like anywhere in the World you can do more things with more cash but here in Egypt I got along just fine on around $20 US per day and here’s how you can too.
Accommodation
Naturally, those living on a budget need to look for accommodation that fits the size of their pocket and usually the budget/traveler hostel route means that you end up in some unsavory places, not so in Egypt. On average I was spending between $5-15 per night, the only times that I spent more than $10 was during the hotter nights when I couldn’t have survived without the added luxury of A/C. Not only does Egypt offer lots of budget accommodation, there is plenty of it.
Food
I’m not entirely sure why, but Egypt has gained some sort of reputation as a country with bland food, this was not the case from my experience. The food here is beautiful, chicken, tahini, pulses and beans, skewers, falafel, beautiful bread and good seafood are all on offer here and what’s more, it’s very cheap. Of course with budget accommodation, you won’t have anywhere to cook but eating on the street can be done for around $2 for a good portion of chicken, bread and bean salad. I used to shop in the market for fresh fruit and snacks and it was one of the cheapest places that I have bought food.
Attractions
This is usually the kicker when living on a budget, food and accommodation are essential, attractions are not but there’s nothing worse than missing out on something because you can’t afford it. Thankfully Egypt is very cheap when it comes to the main events, ticket prices fro the famous Pyramids is just $10 and when you go to Valley of the Kings in Luxor, you can pay as much as you want depending on which tombs you want to visit, these are usually just $10 each as well. Egypt also has plenty of free attractions, there are hundreds more ancient tombs and cities that you can visit free of charge and a sail down the River Nile for a night or two can set you back just $30 per night with all meals included. If you want to feast your eyes on some of the most ancient history in the World and do so on a budget, then you need to go to Egypt