What I Learned from My Travels Through Egypt

Travelling through Egypt taught me so many life lessons, lessons I never thought Egypt could teach me.

Perhaps I was being nieve or lacking the concept of what you can learn from travelling to a non-christian country, but here’s why you should throw out the history book, switch off the news and travel instead.

I was very lucky growing up, because my mum took my brother and I travelling as often as she could; Hong Kong, New Zealand, Thailand and Bali; so even at a young age, I had already learned so much from my travel experiences, from their way of life to their accurate account of historical events.

Which was of course, completely different to what I had previously learned at school.

So, from a young age, I already appreciated and acquired an understanding, that visiting any country and learning about their culture directly, is far better that what any news story or text book can teach you.

But in truth, this enlightening view of life and travel probably didn’t play a huge part in my life, until I travelled to Egypt with my dad in 2012.

My dad is obsessed with ancient history, particularly Egyptian history; which is probably where I inherited the obsession also.

For years, we had tossed around the idea of travelling to Egypt together, and for years these travel plans always got back benched due to the varying security concerns for tourists in Egypt; or affordability at the time. It just didn’t seem like we were ever going to get there.

So, in 2012, I made an executive decision with dad that we should go, telling him it was now, or never.

Of course, there were warnings left right and centre from family and friends stating it wasn’t safe to go; tourists are being attacked there; there are protests ongoing on the streets, and of course my favourite; human trafficking is happening in Egypt, you definitely should not go.

Those close to us, and who knew us well enough, knew we would be travelling safely, and with ever precaution necessary to travel through a country like Egypt.

Travelling for nineteen days across Egypt, taught me a lot of about the ways of life, and the ways in which the media like to corrupt the news we are being told in the western world. It also educated me on the real facts of the increasing problems in Egypt, and the not so bad ones either, where the locals consider a lot the present issues just a fact of life.

I never once felt threatened, and in-fact was welcomed by everyone I passed. The colour of my skin, nor the way I dressed was compromised by the locals in anyway. And my heart goes out to the amazing Egyptians who made out trip the most wonderful experience ever.