Would you travel to Egypt or Turkey

[Deleted]

in Dec/Jan? 

When we asked the kids where they wanted to go they said Egypt or Turkey (no suggestions from us except we have to fly there from Heathrow). 

[frlcb]

I would do Turkey but I would not do Egypt, especially with kids. I have been to Istanbul in late November and it snowed.

[SJ]

Turkey, no question.

[Deleted]

Right now, I would do Turkey, but not Egypt.

We've been to Egypt in late December/early January and it was perfect in terms of weather (warm and sunny but not too hot), surprisingly few crowds (I guess it's not a big holiday destination). I would save that one for the future, for sure.

[juliahenry]

Would you/they consider morocco? Or The Gambia? I would want warmer, but not Egypt.

[Deleted]

Aug 25, 2013 20:13:41 GMT -5 juliahenry said:

Would you/they consider morocco? Or The Gambia? I would want warmer, but not Egypt.

We did Morocco two summers ago and loved. I want to go back but there is so much I still want to see too.

I'm surprised Turkey is so cold. We were in cyprus last Christmas and it was in the 80s during the day

[frlcb]

Aug 26, 2013 6:00:50 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Aug 25, 2013 20:13:41 GMT -5 juliahenry said:

Would you/they consider morocco? Or The Gambia? I would want warmer, but not Egypt.

We did Morocco two summers ago and loved. I want to go back but there is so much I still want to see too.

I'm surprised Turkey is so cold. We were in cyprus last Christmas and it was in the 80s during the day

In Istanbul it gets cold. The beaches may get warmer, I don't know. But Cyprus and Turkey (not the Turkish part of Cypress, obviously) are like 350 miles from each other

[Deleted]

Aug 26, 2013 6:35:51 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Aug 26, 2013 6:00:50 GMT -5 @septimus said:

We did Morocco two summers ago and loved. I want to go back but there is so much I still want to see too.

I'm surprised Turkey is so cold. We were in cyprus last Christmas and it was in the 80s during the day

In Istanbul it gets cold. The beaches may get warmer, I don't know. But Cyprus and Turkey (not the Turkish part of Cypress, obviously) are like 350 miles from each other

I realize they are further apart, I just didn't think it would be snowy but if I though about elevation, etc I would realize that

[Deleted]

Aug 25, 2013 20:13:41 GMT -5 juliahenry said:

Would you/they consider morocco? Or The Gambia? I would want warmer, but not Egypt.

Gambia would have never crossed my mind. Is it safe for kids? Enough adventure and "luxury"? 

[scout8]

We did a combo Turkey/Greece trip in late Nov/early Dec. We had decent weather. It wasn't beach weather, but it wasn't freezing either. We may have gotten lucky though.

[juliahenry]

Aug 26, 2013 6:43:06 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Aug 25, 2013 20:13:41 GMT -5 juliahenry said:

Would you/they consider morocco? Or The Gambia? I would want warmer, but not Egypt.

Gambia would have never crossed my mind. Is it safe for kids? Enough adventure and "luxury"? 

It's safe, has great beaches and wildlife, plus west African culture. I would take kids there. 

As for luxury, it's certainly possible. Depends which resorts you choose.

the other place to consider is ethiopia, which is the next place on my 'must see' list.

[frlcb]

Aug 26, 2013 6:40:28 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Aug 26, 2013 6:35:51 GMT -5 frlcb said:

In Istanbul it gets cold. The beaches may get warmer, I don't know. But Cyprus and Turkey (not the Turkish part of Cypress, obviously) are like 350 miles from each other

I realize they are further apart, I just didn't think it would be snowy but if I though about elevation, etc I would realize that

I think it was unusual that it snowed when we were there in November. But it was definitely really cold.

[msamyfarrahfowler]

Yes to Turkey; no to Egypt. I don't mind walking around in cold weather, so a Dec/Jan trip wouldn't bother me much. Less crowds is a big plus for me.

[Wanderista]

Istanbul was included in the blankets of snow that fell across Europe last winter. It was an unusually cold winter across the continent. It would still probably be nice to visit. The weather in that region may vary a bit at that time of year. It's probably not always that cold. 

Egypt is warm and sunny year round. I'm not telling you to override travel warnings but I went there in 2012 to a resort in Makadi Bay (flew straight into Hurghada). I didn't go to Cairo or Luxor, though probably could have gone to Luxor. I felt totally safe there, no political unrest at all. The resorts are kind of like compounds and there are military checkpoints every time you cross a "city or county line". I went through several of these and it was just like going through a tollbooth, as a tourist in arranged transportation, I kind of went through the "fast lane". I was the only American that I saw there at all at the time. The tourists were pretty much all Russian/Eastern European/Egyptian/Saudi with some Germans and Brits. I know some Brits who go to other resorts in that region several times a year. I never felt uncomfortable about being an American. They were all very nice to me. 

The one thing I know about Hurghada is that the resorts IN Hurghada itself kind of suck. Well, Hurghada has nothing to recommend it really, we only went there to fly in and out and we heard bad things about the town from tourists who tried to sightsee there. The resorts to the north and south of it, for which you can get reliable airports transfers, are very nice. El Gouna, Makadi Bay where I was, Safaga also probably have got nice resorts and are safe and private. From the resorts, you can do cool day trips which I did. So I guess that it's a little bit like Mexico. 

Anyway, I wouldn't rule out going to Egypt sometime though I'm not telling you to feel risky. I was there when Morsi came in and I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I got there. We decided against going to Cairo since we weren't sure but we had a great time and were very safe in the beach region where we were. We went on a desert safari and learned about Bedouin culture. Rode camels multiple times. Snorkeled in coral reefs and visited some barrier islands. You have to watch out for some of the men (a little prone to sexual harassment) there but overall we had a great time. I met some really cool Egyptians too. I'd go back.

[GilliC]

The southern coast of Turkey would be much warmer, but still not beach weather IMO. Average highs that time of year are only around 15°C.

However, seeing pictures of the karst landscape in Cappadocia makes me consider braving the cold. And our cave hotel room had a fireplace, which would have been fun and cozy!

[Deleted]

I'm having a hard deciding. I really want to go to Lapland, but it looks like all the packages are $1500/pp for basically 3 days.

DH doesn't seem as interested in Malta or Portugal as I am. He might consider Venice.

He's also open to skiing in the Alps, but I want my kids to learn on the ice of NH ;-) like I did.

[juliahenry]

Aug 26, 2013 10:14:56 GMT -5 @septimus said:

I'm having a hard deciding. I really want to go to Lapland, but it looks like all the packages are $1500/pp for basically 3 days.

DH doesn't seem as interested in Malta or Portugal as I am. He might consider Venice.

He's also open to skiing in the Alps, but I want my kids to learn on the ice of NH ;-) like I did.

Jordan! Petra, Amman, Dead Sea, etc. gorgeous, warmer, friendly, safe.. A great place for a family vacation.

[iammalcolmx]

Ain't no way I would go to Egypt. I wish I was meeting @publius there in November but I don't have enough leave left over because of our trip to Asia. The only way I am going to Turkey now is by myself or maybe with DH. My FIL is furious with the Turkish government and is boycotting the country.  Also I need someone to have a nonstop from Atlanta to Istanbul like yesterday, it would really enable me to make a 4 day trip there like I can do to Brasil.

[Deleted]

Aug 26, 2013 13:40:17 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Ain't no way I would go to Egypt. I wish I was meeting @publius there in November but I don't have enough leave left over because of our trip to Asia. The only way I am going to Turkey now is by myself or maybe with DH. My FIL is furious with the Turkish government and is boycotting the country.  Also I need someone to have a nonstop from Atlanta to Istanbul like yesterday, it would really enable me to make a 4 day trip there like I can do to Brasil.

when we were looking at flights to Cyrpus we were able to get direct flights to instanbul but I can't remember where from. Probably Chicago

[iammalcolmx]

Aug 26, 2013 13:54:25 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Aug 26, 2013 13:40:17 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Ain't no way I would go to Egypt. I wish I was meeting @publius there in November but I don't have enough leave left over because of our trip to Asia. The only way I am going to Turkey now is by myself or maybe with DH. My FIL is furious with the Turkish government and is boycotting the country.  Also I need someone to have a nonstop from Atlanta to Istanbul like yesterday, it would really enable me to make a 4 day trip there like I can do to Brasil.

when we were looking at flights to Cyrpus we were able to get direct flights to instanbul but I can't remember where from. Probably Chicago

Yeah you can fly to Ist from New York, DC, Houston, everywhere except Atlanta how irritating. I have been wanting to give Turkish Airlines Premium Economy a try because it looks flippin awesome. Cyprus is out for me totally. The Greeks are giving non-white folks a difficult time thinking they are undocumented immigrants even after seeing their American Passports. Can you imagine if my Black ass showed my American passport with a Turkish surname? They would put me UNDER the jail. 

[CloudBee]

Northwestern Turkey, yes. Izmir eastward? No.

Egypt? Not a chance. What I see on the news breaks my heart. We had an armed guard with us during peaceful times per our guide's policy. Nothing would make me feel safe right now. Yes the tourist hot spots in say, Giza, are relatively safe, but the raods to/from Cairo, Alexandria, etc., always pose a certain level of risk. Heck, even some of the toursity areas have had riots and small bombings. 10 days after we were there a few years ago a building next door to where we had witnessed a papyrus demonstration was bombed. Considering the state of that country right now, I wouldn't step foot on their soil.

[CloudBee]

Malta is incredible, and I would be happy to spend a week to 10 days there with children. There's history, water/beaches, the most amazing colors you will ever see in harbor (boats), fields, castles, top notch medical facilities, and lots of culture. It's a fantastic family destination.

[iammalcolmx]

Aug 26, 2013 14:34:49 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Northwestern Turkey, yes. Izmir eastward? No.

Oh yeah this too. My girlfriend lives in Izmir teaching at a University and loves it but the further East you get the more religious, so yeah I will agree with this.

[gt7301b]

Turkey, yes. Egypt, hell no. My friend who works for an NGO was just evacuated from Cairo and there is very little that could make me go there right now.