Is Hurghada a safe destination? Is it safe to travel to Egypt’s Hurghada? This is one of the questions that people keep asking over and over again. So, is it safe to travel to Hurghada? Yes. Can I guarantee it? No, unfortunately, I can’t. Continue to read all about safety in Egypt.
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People ask lots of questions about safety in Egypt. Is it safe to travel to Egypt? Unfortunately, I can’t give a straight answer to this question. No one can see the future or predict what’s going to happen next and where. The world has changed and anything can happen anywhere. So, therefore, there is no answer to this question.
But, What can I do is to share my thoughts and experiences about Egypt. And this is what I’m going to do here. I write my thoughts and tips about safety in Egypt in general, concentrating on Hurghada and the Red Sea area.
Why are people worried about safety in Egypt
Many people consider Egypt to be an unsafe destination, because of the revolution in the year 2011. Before the revolution, millions of people were travelling to Egypt without worries. Personally, I think the safety situation hasn’t changed in Egypt, but the thing that has changed is the media’s way to write about Egypt.
The newspapers want clickable headlines, and this what makes it sound like Egypt is a dangerous place, which it obviously is not. Let’s use London as an example, if someone is stabbed to death in London (which is more common there than in Egypt), it’s not a piece of worldwide news. It’s normal. But if someone gets stabbed in Hurghada, it takes only a few minutes to news become international news. To be clear, I want to add that stabbing is not normal in Egypt.
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Is it safe to travel to Egypt and Hurghada?
When you tell someone that you are about to travel to Egypt, the first question is: Egypt? Are you sure? Is it really safe to travel to Egypt?
Majority of the people who consider Egypt to be unsafe, hasn’t visited Egypt themselves. When you visit Egypt yourself, you see that it isn’t more dangerous than any other holiday destination.
Actually, almost 10 million tourists visiting in Egypt in 2018. Majority of them survived. The amount of tourists visiting in Egypt has been increasing yearly. And it still is. Most of the people who visit Egypt, notice that they were worried because for nothing.
Next: How to stay safe and healthy in Egypt?
How to stay safe and healthy in Egypt
First of all, no matter where you are travelling to, you need to use your common sense. It takes you far. Also, before travelling to Egypt or anywhere, it’s recommended to read your governments travel advisory.
Here are the links to UK and USA travel advisories to Egypt.
Second, make sure you have good and valid travel insurance. This is something you shouldn’t save, no matter where you are travelling to. Make sure your insurance covers anything that can possibly happen. It’s sad to read stories about people who need medical care in their home country but can’t be moved because of the lack of insurance and money.
In this kind of situation, your insurance will be paid back many times. If something happens, for example, you end up to a hospital or lost your lost luggage, you must have yourself covered.
Next: Terrorism in Egypt
Terrorism in Egypt
Both USA and UK travel advisories to Egypt says that there is an increased risk for terror attacks. Personally, I wouldn’t consider terrorism to be the biggest risk for tourists visiting in Egypt. Firstly, the attacks are rarely targeting tourists. And secondly, the government of Egypt makes a lot to keep the tourists safe. More about the governmental measures farther.
Unfortunately, terror attacks have taken place in many countries: United States, Sweden, France, England, New Zealand and Germany. You can’t predict what happens next and where. If we start to be afraid of attacks and stop travelling, terrorism wins. And this is not what we want.
After the revolution, there have been few terror attacks in Egypt targeted tourists. The most destructive attack took place in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2015. The bomb at the aeroplane caused the death of 224 people, most of them were from Russia. After this attack, the safety measures at the airports of Egypt have increased dramatically. You will notice this when you leave Egypt.
Other attacks in tourist areas in Egypt happened in Hurghada in 2016 (2 insured) and 2017 (3 deaths, 3 insured).
Read more: Wikipedia | Terrorism in Egypt
Next: How is Egypt protecting the tourists
How is Egypt protecting the tourists
The Government of Egypt does everything to keep the tourists safe in Egypt.
It would be a huge disaster if something happened to tourists. Many Egyptians income depends on tourism, so people want to do everything to keep tourists safe.
For example, in Hurghada police sets up roadblocks by daily basis; they check vehicles, ask ID’s, and I have heard there are civil police going around the city.
You see police everywhere, even behind your door. But this doesn’t mean that it’s more dangerous here than somewhere else. I would say that things are taken care of and controlled.
Wherever you go, there are always people around you. If you are in trouble, you just need to open your mouth and for sure there will be people helping you immediately. It’s always a disaster if something happens to tourists.
Even coming to tourist areas is not simple. When you travel from Cairo to Hurghada, there are five security checkpoints on the way. Sometimes authorities check buses and passengers in five different checkpoints, even buses don’t stop between these security checkpoints. Believe me, it’s very frustrating to sit and wait. But it’s for safety and in the end, it is good.
Also, when you go inside to the hotel, you need to pass metal detectors. Also, the hotels are very precise about who can enter the hotel area.
Personally, I’m not worried about terrorism in Egypt. Like said, terror attacks can happen anywhere. It’s more likely to die in a car accident than a terror attack. Actually, I consider the biggest threats for tourists in Egypt to be: The traffic and upset stomach.
Next: Is Hurghada safe? Is it safe to travel to Egypt?
Traffic in Egypt
Like said, I consider the biggest threats for tourists in Egypt to be traffic and upset stomach. The traffic in Egypt is crazy and crossing the road can be hard and scary. Be extra cautious when crossing the streets and walking outside.
The driving culture is totally different from what you’ve probably used to. There are no rules in Egypt. Or for sure there is, but no-one seems to care about them. If you travel to Egypt with kids, I recommend you to use strollers and consider a harness for kids.
Upset stomach
UPSET STOMACH can easily ruin your holiday. Bacteria in Egypt is different and may cause lots of problems for the ones who have a sensitive stomach. The best things to avoid getting the stomach flu in Egypt is to use keep your hands clean; use hand-sanitizer, and wash your hands properly.
When you are eating out, don’t eat raw vegetables or raw meat. If something tastes strange, don’t eat it. It’s also good to avoid milk products. If you want to protect your stomach properly, start to eat probiotics at least one week before travelling and continue to use them through your holiday.
Last but not least, don’t forget to DRINK WATER. When you stay in the sun all day, the worst thing you can do is not to drink water. Beer or other alcoholic beverages will make the situation even worse. Hydrating is something I can’t recommend enough!
A conclusion: Is Hurghada safe? Is it safe to travel to Egypt?
I have answered these questions about a million times. Yes, I think it is safe here in Hurghada. Aren’t you afraid of living there? Not at all. Why should I be afraid? To be honest, I feel safer here than in my country, even though I come from one of the safest countries in the world.
Here you don’t see drug users, unsteady or unpredictable acting people on the streets. You don’t have to be afraid of the pickpockets and can go out alone at night. Obviously, you need to use your common sense and stay away from areas and people you don’t know, especially at night time. But this is what you should do everywhere, isn’t that right?
Read more about the city of Hurghada from this post: THE CITY OF HURGHADA
Crimes against tourists in Egypt are very rare, especially when compared, how many tourists visit Egypt yearly (in 2017 8,2 million, about 10 million in 2018). I would love to see the statistics about crimes against tourists by countries. I’m sure Egypt would be far from the top.
From my point of view, Hurghada and Egypt are safe. Of course, I can’t guarantee that nothing ever happens here, but these days you can’t say what happens where and when. Something bad can happen anywhere and anytime.
Egypt is not more dangerous than any other country. Come and see it yourself.
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