The decision was made. A trip was not in the cards for 2012. It just wasn’t in the budget…or so we thought.
A few weeks later, my husband reminded me that we will be celebrating twenty years of wedded bliss in August. Maybe we should go somewhere after all. He suggested Las Vegas or Amsterdam.
I’ve never been excited about Las Vegas, probably because my limited casino experiences have always made me feel like I’m descending into hell. I know that there is more to do in Vegas than gambling, but when given a choice, I always take the other location. One day, I’m sure that I’ll visit Vegas and be proven wrong.
So when my hubby asked about my destination choice, true to form, I answered, “I prefer Amsterdam, but you know we have enough Aeroplan miles to fly the family anywhere in the world.” He sat in silence, digesting this fact.
A few weeks later, he handed me three different, well-researched tour itineraries for Egypt. He had gone on Trip Advisor and looked up the top three recommended Egyptian tour companies and had them quote on the sites we wanted to see.
Egypt was our perfect vacation choice. We’d visited Egypt (and loved it) on our honeymoon. Also, once you get there, it’s very well priced. Memphis Tours quoted $955.00 Canadian per person for a twelve day tour. This included:
*Meeting and assisting us on our arrival and departure from the airport
*4 nights 4 star accommodations in Cairo
* 1 night 4 star accommodations in Aswan
* 3 nights 5 star Nile cruise
* 3 nights 4 star accommodation in Hurghada
* All breakfasts
* 5 lunches
* 4 dinners
* Most sightseeing tours
* English speaking guides
* Transportation between all locations
* A mobile phone for our use in Egypt
* Taxes/service charges.
Now that’s a great value.
I was concerned about the political situation and safety, so we checked the Canadian, American, British and Australian national tourist advisories. We will continue to monitor the Egyptian situation.
An on-going concern is my son’s peanut/tree nut and shell fish allergy. I will discuss the allergy safety measures that we are following in a future article.
Now that we knew our destination, it was time to book our Aeroplan miles.
Stay tuned for details and tips on saving money when you book your rewards and how using our rewards made unexpected changes to our trip.