From the Nile to New Friends: How Solo Travel in Egypt Changed Me

There are trips that change you—and then there are trips that feel straight out of a movie. For me, Egypt was both. From sailing down the Nile to standing beneath ancient temples that have survived millennia, every moment felt almost too cinematic to be real. But it wasn’t just the jaw-dropping history or the golden sunsets that made it special—it was the people, the unexpected surprises, and the way solo travel made me feel like the main character in my own story.

Moments that felt like a movie

I still sometimes pinch myself when I think about my time in Egypt. There are many moments from this trip that feel incredibly surreal to me, but nothing will beat when we cruised down the Nile for the first time. We all boarded onto a felucca boat to the Temple of Philae. You could see it rising in the distance and all of us eager to explore because it was our first Temple visit of the trip. I could be anywhere in the world, but right now I am sailing down the Nile in Egypt alongside people who are equally enthralled by this… are you serious?

When we got off the boat and started walking toward Philae, it became clear how incredible in size this temple is. The hieroglyphics scale every inch of limestone and many are still intact. It was then that we learned the temple had been relocated to preserve it from flooding years prior. Brb I have to go move a temple!?

After our Tour Director walked us through, we had ample free time to explore on our own and find all the best photo spots here. Challenge accepted. What took this experience over the edge was getting to take another boat onto the Nile in the evening for our Welcome Dinner. We rode past the Temple of Philae again and got to see part of the nighttime Sound and Light Show; a narrative light performance projected onto the temple. Our restaurant had a perfect view. It was the kind of ambiance you didn’t expect, and that left you saying, “is this real life?”

Moments I felt like the main character

Everyone in my group had a moment to feel like the main character on this trip, or in this case a Pharaoh, and the experience we had at the perfume shop in Aswan was a big one for me. Our Tour Director knew we were hungry, so we started off on the right foot when she somehow arranged homemade falafel to meet us at the shop entrance when we arrived. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’ve been thinking about it ever since…

Not only did food have healing properties that day, but the perfumes were the main event. The staff let us sip on mint or hibiscus tea while they taught us about all the oils they make. They engaged with our entire group, asking for volunteers to try different perfumes to experience their properties, relieving stress, uplifting your mind, and healing wounds. They offered massages to experiment with a combination of oils such as amber and frankincense.

After having traveled halfway across the world and experiencing some hard-hitting jetlag, I truly felt like a VIP here. I had been dealing with a lot of back pain prior to the trip, so this massage was a real surprise and delight moment. I wound up leaving with two perfume favorites, Yiang ylang and Nut. These remind me so much of my trip and the near two hours we spent enjoying ourselves in the shop. I felt like their favorite customer, and it set the tone for what continued to be a trip full of core memories.

Moments that changed me

I’ll be so honest and say that when I first arrived in Cairo, I cried alone in my hotel room because I felt so tired and far from home. I felt unsure of my place and what lay ahead on this tour. I was quickly comforted by the realization that I really wasn’t alone at all. I was surrounded by people who were fearless in their love for travel and adventure, just like I was and what led me to taking this trip in the first place. Together we shared meals, stories of past travel and future ambitions, and the elevated excitement we had being in a place so different from our lives back home.

Our Tour Director, our Egyptian Mama Hala, was our guiding light through every moment. At the end of the tour when she asked us what our favorite part was, almost everyone said the people. Our group. I feel changed by them and this trip because it is only once that we were all together in the same place for the first time. It is with love and pride that I look back on the community we built together.

I would do it all again in a heartbeat because it takes a lot of courage to travel and set out on an adventure by yourself, but doing it with others who are tackling that same feat makes it that much more special.