So it's being a while since I travelled to Luxor for some well overdue exploring and it's about high time I told the world about my experiences...Considering I've just returned from Cairo the two cities could not be any more different to one another if they tried!

We had an early start of 4.45am to catch the bus from our hotel in Hurghada. We were well aware it was going to be a hefty journey (4 1/2 hours each way) but we were psyched as this was the first tour back out to Luxor since the 2013 revolution. We simply had to be on it! Saying that there were only 10 of us on the bus but it made for swifter exploration.

To get to Luxor you drive through the Red Sea Mountains and down into the Nile Delta, around 4 hours of desert followed by 1/2 an hour of lush green landscapes that could be mistaken for somewhere closer to home! We arrived at our first stop Karnak Temple at around 10am. Driving through Luxor I was struck at how basic the people live and how it reminded me of my town back home, effectively a small farming community (albeit with an international airport on the outskirts!). We passed by a funeral procession and the streets were lined with mourners paying their respects, which was very humbling to see.

Karnak Temple was everything it promised to be. A huge series of temples and ancient structures that you meander your way through and could probably spend a good day there. We had around an hour to squeeze what we could in. Be prepared to make some space on your camera as there are lots of things you will want to capture! Me and my colleague were coaxed behind some barriers by an old security guard to see some statues, not entirely sure what they were but that move cost us a few bob so be warned!

The hassle we got at the bus park and leading up to the temple was nothing short of overwhelming, thankfully having lived in Egypt for a while we know how to deal with these people, who are, effectively, nothing short of beggars. I did honestly feel bad for these people who's livelihood has simply disintegrated before their very eyes...Luxor once upon a time used to be a tourist hotspot, unfortunately it will take many years for it to get back to it's glory days and these people are feeling it. They were practically giving things away, but I didn't want to get stuck so I carried on walking.

Our second stop was lunch on the Nile followed by a boat crossing. It was a nice enough day for it, but marred by the fact that all you could see really were dis-used cruise boats moored up 5-a-piece on either side of the river banks. Again, the hassle getting off the boat at the other side was horrendous (your patience begins to wear thin now!). To me, the Nile was slightly dissapointing, murky waters and not half as spectacular as one would have imagined it to be. Still, our next stop promised to be an unforgettable experience: The Valley Of The Kings.

Tut's not down there so there is very little point in paying the extra tenner to see his tomb. Especially now Ramses is open for the public to see. You are allowed to visit 3 tombs during your visit to the Valley (be warned it is very hot and dry up here so take a head scarf or hat!). We were very spoilt as we were the only bus there at the time of visiting, which meant that you practically had a tomb to yourself to explore. Back in Luxor's glory days, 1000's of people would be visiting the site per day. My gran had even warned me that because of my claustrophobic tendancies, I might not enjoy it...I definitely think there was enough space with just me pottering around!

On our way to our final stop of the day we paid a visit to an alabastor factory just on the outskirts of Luxor. I did originally roll my eyes at this idea thinking it was a sure fire way for the rep's commission but I was pleasantly suprised to find myself purchasing twenty quid's worth of the stuff. Sure enough a month later it came crashing down into a million pieces on my kitchen floor but hey ho! I'd definitely reccomend having a gander, it's fascinating to watch these guys manipulate the material into the shapes and ornaments.

Our final stop was Hatshepsut's temple. By this time, I think the whole tour was flaking and we were about to be greeted by what can only be described as 'Running The Gauntlet' (see video!). Hassle, hassle and more hassle (when will these people learn this is not the way forward!). After running through the bazaar you then have a gazillion steps to climb to the temple. I found myself a bit 'templed out' by this point along with the rest of the group. I found the area to give me an uneasy feeling considering it's the place where militants massacred so many tourists a few years back. We were all back on the coach within half an hour, not to the guide's suprise who did an 'I told you so' look at everyone. It was 4.30pm. It was time for the long drive home.

We arrived back at our resort around 9pm in the evening, absolutely shattered but inspired by the day we'd spent discovering Egypt's ancient history. I'm not a huge ruins and temple's lover, but it was definitely a destination on the to do list and one that I would reccomend everyone who visits Hurghada or Marsa Alam to do. Not sure I'd spent a full holiday there but a day/overnight trip is fine.

Most large tour operators run day and overnight trips to the resort. We did ours with Thomson Holidays from the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. There are direct flights from Cairo and international from London Gatwick.

Running The Gauntlet- Hatshepsut's Temple

Tripadvisor.

In my opinion, helpful but it's controlled by advertising and big hotel chains so don't be suprised if your not so shiney review of a hotel or restaurant is not featured.
Day to day working in tourism we do check Tripadvisor and TravelCheck daily, in fact it's one of my holding pages for the work computer. But it's not the be all and end all. Sure a nice comment about you is good for the ego but at the end of the day it's all down to opinion. So with this in mind, Buzzfeed shared a great article this morning about some of Tripadvisor's worst reviews...Be warned they are pretty grim!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ailbhemalone/trip-advisor-users-who-will-never-travel-again#4q8yid

Cairo...

The first thing you will notice is the traffic. Endless traffic. Be prepared to spend the majority of your day in said traffic. It's pretty relentless. Never ever ever hire a car to drive around Cairo. Promise me.

Of course the first thing to do is go in search of the Pyramids, which are (like everything in Cairo) MILES away. Cue your first experience of traffic. However they are everything they promise to be (yes there is a very big McDonald's nearby, the city of Giza is practically pushing the Pyramids into the desert, but hey, it's the fecking Pyramids!). It's magical. The last remaining ancient wonder of the world and we are lucky to be able to visit. It's very high security and money talks up here, we were allowed for around 50le to take our car up to just beside one of the Pyramids and had a short wander around.

It says no climbing on the Pyramids. More for your health and safety I think. I stubbed my toe and as I am apparently ageing my skin is no longer as tough as it once was and cue a split right open toe. Grand times. However I'd like to point out that only I could effectively kick a Pyramid and leave my DNA on said Pyramid hopefully for 1000's of years to come...Awkward.

Now if your doing Cairo for a day (we had 8 hours) then you need to get a wriggle on pretty fast into downtown Cairo to visit the Egyptian Museum. Cue your second (and worst) experience of Cairo traffic, Cairo central is not for the faint hearted. This is where I discovered you can actually pay a man to find you a parking space, park your car and wait for you to return. They will literally stop traffic so you can park or get out. I found these guys pretty awesome and friendly- I noted that everyone we asked for directions was more than happy to help...I can't help but think if I tried to ask a taxi driver driving beside us for directions in London that I wouldn't get the same response...But onto the museum. It's big. You could probably spend a good day itself doing it properly. The advice if you only have a few hours is to do the bottom floor, the mummies and tut's tomb. We didn't do the mummies...I'm a bit squemish and was more interested in the gold and jewellery on offer. We did tut's room though which wasn't that much different to the rest of the museum. The museum is situated in Tahir square which is where both of Egypt's most recent revolutions took place. It was fascinating and inspiring to stand where so many people had joined together and stood up for their rights. You wouldn't know it now mind with swish hotels lining the square and a garden being developed in the centre.

Our 3rd stop was en route back to the airport, grabbing some food in Nasr City, one of the more wealthier districts of Cairo (I'm not sure anywhere in central Cairo could be classed as 'wealthy' but so they say...) This was where we came accross the most ridiculous traffic chaos I've ever witnessed. How women and children can board and get off a moving bus in the middle of a highway is beyond me! We ate too much food and soon it was time to head back to Cairo International. Only to discover the rather incompetant Egyptair had rescheduled our flight at a later time and not told any of it's passengers. It almost ruined the day as we could have spent longer exploring Cairo's centre rather than propping up the bar for 3 hours in the domestic terminal.  I had a twitter war with them and filed a formal complaint and of course, have thus far, had not even a sniff of an apology.

Cairo to be summed up was actually better than I expected. It's a modern, vibrant and at times, pretty Middle Eastern city. Yes it's pretty dirty and has it's very poor parts, but the people and the history make you forget all of that.

In Egypt there are plenty of domestic flights from the main resorts, from elsewrhere Egyptair fly direct from London Heathrow and Singapore and Turkish Airlines run regular services.

Around this time of year folks in travel companies around the globe receive their destinations for the next round of seasons...It can be good or bad news. Today my feed has been full of joy, moaning and even job resignations. It can make or break the next steps of your career. It opens up your mind to a whole range of questions and emotions about what to do next...Is it fine to stay another season somewhere you're not too happy with? Is it time to move on and seek out work at home? Is it time to switch jobs/company? Many times I have said that "this will be my last season" and it never is. I've said it this season though, a lot. But I know if I get my first choice then I'll do another one...And then another one...And so the cycle goes. But there is a niggling thought that keeps rearing it's head about whether or not it really is time to go back home, settle and find a 'normal' job. I'm not old by any standards, however I've been working abroad for nearly 6 years on and off and beginning to miss out on friends/families lives back at home. I'm constantly jealous of college and university friends who suddenly have scary sounding job titles or are tying the knot or worse still, popping out sprogs. Then I have to remind myself I too have a fancy sounding job title, albeit not with the fancy wage packet and I chose to give up the rest for the love of travel. That sounds pretentious but falling in love abroad is not something I would wish upon anyone, you think regular relationships are tough?

I'm dissapointed for a few of my friends who I know have worked hard in their current resorts, yet have seemingly being forgotten by said companies and not even given any of their choices. At that point, and if it happens to me I would definitely consider a move. But that's me, a big part of my working ethic is being appreciated for the work you do. Sometimes in a big company it can all get lost in translation and you start to wonder if there was any point working so hard in the first place. The advantage I have is working for an outside agency that specialises in entertainment for these big tour operators. We find out our placements later, we are self-employed and can pick up contracts as we wish. It's not great on the job security front mind, I could be without a placement for winter and that would mean a complete change of direction in career and outlook. But everything happens for a reason I always say! I know I'm starting to become incredibly picky about which destinations I do and I only do this because there are parts of the world I want to see, lots of places I've already been and some places I know for a fact I would not enjoy. Maybe I'm narrow minded but the more off the beaten track and obscure the destination, the more interested I am. I would never put down mainland Spain but I'd definitely put down Madeira or the Italian Riviera. Most people at Christmas want Lapland...It definitely has it's appeal but having done it, I definitely say be warned it is the hardest season you will ever work. But very rewarding. And a few husky rides do sweeten the workload!

So whether it's congratulations or commisserations, I wish all my travel friends the best of luck in the coming seasons and if they choose to move on then I also respect that it's a tough and heartbreaking decision to make. Nobody wants to come home and stay home after a life on the road, but sadly for most of us, this life comes with an expiration date...I can sometimes feel my ovaries screaming at me to get a move on and find a man as it will all be too late very very soon! ;-)