Regulars (and others), we did a great job on the (Un)official FAQ: Arabic Study thread (saved on the ME Branch) to compile information in one place on that topic. Let us do the same for this specific topic as it gets asked over and over (which is ok because women's safety is always a specific concern when traveling in any country). This way we can bump it up when someone asks about it.
So please, post your information on "Women traveling in Egypt" regarding safety and hassle. Please try to keep this thread specific to this topic so it doesn't turn into a general FAQ on safety. Please post your best tips and let us try not to get into a huge debate over specific points - keep it civil and mature (as we usually do :D). Remember the quality of this thread will help you not have to keep answering this question repeatedly. ;)
My best tips off the top of my head:
1. Be smart and not too trusting as you would in any country you are not familiar with. Do not be lulled into a sense of safety by the claim of, 'I feel safer walking around at midnight in Egypt than my own hometown in the USA.' Yes, Egypt is safe relative to other large cities in the world in my opinion. However, it is still a HUGE metropolis and crime can, and does, happen.
2. Like anywhere, try not to walk alone late at night in an unfamiliar place. This is basic common sense. Do I think anything will happen to you? Most likely not. Have I walked alone late at night in Egypt? Yes. and felt just fine. However, I am familiar with the culture, speak some Arabic, and knew where I was and where I was going. Even then, I would often take certain precautions. See number 3.
3. A good tip for safety if taking a cab alone, is to ask a lady on the street (if you are female), or a male inside a nearby business, to pretend like you know each other and have her pretend to write down the cab number on the side of the cab. Let the cab driver see her writing it down by pointing at the cab (making sure the cab driver notices) and saying something like 'raqam?' (number). If there is no one around, pretend like you are saying into your cell phone, or pretend to write it down yourself and then take it inside a nearby building as if you know someone inside that the cabdriver can't see. If you are leaving an internet cafe, the guy inside will usually be more than willing to help you flag down a cab and to wait for you, even if he has to walk down the block to do so.
This said, I am guilty of only doing this usually late at night while alone. Have I ever had a cabdriver bother me? Nothing more than trying to overcharge me. Do I need to do it more often? Yes. I can be guilty of point number 1.
4. When leaving the airport, make sure the cabdriver stops at the little white guardhouse where the guard will take your name, destination, and cab number down.
More later covering - How to behave when checking into your hotel/what to look for, what to do if a man approaches you on the street, casual contact, eye contact and cultural signals.
I should have stated at the outset, that these things I advocate are not to scare anyone but just to make one alert to possible scenarios that in most likely will never occur. I just feel it is better for a woman to be prepared and to think through things in advance rather than later. Most of these things can apply to any country in the world ,and are basic common sense.
In general Egypt IS very safe to travel in, so do not let these things make you afraid to go. I would tell my mother or my nieces to go to Egypt alone in a heartbeat without reservation and I am very protective of them.
In general, you don't have to do everything on this list or even to the extent recommended. Rather be glad that we are offering our best advice/tips in various POSSIBLE (if not probable) scenarios. Also, my tips (as others will be) are based on my own behavior in Egypt and come from my own experiences and/or expectations of how I expect to be treated. Read them, consider them, and adjust them to your own comfort level and style. For background: I am a feminist Muslim woman, conservative in my personal life and behaviors, but liberal in my thinking/attitudes/worldview.
5. When checking into a hotel, don't be overly friendly with the deskclerk/bellboys etc. Be polite and professional because that creates a barrier/distance between you and the other person. I know some will say that you travel to get to know people so you don't want a barrier. However, as a single woman traveling alone it is better to be reserved at first so you get the feel for the place. Is the desk clerk flirty? How does he respond to your reservedness? Be distant a few times and then one can ease into opening up a bit by making an extra comment, asking 'how are you today' etc. Eventually this will lead to the possibility of a longer conversation and hopefully minimize the possibility that the person will be knocking on your door late at night. I am not saying that if you are totally open from the start that you will get a knock or harassed or anything at all. However, it can happen if the guy is not used to working with foreigners and misreads your friendliness for willingness, and/or is desperate to hook up with someone for sex/leaving the country, or would like to scam you. It also depends on the type of hotel you go to. That said, I have found I have been treated with respect at any hotel I have gone to despite being 'cheap' or 'expensive'. I have heard of others who have been propositioned though.
6. If a male touches you even in what you perceive as a casual touch on the hand, or arm - immediately step back, and/or shake the hand off, and/or tell him 'do not touch please', or in another way indicate that the merest touch is not permissible to you. Almost no Egyptian woman would allow a male friend much less a strange male to touch her even in the slightest way casually. It is simply not appropriate behavior at all, and allowing it could send a signal to the male that you are available for more. My best advice is to conclude whatever business you have with him immediately and walk away. Don't waste your time with someone like this, they are low class and not worth it. If you are buying something, pay him and leave. Possible exceptions are a very old gentleman who touches your shoulder to show you directions but this is rare and watch out if there is a personal follow up question. I strongly recommend this tip for all women regardless of personal lifestyle.
SkyPrincess,
Great tips and these are much appreciated. In fact, I find them useful in my life in the United States. For #6 - I have had a misunderstanding with an Egyptian man here where it started out as a normal conversation as this stranger was seated next to me at a bar and we chatted platonically for about 15 minutes, and suddenly midstream, he was talking to me about sex. I would rather not get to the point where I am looking shocked and saying "Why on earth did you feel comfortable saying that to me?" I look back on that night and wonder if during our conversation, he touched my hand or arm and I didn't notice it or respond.
It's important to understand how other cultures work.
Good news. Andreas_at_LP our new Thorntree Manager (and Moderator for the Africa branch) has made this thread a 'Kept Topic' so it will not scroll off the board.
Shannon, thanks for your input and experiences. I am not familiar with the bar scene etiquette so it is very helpful. I am not sure that in that location a touch on the arm would have been necessary. Just you being in the bar (and probably alone) talking to him might make him think 'available'. To be fair, I would say this is not unusual in many bars in the states too.
And yes, it is important to know how other cultures work and 'signals'.
No, you are right - it is probably the norm for bars, but typically people with lots of experience in American culture can make their appeal for sex a lot more subtle, such that I can effectively deflect them without ever having to go into details (and we both save face, hopefully, since they never put their desires out on the line.)
True, and that is a good example of understanding signals. I think maybe you know how to deal with it better in the USA and understand the 'signals' before it gets to the point of proposition. Whereas in Egypt, you maybe were not expecting it, or the signals were something that seemed totally normal to you but suggested something to him, or he was putting out signals that you totally missed as they were not normal for you. I can totally see this and don't mean to laugh but it is kind of funny in my minds eye. Poor you lol. On the other hand, he could have just been a pathetic king class dog.
Shannon, in most bars you'll be able to speak with men and they will remain very correct. But occasionnally you always meet the weird guy who believes European women enjoy talking about sex. One of my friends met the son of one of the richest families in Egypt, who was very polite and had very decent talks with her in Cairo bars. Then one day, he began sending her cruse sex phone messages. When I met him a few weeks after, he asked me why my friend was no longer answering his calls, he did not understand why...
Men who are used to talk with European men or women know perfectly what is appropriate and what is not. Those who don't, they believe European women are obsessed with sex and enjoy talking about it. It does not mean you let them touch your hand or you did something wrong. It's just that their brain is full of rubbish clichés, and this happens also for men belonging to ruch families. I met an Egyptian from the bourgeoisie who was 100% sure that French people were having sex in the middle of the street in broad daylight, and he would not believe me when I told me it was false...
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