We haven't been home more than a week from Egypt and I already miss my Egyptian tour guides and friends from Beyond the Nile. The itinerary they put together along with the accommodations and personal availability made for a vacation of a lifetime. The Egyptian tour guides were all very educated on Egyptian history and did well at keeping our 17 people group enthralled. This was not accidental, the guys from Beyond the Nile are very interested in the performance of these tour guides. After the tours they were at the hotel and would ask about the tour guides and what we thought. This was very assuring for us. As for the accommodations, the hotels and the cruise boat were very nice and we never had an issue with cleanliness. I will recommend that you bring Fabreeze for rooms as Egypt does allow smoking in rooms. My favorite hotel was the in Luxor as we had a front row view of the Nile at night with a great view of the Karnak Temple on the west bank lit up at night. Now let me talk about the overnight train from Cairo to Luxor. This is what I call an experience. My husband and I we made the best of this experience, however would we do it again..hmmm not sure. The train is managed by the government and although the porter does his best to help with your needs (food, drinks), the train compartments wreak of smoke (Fabreze) and the courters are not very big. Oh and you share a bathroom and it smells of urine. So, if you are up for that kind of experience then yes, if not upgrade for the flight. Now the tipping. If someone assists you with anything, they will ask for a tip. Although, you pay in advance for tips, you should get small Egyptian pound (5 or 10) so you can give them out. Even the excursions, although the guides are said to be tipping for group you will get whispers asking for more. It's completely up to you, but we just got small bills. Clothing: well as a female I was concerned that I wore the RIGHT clothing. What i will say to this is if your Grandma wouldn't approve.. then don't wear it. Otherwise dress comfortably and try to avoid sandals at the pyramids (lots of sand between the toes) and if you choose a skirt wear shorts under incase you want to ride the camels. If you are concerned about safety, I can honestly say I never felt concerned for my safety, well except for trying to cross streets (you will see what I'm referring to when you arrive). I hope you choose to go to Egypt and you won't be disappointed with this tour company they will set you up for a Trip of a Lifetime. You just need to be open to the opportunity. Must do's: Balloon ride Giza night show/dinner (if option) Museum of Civilization Abu Simbel Tombs of Ramses IV and V in Valley of Kings For the extra tours we did most of them and my favorite was the hot hair balloon ride over the Nile. This was such a surreal experience. At first, I thought of our safety, but I can assure you these guys are professionals. Once up in the air, I knew our captain knew his stuff. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!! Prepare to be amazed by the sunrise over the Nile and the view of the Hatshepsut Temple. Another MUST is Abu Simbel, this is a 3hr ride one way, but worth it and it is a great time to catch up on some sleep. Originally we did not select for this trip, but Ahmed convinced us to go and he was 100% correct!