Hi Doe,welcome back. Did you manage to get past the reps? Hurghada is the most manic airport I've ever been to,how did you find it?

Do you know what they charge in English Chris .. I never take dollars with me but it always gets my goat up at Sharm when you get herded into the big queue . We had to get 4 visa's because the lads were diving the Thistlegorm and Im sure they charged me £14 each this year . We flew with EJ and nothing is ever mentioned on their flights but theres definately some scan going on . The small kiosk further up is still charging $15 Im sure but of course passengers dont see that until they've already parted with their money and even then I dont think they take much notice .

Every year without Fail Dave and I end up in a row over this and when I start getting involved telling other confused passengers they dont need them unless they are going to cairo or Ras mohammed etc .Now I just pay up to avoid the grief . He thinks I should keep my nose out of it .. not a chance

Hi doe,

Pleased to hear you had such a great holiday.

Re the TC reps at airport ...... I was told that they don't have any connection with TC, although they come acroos that they are. I was also of the understanding that the rep are unable to access the airport????

The first time we went we were heared into the queue, but second time we just walked straight past them to the bank tellers.

Pat

hiya all, so pleased to see you are still here Thanks for the good wishes. Yes had a lovely time.

The price in sterling depends on what the exchange rate is to the US dollar on the day of travel I think Lyn.

It was about £13 on our date, but I couldn't work out how I would pay it , as I couldn't imagine them taking a ten pound note and 3 one pound coins as I know pound coins are not legal tender there, And I thought you had to pay each one individually.

So I went into Tesco and asked for 3 x 10 dollar notes and 3 x 5 dollar notes. The guy must have thought I was having a really cheap holiday to the US.

I can't work out who the reps are Pat, but the flight attendant on the TC plane said it was $18 which is a fib.

My DH wanted to get in the reps queue at first, so I had to stand my ground with him and the reps ! Great start to a holiday, then afterwards he was all pleased with himself for not being c onned.

Minione, with the knowledge from here we were in and out of the airport & on the transfer coach in about 30 mins - hope you have the same luck.

Not long for you now.

xxx

The 'reps' are travco reps -not TC at all. Just push your way past them and go to the kiosks on the left. $15 for a visa there. Don't let them push you about!

So I went into Tesco and asked for 3 x 10 dollar notes and 3 x 5 dollar notes. The guy must have thought I was having a really cheap holiday to the US.

Probably why I never bother with the kiosks .. Im too lazy to get any dollars sorted before I go , I dont even manage any Egyptian . I just hand the money over at the herded desk in Sterling and they give me change back in £1 coins . must be more organised next year because over 4 visa's I could probably save myself £15-20 and better in my purse than theirs !!

Never arrived at Hurgharda before but if they are like those at Sharm they are very intimidating those reps to the first time visitor

Came back with £40 worth of £1 coins though courtesy of our cleaning lad salem . Kept wondering why my bag was so heavy at the airport !!!! £100 of them he had but did my good deed and help him out with the £40 . 20 of them went straight over to EJ to pay for our drinks and 2 muffins

Hi Lyn

Hope he is reliable. I've heard that they can slip in a few falsies although i guess most wont notice & they just get passed on into the system (or easyjet in your case )

First thing we were asked when we got on the coach to go to the Movenpick was could we change some up but we have no desire to spend a week rattling with 40 quids worth of pound coins, or stashing them in the safe.

I make sure I never tip with them so at least I am not contributing to the problem. (now where is my halo ? )

No trouble getting 10LE & 20LE notes, the staff at the Movenpick were happy with them. DD met an English bloke who has moved over there & he said that the cost of living is still so low that locals can live their way on the equivalent of a UK pound a day, rent, bills, food, clothes etc, ! He lives as an English person in a nice flat in Hurgarda & his rent is equivalent to £100 a month, including bills. Hard to get your head round it, still feel gutted for them about the downturn in tourism though.

Don't think I saw many Egyptian's without a decent mobile. One of the funniest things was to see the two guys on camels who ride the Movenpick perimeter trying to get folk to take camel rides on their mobiles talk about the ancient & the new working in harmony, it just seemed so incongorous - hope thats a real word !

xxx

When we went to Hurghada in December 2010 there was nearly a riot at the visa queue!
We had spent the night at Gatwick airport because of the airport being closed due to snow.
I expect there were many folk on the flight who had also and by the time we got to Hurghada we were shattered.
We made our way to the bank kiosks and were accompanied by a man who wasnt in a TC shirt and he said it was $15 or £10.
The bloke in a TC shirt came after us like a bat out of h*** and said we must go in the queue as we had travelled with TC!
I told him we were not standing in a mile long queue and started to walk away.We were followed by him and the other man.
They started arguing and by now I was ready to explode.
To calm the so called Rep down the man asked us to give him £26 and he would get the visas for us.
At that time $15 was about £8.55!
At least we didnt have to stand in the queue which was the longest I have ever seen at an airport which was probably due to 5 planes all landing within a few minutes of each other due to the dreadful weather all over the UK.
We proceeded to the exit and I decide to go to the toilet.When I entered there was a bloke with his hand out asking for money.
You can guess my reply.
When I got on the coach I asked my husband if he had my bag.I then realised I had left it on the back of the toilet door.
Knowing I couldnt go back into the airport I was lucky the TC rep who was directing people to their coaches got one of the security to retrieve it which fortunately he did contents intact!
I was looking forward to going back last year with my $15 but will have to wait until the end of this year. I did report it to Thomas Cook when I got home but dont know if they sorted it as for a while there seemed to be no hassle when people went to the bank kiosks, but its obviously started again.

I've had a good laugh at these posts this morning

To us hardened Red sea holiday makers it becomes a point of principal rather than the few £'s we are saving . I just dont like them making mugs of us . Those kiosk workers must laugh their socks off at us for the way most of us get successfully herded into those queues . How much money must they be making every day

As I say I do much of it because Dave just wants to pay the money and get out, he doesnt like queues or crowds at the best of times and 8 hours without a fag he is ready to explode .. usually at me for sticking my nose in , trying to help other confused passengers and rattling off the same story every year about how we are being robbed .

My eldest son bought a few bit's of tat in the hilton shop .. A holdall, bag and some scarves (Im a sucker for a scarf) for me and GF. . It all came to about £85 in English . The young guy working there tried to do a deal swapping the goods for his Blackberry . dont think so .. thought he might like to claim from his insurance !! .

its all funny in hindsight but I could imagine if 4 or 5 planes landed at Hurgarda at the same time, it would be chaos. We werea Friday flight & Ithat days is supposed to be less frantic than others.

I'm with you Lyn it's the principal, as it was my first time I couldn't cope with telling other passengers, I was just concentrating on getting ours from the Bank Kiosk.

Me & DH kept our blackberries hidden, but DD is welded to her IPhone, kept hoping they wouldn't know what it was fat chance! It's like Sharm with some nice shops but after about 3 you realise they are all selling the same thing.

Had a massive haggle with a guy over Billabong swim shorts as they were all priced at 450 LE & there was no way I was going to pay £45 for rip off swimmers, told him I could get genuine ones in UK for under that, he said they were genuine, so I showed him the seams, he then said they were 'genuine fakes' got them for a 100 LE and still somehow ended up feeling ripped off.

You were lucky with your bag Jean Might write to Thomas Cook if I can get motivated, dont suppose it will change anything, but at least they will know we are aware.

xxx

Next year im definately going with dollars

I almost purchased a really soft looking leather valentino shoulder bag in a beautiful reddish colour for £35. (of course it wasnt leather ) . I was just about to part with my money and I noticed what I thought was a small mark . I scratched at it with my nail and all the sprayed on leather just peeled away with it. He then said I can have it at a discount ... No thanks

I dont understand why the plastic 'leather' bags are £35 You can get a non-designer real leather bag in the UK for £35 - doesn't make any sense.

Apparently if you go down to Naama Bay at the crack of dawn, you can see all the shop owners ripping off the made in China stickers from everything. DD was most upset to think that the Egyptian camel bottle opener souvenir she bought for a friend wasn't actually from Egypt.

I think I may have been more tolerant if we hadnt had a stressful start to our holiday.
We travelled 320miles in dreadful blizzard conditions on a day when the TV were advising people to stay at home.
We had no choice and didnt want to leave the journey until the day before departure.
We arrived after an uneventful journey at out daughters village which had 2ft snow with cars abandoned at the side of the road.
We heard that Gatwick was closed so the next morning we went to the Thomas cook branch in the village to ask what we should do only to be informed we had to get to the airport and check in as normal or we would lose our money,even if the airport did not open.
We started to panic as our flight was at 9am the next day and as we would have to be at the airport at 3-4am we didnt want to chance being snowed in so decided to go to the airport then,3pm.
We then heard there was no trains or buses running so tried to get a taxi but none where willing to take us.
We then started to clean the snow of the daughters car while she went to tell her husband,who was sledging with the kids in a field nearby that she was taking us to Gatwick.
On her way back she saw a man kicking his tyres and she asked him if he had broke down.He said he was waiting for a fare.
She asked him to come and take us to Gatwick which he did 10 minutes later.
We were so relieved and after a couple of miles he answered his phone but put it straight down.He spoke in a foreign language which seemed familiar so I asked him where he was from originally?He said Turkey!I told him he was the slowest Turkish taxi driver I have ever met.
He got us there safely and charged £60 for 19 miles.
As we were going towards the doors I had a feeling they were locked.They were but some workmen opened the door to us and let us into the deserted airport,where we spent the night on the floor.We were looked after by the staff who gave us a meal in the staff canteen,drinks and blankets.
We sat next to some lovely folk returning to Vancouver who couldnt believe the airport had closed because of snow.
We checked in at 5.30am and were sent to our departure gate at 8am where we sat in the freezing cold until 1pm while 1 man on a cherry picker swept the snow off the plane with a brush.
By the time we got to Hurghada we were shattered and the visa malarkey just made me furious.
We reckoned he made £8.90 out of us that day.Multiply this by a plane load of people makes him a canny profit.

What a nightmare, sounds like you were lucky to get there at all. Plus the 5 hour flight with no leg room is unplesant as well. I would have been losing my rag as well by the time I got to Hurgarda airport visa desks.

It does annoy me as if you think of $3 x say 200 on a plane and then times the number of flights per day, per week, per year etc
It's a huge amount of money. I know people say but its only $3 but it is the whole prinicpal of the thing.

xxx

I agree Doe,It is the principle and the day we went December 3rd the exchange rate for $15 was £8.55!
We were going to take dollars with us but didnt get to town because of the weather.
What me me more mad is that my husband was just stood looking at me as if I was a complete stranger and he wasnt with me.

Fed up with all the hassles in the airport, so we now get our visas from the Egyptian Consulate before we go; I know it costs an extra fiver, but it's worth it to wave the visa page in the face of the reps, and seeing their faces fall

Nice one doonhamer32, I should like to see that. Definantly worth considering.

The TC reps (or travco or whoever they are) were kindof holding DH & DD at the top of the barrier, but i was already at the bank kiosk wealding my dollar bills and changing up me sterling into LE so they had to let them go - I quite enjoyed it really.

Way to go Chris,I'll be doing the same in just under 7 weeks.I am looking at it as a bit of a challenge.

It was a doddle You will be fine and 7 weeks will fly by I would think the weather will be ideal when you are there.

I so wish i was back at the movenpick, it was lovely there, infact I was quite taken with El Gouna, made a nice change from Sharm, I am going to try to get back there next year, either the Movenpick or The Three Corners Ocean View took my fancy as well. Goodness knows when I will get to Makadi Bay, so many lovely places so little time (and money)

xxx