My daughter and I had chosen to go on a trip to Aswan, Egypt for her college graduation gift. There wouldn’t be a better place to see pharaonic style monumental architecture set against glorious landscapes and accentuated by vivid colored Nubian houses. My daughter was eager to visit the land of her ancestors. Personally, it was wonderful to visit my homeland as a tourist, I had moved to the United States in my mid-twenties in 1999 and my visits to Egypt had been centered around family and friends.

I admit I was lost when I started planning. Information was scattered. After several weeks of searching travel books and the internet, I found that if we started out from Aswan, we could cruise up the Nile to Luxor. But if I was to undertake this journey, I would like to live out my fantasy of traveling the same way ancient Egyptians traveled, by sail. I found that the way to do that is called Dahabeeyha. I was lost again. “Why does it have to be so difficult to find and compare Dahabeeyhas?”, I thought. 

For on land stays, I accidentally discovered three hotels: The new BenBen Hotel and the new eco lodge, in front of the incredible facade of Philae Temple – Aswan’s most recognizable monument – and Al Moudira boutique hotel in Luxor. Until the moment I laid my eyes on them, it had never occurred to me that such places existed anywhere outside my imagination. The idea to build the website was born. I needed to share my soul-fueling experiences and pave the way for others by presenting all the options available in one place. 

Upon returning home to Seattle, I heard about the opening of the new Grand Museum of Cairo. With the museum open, the last piece of the puzzle fell perfectly into place. The perfect time for a dream vacation to Egypt is now. I made up my mind to let the world know.