TravelStories Episode 32: A Quick Cairo Trip

A Quick Cairo Trip



Episode 32: Show Notes.



After a two-plus year-long wait, Tom finally used his Qatar booking credit from the pandemic (just in time before the booking expired!). Even though he wasn’t excited about the trip before departure, his wonderful experience of Cairo made him question his initial reservations. Tom details his airport experience in Canada, why he chose to fly out from there instead of America, and whether buying a cheaper ticket to fly from Canada is worth the hassle. He also shares his thoughts on the new Chase Sapphire Lounge in LaGuardia, his inflight experience of Qatar’s Qsuite, what he did during his Doha layover, and everything he loved about being in Cairo for the very first time. In addition, we discuss the convenience of using tour services to expedite airport arrivals and departures in certain countries, the sights that Tom visited in Cairo, whether he’d go back with a nested itinerary, and a quick look at the trips that Tom and Trevor have coming up.



Key Points From This Episode:




[00:59] A high-level overview of Tom’s trip to Cairo. 



[03:03] Thomas explains why he hasn’t been excited prior to departure on recent trips.



[06:38] Why he chose to connect from Canada.  



[08:43] A brief interlude on the brand-new Chase Sapphire Lounge. 



[11:50] His on-ground experience of Canada before departing for Egypt.  



[15:14] What he thinks about the Qatar Qsuite, and the rest of his inflight experience to Doha.



[19:17] Everything that happened during his layover in Doha.



[32:58] What Tom loved about being in Cairo for the first time.   



[35:54] How he used a tour guide service to expedite his arrival and domestic travel in Egypt. 



[40:21] His sightseeing and entertainment experiences in Cairo.  



[45:26] What’s on next for Tom and Trevor.  



[46:25] Whether Tom would go back to Cairo with a nested itinerary. 



[48:36] A quick yes or no: Is buying a cheaper flight out of Canada worth the hassle?




Quotes:



“Lately, a lot of the travel I’ve been having, I’ve been not really excited about it. I was not excited for this trip at all, strangely enough. And, that was so wrong because I realized having come back, it was a great trip. I enjoyed myself tremendously.” — @TktweetsKim [03:03]



“This is not the first LaGuardia flight that I’ve taken this year. And every time I’ve been to LaGuardia this year, it has impressed me.” — @TktweetsKim [11:12]



“Montreal, strangely, for a relatively major city with a lot of international connectivity, the international side of the terminals are not well-equipped, either from a lounge perspective or even from just a retail shopping perspective. It’s kind of small.” — @TktweetsKim [13:59]



“The strange thing was, it rained. It rained in Doha!” — @TktweetsKim [28:42]



“There’s a handful of countries that I just won’t enter without having that [tour] expediter service now. I don’t know if that’s lifestyle inflation or just being a good traveler, but I mean, it makes such a difference.” — @tmount [37:30]



Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:



Qatar Airways  



Qatar Qsuite



‘Episode 15: Summer Travel and the Longest Way Home’  



LaGuardia Airport  



American Airlines



Chase Sapphire Airport Lounge  



Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport



Delta Sky Club 



Boeing



Airbus 



Park Hyatt 



Lufthansa 



Hamad International Airport 



Hyatt Regency 



Straight to the Points 



Alaska Airlines



The Milenomics Podcast Network



Thomas Kim on X



Trevor Mountcastle on X