Flight
For all American guests we recommend booking through Air France. If you are on the bigger side you can call and book accommodation, this is cheaper than booking 2 full seats or moving out of economy cabin. If you can I'd suggest leaving from the Houston Airport (IAH) as it is our nearest international airport and if you fly out of the Little Rock airport you'll have to be rerouted to the Houston airport with Delta.
Travel Note
If you're traveling with Air France we recommend you use your long layover in Paris! this way you can leave the airport and travel. There are cheap boat rides through the heart of the city that will take you right next to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and The Louvre. If you plan to visit the Louvre, home to some of the most famous art in the world such as the Mona Lisa, you do need to buy tickets in advance online. Go to the official website for the Louvre, the tickets are about 22 Euros or $25 USD for adults. You cannot guarantee entry if you don't buy your ticket ahead of time. After your Louvre visit and your hour long boat ride tour, you can make your way to Carrete. Don't skip the hot chocolate and the Macaroons. Life changing experience in my opinion. Make sure you head back to the airport 3 hours before your flight leaves, it will take about an hour to get back to the airport and at least an hour maybe more to get through security and find your gate. International flights board about an hour before the time on your ticket, so don't be late!
Travel Note
Unless you plan to stay for longer than a month, you can get a visa on arrival, they have this before you hit security or baggage claim. You will need to have $25 USD in cash per person if this is the route you plan to go. this is just a sticker they stick onto your passport page. You will take this sticker and move to security, DO NOT put it in your passport yourself, they will do this for you. They will also stamp this for you. When you go to baggage claim, this is the first area in Egypt you will have to watch for people trying to get your money. Do not let them get your bags for you, be confident and hold your ground. When you get through customs this will be the part where you can order an Uber as Egypt does use Uber, although it may be more expensive than their local ride share apps. All flights from Paris will land at about 1 am, so just be prepared for that and have a game plan. After customs there is a counter where you can get a sim card in your phone for data and calling, as well as another bank if you missed them earlier. Pull out some local currency here and make your way to your hotel/ Air BNB.
Travel Note
If you're wanting to stay in Cairo, there are plenty of hotels to pick from, even some American ones such as Marriot and Hilton. If you'd like to stay in a more local area you could stay in an Air BNB, there are plenty in the area you could get for $300-$400 for 9-10 nights, so keep that in mind. If you're someone who would feel safer with an escort since you won't have a local guide you know well, Egypt does offer security for people who hold American passports. Now some tips for staying in Egypt, these places won't have a dryer most likely, so be prepared with enough clothes or let them air dry. Most Air BNBs won't offer towels, toilet paper, paper towels, all of that kind of stuff so you may want to buy those things or bring them depending. Also as an American you CANNOT drink the water here, as it has heavy metals and other bacteria that isn't in our water as US water is typically heavily filtered and cleaned. This means don't drink it, brush your teeth with it, wash things you're going to eat off of with it, nothing. The bottled water is pretty cheap, and you can get it in liter sized bottles easily but just keep these things in mind during your stay. Even if you boil it that won't remove heavy metals.
Travel Note
This is Egypt's newest museum. It's located right next to the pyramids of Giza and even has a giant window with a great view of the pyramids. This is a really cool place to go but if you want to see mummies, they aren't here. They have lots of other cool stuff here though, it all starts on stairs, although you should take the escalators up first and go to the main galleries at the top of the stairs. When you come out, that's when you go down the steps and see that cool stuff.
Travel Note
This is where the royal mummies are located, you CANNOT take pictures of them, and they make this very clear as they have guards in all of the rooms to stop you. So, you really do have to see it. They also have more stuff on the ground floor, as well as a separate textiles museum if you're interested in the clothing and paintings.