My wife and I, both now retired, are thinking of a trip to see as much of Egypt as we can cram into a two or three-week visit. We would like to take in Cairo (the museum and Gaza), Luxor (Karnak and the Valley of the Kings and Queens, plus a balloon trip), a boat trip up the Nile to Aswan and a visit to Abu Simbel. All the UK tour operators seem to have set itineraries that cover two of our three preferred options and I was wondering if it would be possible or even advisable to book the flights and a hotel in Cairo or Luxor for a week and then to use local tour operators to fill in the blanks. What do you think? – Vincent Pearson, via e-mail

Times travel expert, Julia Brookes, responds: It would be possible to do it yourself, using good local operators such as Jolley’s and it would probably be cheaper but, given that it’s a fairly long and complicated trip, that Cairo and Luxor are competing for the title of hassle capital of the world, and that you don’t have any contacts there, you need to ask whether you’d enjoy endless hardcore haggling.

If not, opt for a tailor-made trip from one of the Egypt specialists – you can do everything on your list and have someone else deal with annoyances such as confirming domestic flights. Bales (0845 057 1810, www.bales.co.uk) suggests a 17-day trip with hotel stays in Cairo and Luxor, cruises on the Nile and Lake Nasser and a hot air balloon ride for £2,524pp. Abercrombie & Kent (0845 618 2213, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk) has an 11-night itinerary from £2,244pp, starting with three nights at the Four Seasons hotel in Cairo and guided tours of Giza, the Egyptian Museum and the bazaar, then cruises from Luxor and Aswan. A balloon ride would be extra. A&K can also arrange a private opening of the tomb of Siti I in Luxor – now closed to the public – but this would cost a whopping £1,020.

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