The Egyptian cities of Aswan, Luxor, and Cairo all feature in one of my favourite books, Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile.  

A not-so-secret part of me wants to channel the look of the women in the movies based on that novel: wandering among the Temples in Luxor, peering into the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, gazing at the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza, and climbing around the Abu Simbel temples in pretty shoes, wide linen pants, and gauzy dresses.

The last time we were in Egypt was in April of 2022, and it was HOT ! We wore loose clothing that covered us from the burning sun but also let any precious bit of breeze through. Time in the desert made us realize how very practical long loose robes, and faces protected by scarves from windburn and sand, truly are.

This time our trip is in December, in what passes for winter along the Nile.

I’ve been active for several months in a very informative Facebook group related specifically to this river cruise. The group was originally created in July 2023 by a Viking passenger – much the way our wonderful 24/25 World Cruise group was created – and has proved so useful that its moderator generously continues to give their time to managing it.

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Packing and temperatures are recurring topics of conversation.

Of course, while temperatures are “fact”, packing lists are very much a matter of personal style. Safari boots vs sneakers vs hiking sandals. Shorts vs long loose pants. Dresses vs capris. Brimmed sun-hats vs baseball caps vs flowy scarves vs bare heads (apparently not in summer – although mine generally was!). Changing for dinner. Dressing for the one Egyptian-themed night.

And my desire to look like an Englishwoman out of a 1937 novel.

It’s a lot.

It’s just a 12 day trip, but I’ve re-thought my packing at least a dozen times.

It seems that we can reasonably expect warm days and cool(er) nights: coolest in Cairo with highs and lows of 21/11°C (70/53°F), and warmest in Luxor and Aswan at 24/12°C (76/54°F ). We know the daytime temperatures under cloudless skies can feel much hotter than the numbers reflect, and watching November real-time forecasts showed daytime highs consistently hovering around 28°C (82°F) so, unless there’s a huge change into December, we’re in for a warmer than usual winter.

Folks in the FB group who hail from the southern United States talk about those December temperatures being cool; we Canadians consider those numbers full-on summer!

We won’t be out in the desert at night, although we might choose to eat dinner alfresco on our boat. I expect a light second layer – or a large scarf – will be sufficient.

So… loose and breezy clothing, with optional base layers in merino wool (Ted) and soft stretchy rayon blends (me). Lots of options in case things get sweaty! We’ll each have the jackets worn in transit from Vancouver on the off chance that we need something warmer.

As has become my new habit, I also played with Microsoft Copilot to get ideas. I gave it a general itinerary, but not specifics – and then (of course) I jammed more into my carryon sized suitcase than was suggested.

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So here’s what I ended up with:

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I know Ted won’t dress up for Egyptian night, beyond perhaps a loose cotton shirt, but I’ve packed …

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Copilot was able to suggest a wardrobe for Ted too. It confirmed essentially what I had already planned, which made me feel pretty smart!

It prompted Ted to suggest that I am “artificially intelligent”. That comment cost him a (good-natured) punch in the arm.

Ted’s daytime Egyptian excursion wardrobe leans more to lightweight hiking type gear: loose pants with lots of pockets, and long-sleeved shirts for protection from the sun. In the evenings he’ll change into chinos and cotton buttoned shirts. Of course, there’ll be his beloved merino tee shirts too.

And no blazer. Viking’s river cruises only expect “business casual” for dinners, and the Nile cruise is among the most casual in recognition of its extremely busy touring schedule.

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Ted recently switched to ultra-padded Hoka running shoes (at his podiatrist’s recommendation to help mitigate the foot pain from neuropathy). They’ll be his go-to during the day, swapping for lighter duty Rieker slip-ons in the evenings.

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Of course, there are a week’s worth of underthings and socks – which can easily be rinsed out in our cabin’s sink and hung to dry – plus jewellery, toiletries, our minimal medications, travel documents, camera, iPads, and phones (with a world-wide data plan).

Using the countdown method we always employed with our hoys, it’s just four more sleeps.

We’re ready to go!