Cairo Travel Blog: At the Cairo Airport - CAI | Travel Blog

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

Cairo Travel Blog: Day 0 (Part 1)

At the Cairo Airport - CAI

I arrived in Egypt one day prior to my 10-day trip itinerary. This was because I took one extra trip to Alexandria, which would require one extra day. I had one extra night booked at the same hotel by the tour operator. I am counting my first day in Egypt as Day 0 because I arrived one day ahead.

My EgyptAir Flight MS 996 landed in Cairo on Nov 29, 2019 at 6:25 AM. You can read the full flight review in the previous post.

In the past, wherever I went, I met the tour guide after exiting customs and immigration. I was shocked to realize that my guide was waiting for me at the gate, right where we were exiting the plane.

But I had more surprises waiting. The guide took my passport from me and literally did all the customs and immigration work. I was kind of just following him from queue to queue and he even managed to skip regular lines for me.

The immigration officer even didn’t see me face to face, as the tour guide asked me to sit at a spot and took my passport to the immigration officer, who glanced at me from a distance and stamped my passport.

I realized that tourists are treated very differently in Egypt. Specialized tour guides do all the necessary paperwork at the airport, so tourists don’t have go through the hassle. This is to make Egypt a tourist-friendly country and encourage more tourists to visit.

Later on, I asked my guide at the airport and he confirmed that he (and other tour guides from different tour companies) has an airport pass issued by the ministry that allows him to maneuver inside the airport and assist tourists. He would remain at the airport for the rest of his shift to assist other tourists arriving that day.

A different guide took me to my hotel. I was so pleased that he did all my paperwork so smoothly that I gave him a good tip. He was very pleased.

5 Tips to Help You With Your Work After Retirement

5 Retirement Planning Tips

Published Date: February 2, 2012

As the global economy plunges and retirement portfolio shrinks, many Canadians are worried more than ever for their financial well being after retirement. Some retirees will be able to maintain their expected living standards regardless of how the economy does. However, this may not be the case for everyone. If you need to work or are thinking of working after retirement, here are some tips to help you with your decision.

1. Some of the government programs for retirees such as Old Age Security (OAS) credit, the government pension plan (CPP), and so on may be affected if you work full- or part-time after retirement.

2. The best way to handle your clawbacks or drawbacks to government benefit programs is to consult a financial planner or tax specialist. They have tools and calculators to show you exactly what your own numbers will look like based on your unique situation (as everyone’s scenarios are different)

3. There are free online tools and calculators available as well to help you with your retirement planning. Such online tools and calculators are available here: Sun Life’s Retirement Tools and Calculators

4. Service Canada offers Canadian Retirement Income Calculator to generate retirement income information and post retirement benefit information, including CPP benefits and OAS.

5. Regardless of how much research you do on your own, my suggestion would be to still sit with a retirement professional and discuss your situations. Due to the complex nature of retirement benefits and clawbacks, it is worth paying for advice and take action based on accurate and updated information. 

Personal Finance Software Quicken: Should You Buy It?

A Simple Personal Finance Software Quicken and Mint Review: Both Quicken and Mint Will Do The Job

First Published Date: February 9, 2012 ADawnJournal.com

I received a complimentary copy of Quicken 2012 – the most recognized Personal Finance Software. Today, I will do a brief review of this product and also will talk about whether you should pay for Quicken 2012 or stick to free personal finance software Mint. A point worth mentioning is that both Mint and Quicken are owned by Intuit.

New Features in Quicken

Some new features were added to Quicken 2012. These features are:

– A redesigned better budgeting tool
– Debt reduction planner was revamped
– Bill and income reminders were improved
– Fonts were improved for better visibility

Adding Accounts to Both Quicken and Mint

I found it easier to add accounts to Mint than Quicken. For the Canadian version of Quicken, I had to download transactions manually for each account. It was a hassle. For Mint, I had to just provide the user ID and password, and the rest was a breeze.

How About Other Features

Both Mint and Quicken have very similar features, such as the ability to see all your bank and credit card accounts in one place, track your investments, create a budget based on your actual spending, set financial goals and see progress, receive bill payment reminders, and much more. However, the confusing part is to decide whether to pay for Quicken or use free Mint. I will discuss some points below so you can make an informed decision on whether to buy or not.

When To Use Quicken

– If you are an investor and looking for in-depth portfolio monitoring such as cost basis, detailed stock quotes, and other info, then Quicken is your choice.
– If you are not comfortable with cloud-based or online personal finance software, Quicken is your choice, as all your data is stored and run on your computer, not on a cloud server.
– Except for updating your accounts, you don’t need to be connected to the Internet to use Quicken, as it runs locally on your computer.

When To Use Mint (And No Need for Quicken)

– If you are looking for portability and would like to access and manage your finances anywhere on Earth, Mint is your choice.
– If you would like to have a mobile app on your smartphone, Mint is your choice.
– Although Quicken gives you more in-depth information on some of the features, I find it a bit more complex than Mint. So if you are looking for a simple and streamlined solution and don’t mind giving up some advanced features, Mint is your choice.
– And the best part of Mint – it’s all free.

Last Word

Currently I am using both Quicken and Mint. However, had not I received a free copy of Quicken 2012 I would be reluctant to buy Quicken and would only stick to Mint.

5 Safe Online Shopping Tips You Need to Know

Online Shopping Safety and Security Tips

First Published Date: February 16, 2012 ADawnJournal.com

Convenience has its advantages and disadvantages. Advantages? There’s no need to elaborate when it comes to online shopping. Disadvantages? One of the many is that con artists or scammers get hold of your credit card or other valuable information and make you suffer endlessly. I will go over some simple things you can do to make your online shopping a safe one.

1. Protect Your Computer – Use a full version Internet security software like MacAfee or ZoneAlarm. Prices have come down a lot for the paid version of such software these days and you can get a full version protection for less than $100 annually. This is the first thing to do to protect yourself.

2. Secure Your Browser – Keep your browser up to date. I recommend Google Chrome for all your online activities. Whenever you are shopping or banking online, make sure your browser is properly encrypted by checking its URL. URL should start with HTTPS:// instead of HTTP://.

3. Use Well-Reputable Websites – Internet shopping is a lot easier when you know the merchants. We all know Amazon, eBay, Future Shop and won’t be hesitant to buy something online due to their reputation. Be extra careful when you buy from a merchant you don’t know. Research online first to check if this is a fake online store that has had issues in the past dealing with customers.

4. Do Not Use Debit Cards – If you use debit cards (Interac in Canada) online, your bank account may be exposed to thieves. Canadian credit cards now offer zero liability policies for fraudulent or unauthorized transactions under some conditions. Also, you can use PayPal instead of credit cards and I find it even safer than credit cards.

5. Other Precautions – Do not use public computers or public Wi-Fi to shop online, access your bank accounts, or access your email. Use a strong password and change it from time to time.

Some Facts About Mexico’s Economy

Economy of Mexico

First Published Date: February 23, 2012 ADawnJournal.com

Mexico is the 13th largest economy in the world (in terms of nominal GDP) and the 2nd largest in Latin America. Mexico is the 54th freest country in the world in the 2012 economic freedom score. Mexico’s GDP is about $1.6 trillion.

The emerging market economy suffered in 2009 due to the global financial crisis. Mexico was hit hard, with its GDP dropping by 6.1 percent. Mexico felt the recession more than any other country in the Americas.

However, Mexico showed very quick recovery from the global financial crisis and was able to stay out of the European sovereign debt crisis. Its GDP growth was a positive 5 percent in 2010. Its economic growth forecast for 2012 is 3.3 percent.

Mexico is a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Also, Mexico has free trade agreements with 50 other countries, including the European Free Trade Area. 90 percent or more of Mexico’s trade falls under free trade agreement.
In Latin America, Mexico is the easiest place to do business. It is the 35th easiest country to do business in in the world.

Mexico, while greatly improving its economy, still has a lot of work to do. The country faces many socioeconomic challenges, such as improving the public education system, improving its labour laws, upgrading its infrastructure, improving upon its extreme poverty, privatization of its state owned oil sector, controlling drug trafficking and violence, and reducing corruption.

As we look forward, Mexico’s expected economic growth for 2012 is 3.3 percent and 4.2 percent for 2012 to 2016. A larger private investment and private consumption expect to boost its economic activity and employment. Mexico’s economic performance is far below its full potential and there is a lot of room to maneuver.