Above: Sanctuary Sun Boat IV, moored in Aswan - ANDREW HARPER EDITOR

In the last couple of years, far-flung destinations have been effectively off the table. But now the world is reopening. As more countries drop onerous entry restrictions, my thoughts have turned to places formerly beset by overtourism, like Egypt. Before my recent trip there, acquaintances told me that the Nile Valley was near the top of their bucket lists, but they were waiting for “a more opportune time” to visit. For me, the prospect of seeing some of the world’s most famous and impressive ancient monuments without the usual crowds was too tempting to pass up. The minor effort of clearing a few additional pretrip hurdles — assembling vaccination records and taking a rapid PCR test — was amply rewarded. Our two weeks in Egypt were stupendous.

Join Andrew Harper today to continue reading our exclusive content.