Life changing travel experiences: The best hostel ever (in Cairo)

“There are so many ways travel can change your life, in ways you could never imagine before you leave home.”  –Daniel Neely

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf reads his essay, Backpackers’ Ball at the Sultan Hotel (7:30) before he and Dan reflect on the international cast of characters they met at at the Sultan Hotel in Cairo, and how workaday activities can make the city more interesting than tourist attractions (36:30); the friendships you make in hostels and how they end up shaping your life (44:45); how smartphones may have changed the vibe of some hostels, and how interacting with strangers at hostels can change your life (60:00).

A native of Arizona, Daniel Neely served as Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras in the early 2000s. He now works as a Senior Advisor in Emergency Preparedness at the Wellington (New Zealand) Region Emergency Management Office. He previously appeared on Deviate episode 42, “How to survive a natural disaster.” 

Notable Links:

• Backpackers’ Ball at the Sultan Hotel, by Rolf Potts (essay)
• Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, by Rolf Potts (book)
• Flaubert in Egypt: A Sensibility on Tour (collection of letters)
• Il signor Bruschino (Rossini operatic farce)
• Kuchuk Hanem (19th century Egyptian belly dancer)
• Johnnie Wadie Red Tabel (Egyptian spirit)
• Herodotus (ancient Greek historian)
• Hello America (2000 Egyptian movie)
• Saqqara (ancient burial ground in Egypt)
• Pyramid of Djoser (archaeological site in the Saqqara necropolis)
• Giza Necropolis (Egyptian pyramid complex)
• Djellaba (Arab robe)
• Keffiyeh (traditional Arabian headdress)
• Hijab (Muslim veil)
• “Kicking & Screaming” might be the best movie ever (Deviate episode)
• Kushari (Egyptian street food)
• Dahab (backpacker town in the Egyptian Sinai)

This episode of Deviate is brought to you by Tortuga Backpacks, which set the standard for the best, most durable, organized, and comfortable travel backpacks. Tortuga products also include daypacks, duffels, and other travel accessories, which are all made with the traveler in mind and have been featured by Wirecutter, The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Business Insider, Carryology, and many other industry outlets.

This episode is also brought to you by AirTreks, an industry leader in multi-stop international travel. If you’ve ever planned a trip with multiple stops, you know that finding the right flights can be difficult. Between balancing travel logistics and cost, it often becomes impossible to build an itinerary that matches your travel goals.  AirTreks is a distributed travel company with employees working from all corners of the world to help with your flight planning, specializing in complex routes with up to 25 stops. The AirTreks website offers suggested pre-planned travel itineraries to help you get started, but can customize to fit your journey.

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.