Solo travel has always been a popular way for people to explore the world without needing to wait for a friend or partner to go with.
Some countries are more dangerous to roam around solo than others, particularly if you are a woman.
Egypt is one such country according to a young woman who has taken to TikTok to warn others not to visit as it is unsafe.
Tara Katims was travelling around Egypt with a friend when a viewer commented on a video of her travels asking “wait, so it’s not safe for solo travelers?”.
The 24-year-old responded via another video, posted on September 28, sharing a story that illustrated why she did not think it was safe.
“This is Bazar in Cairo where I went with my best friend and I don’t even want to know what would have happened if I went alone,” she said, adding that, despite keeping their heads down and sunglasses on, they were “harassed” by several men.
“It was so overwhelming. This elderly-looking guy appeared and was like, ‘I can tell you guys are really lost’ - he spoke good English and was like I’ll lead you back to the main part of the bazaar,” Katims said in the video.
“We thought he was super nice and so we followed him, leading us back to his perfume store and pleaded with us to check it out.” After the girls went inside, Katims claims they were locked into the shop for over an hour while the owner rubbed different products on them.
@tarkatims Replying to @bay so many things like this happened to us, i still am so glad we went but i wouldn’t go here without a companion #travelstories #egypt
♬ original sound - Tar
The pair tried to leave multiple times and Katims said she was concerned they would pass out from the fumes as there was no ventilation.
“We eventually realised he wouldn’t let us leave until we bought something and even when we did buy something he tried reaching inside our wallets and grabbing our money and then stalked us down the street,” she said.
The pair eventually escaped the situation but Katims said she thought they were going to die in the room and it had given her a lasting negative impression of the destination.
“I really wouldn’t recommend for a girl to travel to Egypt alone because we had so many situations like this happen to us and it was hard to navigate at times,” she said.
The particular market was Kahn El Khalili Bazar, which Katim said had looked touristy online, so she thought it would be safe but now would recommend going with a guide.
“There are tour guides who can take you here and it’s so worth it to have a local speaker as it’s so easy to get lost,” she said.
Katims has been vocal about her difficulties with Egypt’s highly conservative culture. In previous videos, the traveller claimed someone called the police on them for swimming in public because they were women and said being a western woman was “such a culture shock”.
“If you are going solo, going with a group tour is a must,” she stated.
Many commenters on Katims’ video appeared to agree with her impression of Egypt.
“I never hear good stories about Egypt,” one person wrote. “All I hear is bad stories about solo travel to Egypt for women,” another added.
Read More: How to solo travel as an older traveller
One commenter claimed the “exact same thing” happened to them and another woman said they went with a girlfriend and it was “one of the worst experiences” of her life.
In the comments, Katim said she was glad to start conversations about the topic of safety in Egypt so other girls could avoid similar situations.
One commenter said it was important to research and prepare before visiting a country like Egypt which has strict cultural rules.