First, buy the Rough Guide To Egypt.
It is the best of the four guides we sampled and is full of indispensible advice, erudite and consumer-bright. Holiday packages have gone down in price in the past six months. Michael Stein Travel in Camden Street, Dublin (Tel: 01-475 5401) is offering seven nights in Luxor from £349, including accommodation. A cruise costs from £499; a mixture of hotel and cruise: £469. Two nights in Cairo added on will cost £120. Apex flights to Cairo on EgyptAir start at £440 and to Luxor from £754.
Viking Travel, with bases in Cairo and Luxor, is an excellent contact: Stein Travel will put you in touch. Best/most original buys: perfume oils, Egyptian cotton - even by the yard - spices, herbs, dates stuffed with almonds, and whatever Ptolemaic trinkets your heart desires. The local wine tastes like dust. The beer is fine. You need to bring a torch for the tombs; insect repellent, head cover and tolerance for the persistent, but largely harmless soliciting.