Meg is doing stories and showing you all that goes behind the scenes in Egypt. She was just there with our tour group having the time of her life and will share the trip live.
Our Egypt itinerary includes 3 days in a real oasis in the Sahara, complete with salt pools where you can float, natural springs, the oracle Alexander the Great consulted and an entire fortress and city built with mud.
We also make sure to avoid ALL the crowds and consistently visit places when we can be alone, either early in the morning, in the evening or when the day visitors have left.
Egypt is having a moment and with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum this is the best time ever to come. We have some spots left in November / December - come join us!
We also just released the 3rd episode of our podcast this week where I interview Alice, a modern adventurer who others have described as the female Indian Jones, who told me all about camel sex (just kidding - though she did).
We spoke about what it was like to film a documentary for the BBC in Timbuktu, what it takes to organize epic adventures and her most recent expedition: becoming the first person to cross the length of Saudi Arabia on foot.
This week's travel tip is all about cultural appropriation vs appreciation. What is the line that differentiates between the two and when wearing local attire or emulating the local looks is disrespectful to the local culture.
Cultural appropriation vs appreciation
Yes, this is me
When I was in Japan 2014, I participated in a Geisha make up experience.
This was pretty under the radar then and primarily done by Japanese people because of the cost and time required, but I decided to participate to better understand what went on behind the scenes for geishas to look the way they do. I was more interested in the experience itself than in the photos.
The photoshoot was offered by a geisha wig maker who wanted to dispel the incorrect images people had of what geishas look like and provide an insight into the preparation time and effort behind the scenes.
If you have ever seen a geisha, you may have noticed their perfect wigs. What is less obvious are the 3 hours that are required for an expert to prepare your face and hair to look like a geisha.
I had to sit through layers and layers of make up, taping of my face and skin to make it look smooth (yes, like a fake face lift with tape) and then the wig.
The photoshoot took an additional hour, including joint photos with my friend who dressed up as a samurai (spoiler, he needed very little time for the look) and a friend and her husband who did the same as us.
It was incredibly important for me to pose in the exact way geishas do, without smiling (he let me smile in the last one) and with my foot showing just the right amount, with my kimono resting in a certain way, with the umbrella held at a certain angle, etc. There were 2 assistants and the photographer in the studio.
By the end of it, I had a massive headache from the weight of the wig and all the pulling from the tape, but I left with an insider knowledge of the geisha art and heritage.
Beyond the photos, which rest on my shelf at home, the experience opened my eyes into the geisha culture and role they play.
Fast forward to 2025 when I visited Japan to design the itinerary for our trip, I wanted our guests to also have the same appreciation, but offering this experience would not have been possible, not everyone wants to spend 3 hours doing this when there is so much to see and do in Kyoto.
Throughout our trip, we already wear a more casual, day-to-day version of the silk kimonos in the onsen we spend two nights in, where it is customary to wear the hotel provided kimono while at the property.
We take our shoes off when we arrive back at the hotel and wear the tabi socks, slippers and kimono provided to dinner, breakfast, to the onsen, to the common areas, etc. See me wearing mine below.
But I also wanted to include the chance to wear the traditional kimono while visiting the uber picturesque and stunning Kiyomizudera Temple at sunset, which was another chance to appreciate Japanese traditional clothing, while not geisha art.
Kimono wearing is a very popular activity in Japan, done by Japanese people and by foreigners. If you walk around Kyoto, you will see stores renting them everywhere.
While most people don't wear the beautiful, ornate, full silk kimonos as their daily outfit anymore, elderly Japanese women, such as the grandma of our tour guide, still do wear a more casual version.
For most Japanese people, special kimonos are an attire reserved for marked occasions such as New Year's or wedding celebrations.
Because they are expensive most people don't own one or even know how to put it on (hint: it takes many layers and a lot of skill), kimono rental places fill that gap.
The practice isn't new; the place we rent our kimonos from has been in business for over 100 years first as a kimono selling business and in the last decades, as a rental space. They offer not only kimono rental but also accessories, make up and hair styling, which we also include in our experience.
These types of experiences, are not exclusive of Japan.
The government of Korea offers free entry to 5 of the main palaces in Seoul to anyone wearing the traditional hanbok and in Hong Kong you can rent a qipao (traditional Chinese dress) too.
In Armenia, we also include a photoshoot with Armenian traditional ethnic dresses from the many groups in the country, done in a studio by an expert in the topic and professional photographer. It is a great chance to see all the outfits women wear across the country and appreciate the fabric, the layers and the complements.
However, the question remains, is wearing a kimono or other local outfit, appropriation or appreciation?
We care deeply about only offering experiences and activities in our trips that are respectful of the local culture, mindful and well thought out, so, when I was considering whether to include this as part of our trip, I did extensive research on the concept of cultural appropriation vs. appreciation.
I spoke to our local partner at length, discussed this with the 2 guides that I met and spent the 2 weeks with, observed how and who did this, and read about the concept of cultural appropriation.
I wanted to make sure this was not offensive or culturally insensitive.
I am well aware that something being popular in social media or being a must-do says nothing about whether that is respectful of the local culture and wanted to make sure we were not falling into any trap.
The topic of cultural appropriation is commonly brought up not just in the travel world but in the fashion industry, especially as it refers to African culture.
Experts put forward the idea that the difference between appreciating vs. appropriating comes down to:
Whether an insider welcomes you into the culture
Whether you listen and show deference to the locals when it comes to how to wear the clothes, how you behave while wearing them and how you show respect
In our case, we are welcomed by the kimono rental place, an expert and insider into the culture, and our Japanese host who also wears one and joins the group. She briefs the group on how and when kimonos are worn today and provides more background into the clothes.
Our group all dressed up
We get the full outfit, with the tabi socks, the traditional sandals, the hair style and the handbag, and it all is put on by the team from the kimono rental store, including the 3 or 4 layers that go under the kimono itself.
Dressed up, we set off into the traditional Kyiomizu area to explore the small shops, and the temple at sunset.
While walking up the hill and the stairs, we also get to appreciate how hard it can be to wear sandals with socks and be in the tight confines of a kimono, with the many layers, the wrapping, and the corset-like waist belts.
