No, a diving trip doesn’t have to be expensive. Of course, buying packages and ready-made tours is almost always so much more expensive. But, unfortunately, many people mistakenly think that this is the only way to travel, or that it’s complicated to do otherwise. Like anything else in the travel world, saving money is just a matter of taking a little time! And in this case: choosing cheaper countries too!
I’ve already shared with you my cheap safari in South Africa ($687 for 6 days), I’m doing something similar for my diving trip.
Many dream of doing more diving trips, but always think of doing them only in ultra-expensive countries! You can stop dreaming and start planning an epic journey without emptying your bank account if you follow these simple tips I’ve used — and if you take a little time to organize it yourself, of course! And if you go to cheaper countries.
Here are the details of my diving trip to the Red Sea in Egypt for much less than most people usually pay.
Basics of this $499 trip ($83 per day)
It’s easy to travel for less… if you stop always only traveling to North America and Western Europe like most people do. There are plenty of affordable countries where it can cost just $40 total per day. Egypt can be one of them.
It’s clear that Egypt is on many people’s bucket list. In November 2019, my girlfriend of the time and I did it for a lot less than the overpriced packages that cost thousands of dollars — and we loved our experience!
We also took the opportunity to stay 3 weeks as digital nomads, to visit this incredible country.
So in this post, I want to show you only the diving part since I want to show you how inexpensive that can be.
You can do the diving part in 6 days (5 nights) and then add your personal favorite destinations for the rest of your trip. In this country, you’re spoilt for choice.
Our post on examples of affordable and well-rated accommodation in Egypt can give you a good idea of where to go to complete your itinerary.
For us, 2 days of diving were enough, but I’ve budgeted 3 for you, to better fill the 6 days. Of course, you can do more or less if you want. It’s not like it’s expensive. Most restaurant meals in your ultra-expensive Canada cost more than a diving day, literally.
That’s why booking all your trips by yourself is so much more enjoyable and affordable. You customize everything to your liking!
Breakdown of the $499 budget ($83 per day)
I’m focusing on the 4 main components of expenses at the destination, for which many people pay thousands of dollars:
- Diving (3 days out of 6): $225
- Accommodation: $34
- Transportation: $60
- Food: $180
That’s a total of $499 for the 6 days, so $83 per day per person for a truly epic trip.
Mine was actually even cheaper, but I did take into account the inflation since. To give you a realistic budget that you can easily do for real if you want to.
Here’s an overview of each aspect.
Diving — $225
This is obviously a pretty expensive activity compared to what you can find in many other countries.
But going diving is unique! Especially in one of the world’s best destinations for that, the Red Sea.
And still, $75 per day of diving is much more affordable than if you buy a package or dive in a more expensive country, of course.
I paid $56 per dive by organizing them on-site, but I’ve added 30%+ inflation to be on the safe side.
Accommodation — $34
If you take advantage of the current increased deal on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card, you get 71,000 Marriott points for only $120 ($60 per person if you have a companion).
You have an option that costs few points in Sharm El Sheikh, specifically 40,000 points for the 5 nights. Since it’s 56% of the amount of points from the welcome bonus, I use $34 per person as the true net cost (56% of $60).
The hotel in question is the beautiful Sheraton Sharm Hotel, Resort, Villas & Spa on the waterfront in Sharm El Sheikh (sometimes spelled Sharm El-Sheikh).
It’s a little more expensive than many hotels in Southeast Asia, but still very affordable, especially for a luxury hotel. I’ll share some examples of prices for hotels paid in cash right after if you prefer not getting free hotels.
Don’t forget that instead of 71,000 points, you can easily get 142,000 Marriott points (for $120 per person) if your companion also takes advantage of the increased deal on the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card.
There’s no minimum income requirement, so the deal is really for everyone — in fact, it’s the only card in Canada that no traveler shouldn’t have. But beware, you have to apply before the end of the day Monday (May 6th), even though there’s no time limit to use the points themselves.
The extra points, if your travel buddy takes advantage of it too, will give you plenty of other free hotels.
Speaking of other Marriott hotels, on my trip in 2019, we had stayed at a different Marriott hotel in Sharm, but it has since become an independent hotel.
If you don’t want lots of those Marriott points that are so easy to obtain or want to use them elsewhere, there are plenty of hotels that aren’t expensive in Sharm:
Well-ratedhostel: Serenity Lodge- $21 per night
- Rated 6.9/10 (only option)
- Well-rated hotel: Lido Sharm Hotel Naama Bay
- $50 per night
- $25 per night per person with a companion
- Rated 8.2/10
- Well-rated luxury hotel: Amphoras Beach
- $111 per night
- $56 per night per person with a companion
- Rated 8.5/10
- Well-rated private house/apartment: Amphoras Blu
- $84 per night
- $42 per night per person with a companion
- Rated 8.0/10
That’s still way cheaper than a package, of course.
Transportation — $60
Sharm El Sheikh is about the only place in Egypt where Uber and Careem (Uber’s local competitor) are unfortunately not available, so it’s a bit more expensive to get around — but still very cheap.
It’s now $20 each way to the airport ($10 per person, so $20 roundtrip) by taxi.
All the rest of our taxi rides cost less than $40 total for the 6 days ($20 per person). I’ve added another $20 per person just to be sure.
Food — $234
In November 2019 we easily got by with $20 worth of food a day per person, so $120 for 6 days, without being particularly careful.
I took into account the 50% inflation on food according to online data, so $180.
Itinerary suggestion for this 6-day diving trip
Here’s what these 6 days focused on the diving aspect would look like:
- Day 1: Travel to Sharm El Sheikh
- Day 2: Diving
- Day 3: Relaxing or sightseeing
- Day 4: Diving
- Day 5: Diving
- Day 6: Travel to your next destination
Learning how to travel for less
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Summary
One of the most basic things you need to know about traveling for less is that it’s almost always cheaper to organize everything yourself. It can save you literally thousands of dollars on even a single trip, especially on a diving trip. And your trip will be just as epic — no, it’ll be even more epic!
What would you like to know about Red Sea diving in Egypt? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Sharm El Sheikh (photo credit: Kevin Gagnon/Flytrippers)
