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I told ChatGPT I was recovering from a knee injury, yet I’d really love to go on a knee-friendly hike and not a physically demanding one, and so, it suggested St. Giovanni’s hike which is SUPER hilly, and is all about climbing countless steps!
I mentioned to it that I’m Muslim who doesn’t eat pork. And still, when I asked for food recommendations in Kotor, it pointed me to several BBQ restaurants serving mixed meat grills -mainly pork- instead of seafood that’s everywhere along the coast!
If it can’t hold onto things I stated outright, what happens to the things I didn’t even think about mentioning, right???!!
A hearty beef dish in Mostar
This, and being told more than once “Why pay you to plan my Egypt trip or to validate my Egypt itinerary, while I can just ask ChatGPT for free?” is exactly why I ended up testing ChatGPT on my trip to Bosnia & Montenegro, and why I’m now convinced more than ever that it would fail even harder on a trip to Egypt.
The plan was to travel to Montenegro via Bosnia relying mainly on ChatGPT, I have made some initial research, watched some content here and there, only to get a feel of the country, and be equipped to ask ChatGPT all the right questions.
To begin with, while fact checking, I kept proving ChatGPT wrong over and over again.
I was stunned to find out while researching, that travel to some parts of the Balkans can be as challenging as it is to Egypt, maybe even more, which makes the Balkans the ideal destination to compare with Egypt, but also to prove people wrong about the importance of a human experience curator vs. AI.
The most reliable info I got my hands on was from Facebook groups and Reddit forums basically, the most updated too.. For instance this is how I got my hands on train timetables from Sarajevo to Mostar. ChatGPT failed miserably at providing one!
Challenges hit many spots, read on to find out…
What Happens If You Decide Not To Drive?
In the Balkans
Almost everyone including ChatGPT recommended driving, but I don’t usually like to drive abroad, a vacation for me is a vacation from everything I do back home, therefore I couldn’t find so much info regarding those who travel using public transports, every source I got my hands on said it’s challenging yet I never really understood to what extent until I landed in Sarajevo.
In Egypt
Congrats, you’ve earned yourself to live longer, haha, driving in Egypt is NOT easy, and definitely isn’t for the faint-hearted specially in Cairo & Alexandria.
On a serious note, it’s not just about the driving, in some cases you will be asked to provide permits, and be accompanied by a convoy.
Sarajevo at night
What’s The Best Way To Book Bus/Train Tickets?
In the Balkans
While all online info that I found mentioned -including ChatGPT- to book everything on the spot from train/bus stations, at Taso’s House in Mostar, the owner told me that busticket4.me is the Balkans’ Skyscanner for buses, and was told the same at Centrum Hostel in Kotor, and is the best way to book bus tickets, which wasn’t ChatGPT’s advice that said it was better to buy them directly at the bus station as there will be more options, but I will never find out how true this is, because ChatGPT failed to mention that communication is a HUGE barrier!
Not only but also, you can book a ticket online then be asked to pay a station fee, an info I learned from the aggregator site. In Sarajevo I wasn’t asked to pay anything, but in Montenegro I was!!! Nothing about that was mentioned by ChatGPT.
Sarajevo Train Station & the Train to Mostar
Did I mention that bus tickets purchased online MUST be printed? ChatGPT didn’t mention any of this, my hostel in Mostar printed it out for me for free, as well as my hostel in Budva.
As for train tickets in Bosnia -well in Sarajevo-, I don’t know what I would have done without Adi’s -from Hostel Rio– help, who took the time to call Sarajevo train station to double-check if they accept credit card payments, along with their nightly hours -both info were wrongly given by ChatGPT that confirmed they don’t accept credit cards and suggested different working hours. The only accurate info that it shared, is that tickets can only be purchased at the station.
Mostar welcomed me with shower rains that completely drenched my hair (Signs of exhaustion slowly but surely getting into my system from day 1, thanks to ChatGPT)
In Egypt
For trains; it really depends on whether it’s a sleeper train, or a regular train. The Sleeper Train from Cairo/Giza to Luxor/Aswan & vice-versa can be booked online. For the time being, other trains cannot be booked online by foreigners, and if you book directly from the station, almost everyone will direct you to buy sleeper train tickets as it’s more expensive. As for Egyptians, all train tickets can be booked online, yet it really depends on how lucky you are, whether the website is working properly, or down, sometimes the booking option is on, other times it’s not, even the app, it might not give you results while you are checking abroad, but the minute you arrive to Egypt, you will find options even if not bookable.
For Intercity Buses; the two main bus companies are GoBus & BlueBus, GoBus covers more cities, while BlueBus is way better in terms of quality, punctuality, and customer service, so only go for GoBus if you can’t find a BlueBus on your desired route. There are other operators, yet these are the most trusted, with fewer complaints. Tickets can be booked online, or directly from the bus station, both websites are in Arabic & in English, without any hidden costs, every passenger is entitled to bring two pieces of luggage, and tickets do not have to be printed, phone version is enough.
Any other routes that you can’t find, like the ones covered by West Delta and East Delta bus operators -Cairo to Siwa for instance-, must be booked from the station, finding an accurate timetable or where to book them is a challenge, as well as communication in English at the stations.
Departure-Arrival Hours Of Buses, How Accurate Are They?
In the Balkans
The road from Mostar to Kotor, was certainly different from the one from Budva to Sarajevo; the first one that should take 4h30m on a 7:30 AM bus, left half an hour late, and at some point, pulled over and waited for an hour, only God knows why, we rode a ferry -which was super scenic, and definitely rewarding-, and arrived 2 hours later than scheduled.
From Budva to Sarajevo, the road was even more hilly, it was a 10:30 PM bus -we left 20min late-, and should have arrived at 6:30 AM, it arrived 10min earlier than expected!
View from the ferry, not bad at all, hehe
In Egypt
Road/traffic delays are almost ALWAYS expected, and guaranteed, even when buses leave on time 😊
Bus Booking Aggregator’s Results
In the Balkans
I don’t know if what I am saying is accurate, but I feel like when I looked for buses on bustickets4.me while in Bosnia and Montenegro, the results I got were different from those while I got in Egypt, there were maybe more options?
In Egypt
This tends to happen when looking for train tickets on the app, but not buses.
Baggage Allowance On Board Buses
In the Balkans
Big or small, they will charge you on your bags. From Mostar to Kotor nobody charged me, the driver said my compact backpack is okay, as long as I put it under my seat, as for Budva to Sarajevo, the driver hand-gestured that I won’t get on the bus unless I pay EUR2 for that same compact backpack, and have it stored in the bus’ lower bin.
In Egypt
When it comes to luggage, we are VERY generous, Egyptair is probably the only airline that won’t charge you extra for a 32KG bag when you are only allowed to get a 23KG, haha. Same goes for buses, each individual is entitled to bring two pieces of luggage, and will pay an extra EGP50 or 100 for a 3rd piece.. But, you will sort of have to tip the baggage-handler with EGP50-100 who is in charge of placing your bags in the lower bin.
ChatGPT’s Suggested Itinerary -The BIGGEST Disappointment There Is
In the Balkans
The itinerary that ChatGPT suggested was inhumane, to begin was; ChatGPT failed to mention anything about how hilly, and sometimes bumpy roads are, so what is supposedly a 1hr ride on Google Maps takes MUCH longer, and feels MORE hectic, making it harder to sleep or rest, leading to arriving physically EXHAUSTED, needing extra time to recover, not to mention how some buses are worn out, ACs are malfuctioning either too hot or freezing cold, which makes the journey even more tiring. I couldn’t help myself but think about enthusiastic travelers who think that it’s okay to do Siwa in one day!
The suggested plan was one night in Sarajevo -arrival city-, one day in Mostar, 2 days in Kotor, 2 days in Budva, 3 days in Durmitor Park, then night bus to Sarajevo to fly back home same morning, and while in Kotor & Budva, I was supposed to do daytrips to Lovcen, Perast, Tivat, and Herceg Novi.
What I ended up doing was one night in Sarajevo, one day in Mostar, 2 days in Kotor, 4 days in Budva, actually my first day in Budva was when I totally collapsed, and spent it swimming and literally passing out “sleeping” by the beach.
One of Budva’s beaches where I passed out
At this point, I decided that I will ditch Durmitor idea, which I luckily did, because later a friend told me that the journey to getting there is just from HELL.
The rewards of staying one extra day in Sarajevo – Coffee, Baklava, Saalep and THE view
I also decided to take a night bus to Sarajevo one day before flying back home, which would give me one full day in Sarajevo, and will guarantee with all the delays that tend to happen that I won’t miss my flight.
Sightseeing on my last day in the beautiful city of Sarajevo that totally exceeded my expectations
In Egypt
I will NEVER plan you an itinerary that would make your body scream “give me some rest” :D. The roads aren’t hilly, yet can be bumpy, and depending on where you are, but traffic in big city can be a nightmare, driving is crazy which would probably stress you out, not to mention that some roads have specific operational hours which ChatGPT will never tell you!
What Is It Like To Rely On Ride-Sharing?
In the Balkans
ChatGPT told me that Bolt is the easiest and most convenient way to get from Sarajevo Airport to the center, taxis can be a challenge as they tend to overcharge, I downloaded the app, and was SO ready to use it after a long day of travel, so that I don’t have to exchange money or look for the airport shuttle, but it turned out that Bolt had exited the Bosnian market at least a year ago. I ended up exchanging EUR10 only -as I almost NEVER exchange from the airport since their rates are always the worst-, and was lucky enough to find the shuttle bus right in front of the exit gate -according to ChatGPT it was a 15min walk to the station, and was hard to find!!
As for Montenegro, I didn’t really look up this option as I didn’t feel the need to using it, I only used the public bus once from Budva to Sveti Stefan, which I’ve found thanks to Google Maps and when I arrived to the pick-up station I asked the ticketing guy who with broken English confirmed I was waiting for the right bus, but honestly it wasn’t a pleasant experience, it was a mini-bus, not very well ventilated, over-packed with passengers sitting and standing, I arrived to Budva feeling very dizzy to the extent that I exited early and walked for a bit.
What cycling by the beach looks like in Montenegro (I walked though)
In Egypt
In Cairo you can easily rely on the Metro, which is SAFE to ride, has female-only wagons, station names are marked in Arabic and in English, and above all covers a big chunk of the touristic part of Cairo. In other major cities, or places that aren’t covered by Cairo Metro, you will be relying on ride-sharing such as; Uber/Careem/DiDi/InDrive. Beware that not all cities offer ride-sharing services, and sometimes even in those where it’s available, it can be a challenge to find one if your location is remote from the main city, and drivers sometimes text you on the app asking for a surcharge -which I usually report to the app’s customer service.
Other than metro and ride-sharing, you really need to speak Egyptian in order to get by, to begin with there aren’t pick-up stations that you can’t miss, they are more of “this is where mini/buses wait”, locals auto-stop them while making hand-signs that tell which station the rider wants to go to, or there is a co-pilot who calls out where the mini/bus is heading to, or there are signs written in Arabic, not necessarily accurate.. it’s quite an experience, and a CHALLENGE for sure!
Bonus tip: when you request a car to ride-share, and choose to make your payment in cash, your requests will be way more accepted!
That’s the sign to look for, when you wish to ride the female-only wagon in Cairo Metro
How Easy/Hard Communication Is?
In the Balkans
NOBODY mentioned how much language is a barrier, I thought it would probably be the case in Bosnia, as it isn’t as touristy, but to my surprise it was even worse in Montenegro. It’s usually okay until you wish to hop on a bus or a train, while announcements are done in a language that you don’t speak, and sometimes platforms would change and it’s hard to understand even when you keep asking 10 times if that’s your bus or not, specially that delays are frequent, and bus signs aren’t always accurate.
In Egypt
It really depends on where you are, in touristy areas almost everyone speaks English, even if very broken, you will be surprised to find some locals speaking French, Italian, Spanish, German, even Russian. However in places that are more frequented by locals, you’ll hardly find people speaking other than Egyptian dialect, train & bus stations are no exception, therefore I could definitely relate to tourists’ pain when traveling by land in Egypt.
Border Crossing Between Countries/ Continents
In the Balkans
Nobody -including ChatGPT- mentioned anything about how border crossing works, other than “it might take time, depending on the season, and how many vehicles are crossing, but the earlier you travel the better”, yet nobody said that we will have to step out the bus, stand there in a queue for a while -which was ok when it was around noon, but was freaking cold after midnight-, have our passports checked by an officer who’d stamp it to confirm that you exited one country, and then in less than 50 meters away another officer who’d check your eligibility to enter the next country and stamps.
In Egypt
Here I’m talking about crossing Ahmed Hamdy Tunnel which connects Suez city in Africa to Sinai Peninsula in Asia, this tunnel must be crossed in order to travel to Ras Sidr -kite & wind surfing hub- all the way to St. Catherine City -where Mt. Moses a.k.a. Mt. Sinai is, this where Moses received the 10 commandments from God-, Sharm El Sheikh -a resort city-, Dahab & Nuweibaa -both coastal cities that are more primitive compared to Sharm-, Taba -our border city to Eilat-, and can be a NIGHTMARE, depending on what time of day/year you are traveling. It gets much easier if you are in a car, but on a mini/bus, everybody will have to step out, have their passports/IDs checked and their luggage searched, even those stored in the lower bin.
For any Egyptian the sign on this highway is the gateway to heaven
Other Failures That Cannot Be Ignored
Hiking Ideas
Although I mentioned MANY times that I am a hiker, yet recovering from a knee injury, therefore I am not planning on putting any strain on my knees, it suggested the kick ass hike of St. Giovanni fortress in Kotor which is VERY hilly with countless steps, that I didn’t even attempt to do it from the look at it. While it could have suggested the breathtaking hike from Budva to Sveti Stefan which is flat, scenic, and super rewarding as you hike by the beach, and your stops are typically a dip in the sea , which was Miloc’s idea from Freedom Hostel in Budva. This was one of the most beautiful, physically undemanding, rewarding hikes I’ve ever done.
Can you possibly imagine the beauty of the hike from Budva to Sveti Stefan?
Montenegro Beaches
I mentioned wanting to spend quality time by the beach, ChatGPT didn’t mention a thing about how pebbly beaches are and how they require special shoes/sandals to make reaching the shore less painful, my feet were screaming!
Daytrips From Budva To Kotor Bay
Online results would show you that everything starts from Kotor, but in reality, there are lots of tours that start from Budva, and can be booked from local agencies that have kiosks by the port, and in the old town.
So, Why Pay A Curator?
Each of these failures; the “flat” hike that was actually a staircase up a fortress, the bus station that apparently doesn’t take cards, the walk to the airport shuttle that was never 15 minutes, the Bolt ride-sharing app that exited the Bosnian market a year before I tried to use it, all have one thing in common: ChatGPT didn’t lie to me. It just didn’t know.
It doesn’t know what a bumpy 5-hour coastal road actually feels like on a human body. It doesn’t know that “meat” can quietly mean pork while “beef” doesn’t, so despite me telling it I don’t eat pork, it still sent me to mixed grill restaurants. It doesn’t know the real bus schedule versus the one on the outdated website. That’s not a data problem you fix with a better prompt, it’s the entire reason experience curators exist.
Some of the no-pork, mostly seafood I had in Montenegro
So next time someone tells you “why pay a curator when ChatGPT is free,” send them this article. Then come back and let’s plan the Egypt trip that actually gets it right, the roads, the timings, the food, the border crossings, all of it without playing the guessing game.
A former lawyer, travel junkie and adventurer from head to toe. Whether broke or out of vacation time, always on the lookout for the next destination. Keen to share her travel stories, planning tips and photographs to give you a real sense of place.
