Originally Posted by
travelmad478
So have I. As I said, Egypt is not one of them, because it is not a country with a weak currency. And the USD is a lot less attractive than it used to be (for everyone, including Americans) as a safe store of value. In much of the world, with the exception of central America and Ecuador, people are just not that interested in USD these days.
More importantly, EGPs are pegged to the USD and exchange is now relatively free. So there's not much premium to be hand either way.
The key thing,
JenGal, if you haven't already gone, is once you're there,
hoard small baknotes. Break big bills at every opportunity, and never pay with exact change unless you must. One of the perennial games over there -- for Egyptians and tourists alike -- is for merchants to pretend they can't make change in the hopes it will get you to just fork over the larger banknote. Notes of 1 L.E. and less (i.e., 50p, 25p) are useful for tips and buying little things when you need them. You will find larger notes (200 L.E., 100 L.E. and even 50 L.E.) very difficult to break.