Post revolution prices are another reason to go. The online travel newsletter that proposed a week-long Nile cruise in mid March touted 50% off. Such boasts should always be taken with a grain of salt, but after talking with other passengers, it appears that indeed this trip is at least 35% less than usual and sometimes actually 50%. That is, I paid $880 (635 euros) that included round trip air fare from Paris, transfers, eight days on the boat, a 115-euro supplement for a single room, three meals a day and daily excursions. Base price was 500 euros.

But going now yields not only price advantages. With only 20 of 300 cruise boats operating as of mid March, those who go enjoy more open vistas and less diesel fumes. You don't wait in long lines to enter temples. Of course, there are fewer boat arrivals to approach, so expect aggressive vendors. However, this is pretty much the norm, any time.