The morning of September 11, 2001, is well ingrained in my memory.
Within a few days of the attack, I called Adventure Center and verified my October trip was still scheduled, which meant I had to decide whether or not to head for the Middle East.
My parents definitely did not want me to go.
My brother, on the other hand, took the opposing view.
Deep down, I knew fear alone was not a reason to cancel my plans, however, the 24/7 media coverage of death and destruction was effective at swaying me.
And then there was a sign, in the form of Delta canceling their service to Cairo.
Suddenly, I would be due a full refund on my airfare, which made giving up my $200 tour deposit seem inconsequential.
Life seemed to sway me away from international travel, thereafter, as it wasn't until several years later in 2005 that I would dust off my passport and board a flight to Costa Rica.
If it weren't for that complete lack of travel in my early 20's, I might not have decided to make up for it with a big trip around the world in my early 30's.
And it was on that RTW trip that I made sure to visit Egypt - Cairo, the Pyramids, Luxor, and Aswan - complete with Nile River cruise and several felucca rides to make up for 2001.
