I am a solo female traveler and I would never visit Egypt alone after a terrifying incident in the Cairo Bazar

Solo travel is something that many young people want to experience, to ‘find themselves’, or simply so they can see more of the world before going to work.

However, before you go, thoroughly research where you are going and make sure it is a safe place for you to go alone.

One traveler has revealed why she would never visit Egypt alone and why she believes it is unsafe for women to do so.

Tara Katims (@tarkatims), 24, was in Egypt with her best friend when she made the video – she replied to a commenter who wrote: ‘Wait, so it’s not safe for solo travelers?’

Answering the question, along with some images from her trip, she said: ‘This is Bazar in Cairo, where I went with my best friend and I don’t even want to know what would have happened if I had gone alone.

Answering the question, along with some images from her trip, she said: ‘This is Bazar in Cairo, where I went with my best friend and I don’t even want to know what would have happened if I had gone alone.

“There were tons of guys harassing us, we just kept our sunglasses on, heads down and pretended we couldn’t understand it, but then we got really lost.

‘It was so overwhelming. This older looking man appeared and said ‘I can tell you guys are really lost’ – he spoke good English and said I would lead you back to the main part of the bazaar.

She continued, “We thought he was super nice and so we followed him, leading us back to his perfume shop and begging us to come check it out.

‘He took us into what is the equivalent of a perfume cabinet and locked the door.

“For an hour and a half he rubbed us with different essential oils and perfumes and we tried to leave several times but he wouldn’t let us.

‘There was no ventilation here and I thought I was going to pass out from the fumes.

‘Eventually we realized he wouldn’t let us leave until we bought something, and even when we bought something he would try to reach into our wallets and take our money and then chase us down the street.’

She said: ‘There were loads of men harassing us, we just kept our sunglasses on, heads down and pretended we couldn’t understand it, but then we got really lost’

She continued, “We thought he was super nice and so we followed him, which led us back to his perfume shop and we were glad we came to see him.”

The TikToker concluded, “We escaped, but I really don’t know what I would have done in this situation if I wasn’t with my best friend, and I really wouldn’t recommend a girl to travel to Egypt alone because we had so much had a lot of situations like this happen to us and it was sometimes difficult to navigate.’

The area the couple visited was Kahn El Khalili Bazar, a place they thought would be safe because it looked touristy online.

Adding photos of the area, she explained: ‘Only one part looked like this, the rest was so dirty and crowded.

‘There are guides who can take you here and it’s so worth having a local speaker as it’s so easy to get lost. Don’t be fooled by the baby cats, the bazaar is not safe to do alone.’

Recommend ‘There are guides who can take you here and it is so worth having a local speaker as it is so easy to get lost.

‘I really thought I was going to be killed in that room. We went to get Koshari to heal the trauma afterwards.

‘Koshari is a must try dish, this place is the best (Abou Tarek) safe to go here alone, they don’t lock you in a cupboard.’

Commenters agreed with the TikToker’s advice, writing “I never hear good things about Egypt” and “I’ve visited over 25 countries solo.” I’m glad I didn’t do Egypt solo’.

Another girl wrote that she had a similar experience: ‘This exact same thing happened to me! We got lost, an old man told us he would show us, led us to his shop and wouldn’t let us leave. Terrifying.’

The original poster replied, “I’m so sorry but I’m also so glad we’re talking about this so other girls don’t fall for this crap!!!”

Tara explained: ‘For an hour and a half he rubbed different essential oils and perfumes on us and we tried to leave several times but he wouldn’t let us’

She told MailOnline that the advice she would give to women who choose to travel there is to ‘always take Ubers so there is an overview of where you are going and who is taking you places’.

One viewer advised: ‘It’s important to do your research and prepare when traveling abroad, especially a country like Egypt. Set boundaries and dress conservatively.

However, the TikToker argued that she had been “doing research for the past year” and also “dressed as conservatively” as she could while backpacking.

She told MailOnline that the advice she would give to women who choose to travel there is to ‘always take Ubers so there is an overview of where you are going and who is taking you somewhere’.

Secondly, ‘assume that as a tourist you will be ripped off 100% of the time and that you will get bargain prices if you shop on the street, wear loose clothing and travel with guides as much as possible.’

Finally, it’s a good idea to “learn how to say ‘Shukran’ the way the locals appreciate it.”