Our first stop on our Middle East tour is Dubai. We only have a couple of days here, it's really just a chance to relax and acclimatise before this next chapter in our travels. Originally, we had planned to include Jordan and Israel but the political situation there has forced us to put a hold on our plans.

We have a self-driving tour planned in Oman taking the capital Muscat followed by a trip to the desert castles in Nizwa and finally, a couple of days in the mountains. It's deceivingly large and would normally take 2-3 weeks to cover but hopefully we'll get a good taste in one.

If you're looking for a lesson in ancient history, there's probably no better place to visit than Egypt. Between the Pyramids and the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we plan on immersing ourselves in pharaonic history culture. Another highlight will be a trip down the Nile from Aswan to Luxor, taking in all the sites along this centuries-old waterway including the Valley of the Kings.