From Zamna Egypt to Ibiza Opening Weekend: My Birthday Trip Diary

From Zamna Egypt to Ibiza Opening Weekend: My Birthday Trip Diary

Fifteen days across Dublin, Egypt, Morocco, and Ibiza somehow turned into one of th

e most chaotic, expensive, beautiful, and unforgettable birthday trips I’ve ever taken.

It was the kind of trip where every destination felt completely different from the last.

One moment I was standing in front of the pyramids in Egypt listening to music at Zamna surrounded by people from all over the world. The next, I was getting lost in Marrakech after dinner and shopping for custom perfume. Then suddenly I was in Ibiza surviving on adrenaline, pool parties, loud music, and almost no sleep.

Looking back now, the trip felt slightly unhinged in the best possible way.

A Little Luxury, A Little Chaos

This trip was never supposed to become such a huge production.

But somehow the flights kept getting added, the plans kept expanding, and suddenly my birthday trip became:

Dublin → Egypt → Morocco → Ibiza → Dublin → home.

Fifteen days. Multiple countries. Too many airport outfits. Not enough sleep.

And honestly? I’d probably still do it all over again.

Some moments felt cinematic.

Some moments were overpriced.

Some moments felt chaotic.

But those are usually the trips you remember forever.

Egypt: Zamna, the Pyramids & Feeling Completely Unreal

Egypt honestly felt surreal from the beginning.

There are certain places that don’t fully register in your brain while you’re there, and Egypt was one of them.

Seeing the pyramids and sphinxes in person felt impossible. Photos genuinely do not prepare you for how massive and overwhelming they are.

But Zamna Egypt completely changed the energy of the trip.

Music echoing through the desert, lights everywhere, people dressed beautifully, everyone exhausted but excited at the same time — it felt like stepping into another world for a night.

It was probably the emotional high point of the entire trip.

We also visited the GEM museum, which ended up balancing out all the chaos with something slower and more cultural. After nonstop movement, clubs, airports, and late nights, it was nice having a moment that actually felt grounding.

Biggest Regret

Sleeping through night two of Zamna Egypt.

Still painful.

But honestly, after barely sleeping and constantly moving between countries, my body completely gave up on me.

I chose rest.

I’m still not sure if it was the correct decision.

Morocco: Perfume, Late Dinners & Getting Lost in Marrakech

Morocco felt completely different from Egypt and Ibiza.

The pace slowed down.The energy felt softer, warmer, more intimate.

And honestly, Marrakech ended up becoming one of the most unexpectedly beautiful parts of the trip.

Some of my favorite memories were the moments that weren’t planned at all:

• wandering through random streets

• accidentally getting lost

• shopping for hours

• slow late-night dinners

• getting custom Moroccan perfume made

There was something about Morocco that felt sensory in every possible way — the colors, the smells, the music, the architecture, the atmosphere.

The dinners especially felt unforgettable.

We went to:

• Nobu Marrakech

• Buddha-Bar

• Jad Mahal

And every place felt like an experience instead of just dinner.

The nightlife in Marrakech felt glamorous but still softer than Ibiza energy. Even going to the casino and clubs around the casino area somehow felt more relaxed and intimate compared to the nonstop chaos of Ibiza.

Morocco was probably the part of the trip where I felt the most present.

It felt luxurious without constantly trying to impress you.

Ibiza: Pure Overstimulation

And then came Ibiza.

Opening weekend in Ibiza is genuinely insane.

The second we arrived, it already felt loud, chaotic, overstimulating, and exciting all at once.

We stayed at Ibiza Rocks facing the pool, which meant the party atmosphere basically started the second you woke up.

Every day turned into:pool party → dinner → beach club → club → repeat.

We went to:

• Pacha

• Ushuaïa

• Ibiza High

• beach clubs

• pool parties almost every day

And honestly, Ibiza is one of those places where it becomes very easy to spend money extremely fast without realizing it.

VIP sections.Drinks.Transportation.Late-night food.Beach clubs.

Everything adds up immediately.

But the energy of Ibiza during opening weekend really is something special.

Everyone is outside.Everyone is dressed up.Nobody is sleeping.And somehow everyone still makes it to the next party.

What This Trip Actually Cost

Because we moved between multiple countries and spent money very differently depending on the destination, these numbers are estimates.

But realistically, this trip was expensive.

Flights

Austin → Dublin → Egypt → Morocco → Ibiza → Dublin → Austin

Approximately:

$1,800–2,300

Hotels & Airbnbs

Approximately:

$1,400–1,900

Zamna, Clubs & Nightlife

Approximately:

$1,200+

Food & Dinners

Approximately:

$800

Shopping

Including Moroccan perfume and random shopping moments.

Approximately:

$500

Transportation

Airport transfers, Ubers, taxis, moving between cities, and late-night rides.

Approximately:

$500

Estimated Total:

Around $6,000+

And honestly… probably more.

What I’d Do Differently to Make It Cheaper

The biggest lesson from this trip?

Luxury travel gets expensive very quickly when you stop paying attention to the small decisions.

If I recreated this exact trip now, I think I could still make it beautiful while cutting at least $1,500–2,000.

Things I’d change:

• stop doing VIP every night

• use Airbnb kitchens more often

• plan flights earlier

• stay closer to airports strategically

• reduce unnecessary transportation spending

• choose fewer “all-out” nights

Because truthfully, some of the best moments had nothing to do with spending money.

The moments I remember most are:

• getting lost in Morocco

• random conversations at dinner

• laughing in airports while exhausted

• wandering through Egypt

• quiet moments between destinations

Not necessarily the most expensive parts.

Final Thoughts

This trip reminded me that the best travel experiences are usually a mix of:

• beauty

• chaos

• spontaneity

• exhaustion

• luxury

• mistakes

• unforgettable moments

And somehow this trip managed to include all of them.

Would I do it again?

Absolutely.

Would I spend the money differently?

Also absolutely.

Join Passport Notes

I’ll be sharing more:

• destination diaries

• nightlife guides

• travel breakdowns

• mistakes I’d avoid

• future Passport Playbooks

• and ways I’d recreate these trips for less

through Passport Notes.