Marwa Family Guides
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Three tiers, priced to cover staff time and the print run.

What it costs us to run the desk, divided by the number of subscribers we can serve without lowering the editorial standard. No annual discounts, no introductory offers, no upsells. Pick the tier that matches how you actually use the material.

Reader
€9 / month

For families who want the full text of the seven family files with the dated change log, plus the searchable bibliographic index.

  • All seven public family files in full, dated change log
  • Search of the bibliographic index (titles, authors, abstracts)
  • Quarterly digest emailed in PDF
  • Single bibliography entries on request, no charge
  • One Library subscription per household; same email any time
  • Monthly billing, cancel any time from the account page
Choose Reader
Most chosen
Library
€28 / month

For families using the archive as a working reference. Adds the dated photographs on request and the driver-guide shortlist.

  • Everything in Reader
  • Dated field photographs on request (any published claim)
  • Family-friendly driver-guide shortlist, six-monthly update
  • Arabic governorate notice translations, full text
  • Rommel Cave Museum bilingual handbook (PDF)
  • Family-itinerary template library (six templates)
  • 20% reduction on commissioned editorial services
  • Direct email to the responsible editor for clarifications
Choose Library
Field
€84 / month, 6-month min.

For institutions, schools and serious independent families. Adds the printed quarterly Family Notebook mailed from Cairo and a standing line to a named editor.

  • Everything in Library
  • Printed quarterly Family Notebook, A5, 36 pages
  • Standing line to a named resident editor
  • Annual photograph-archive export including unpublished images
  • Listed in the Annual Digest acknowledgements
  • 40% reduction on commissioned editorial services
  • Six-month minimum, then month-to-month
Choose Field
Side by side

The exact difference between the three tiers.

The matrix below is the version the desk uses to set up new accounts. If something is not in the table, it is not in the tier.

What you getReaderLibraryField
Public family files, full text + dated change logYesYesYes
Bibliographic index searchYesYesYes
Dated field photographs on request—YesYes
Family-friendly driver-guide shortlist—YesYes
Arabic governorate notice translationsTitles onlyFull textFull text
Rommel Cave Museum handbook—YesYes
Family-itinerary template library—YesYes
Printed quarterly Family Notebook——Yes
Standing line to a named editor——Yes
Reduction on commissioned services—20%40%
Acknowledged in Annual Digest——Yes
Billing cadenceMonthlyMonthly6 months min., then monthly
Payment & billing

How it works in practice.

A subscription is set up by writing to the desk through the contact page; we do not run a self-serve checkout. Most subscribers are families needing an invoice with a particular reference, billing address, or VAT treatment under their national rules — quoting from a short form is faster than reverse-engineering it from a card receipt.

We accept payment in Egyptian pounds for clients with Egyptian bank accounts and in euros, US dollars or pounds sterling for international clients by SWIFT transfer to the Marsa Matruh bank account. Card payments are not supported at this scale; the administrative overhead is disproportionate to the subscription volume. An invoice is issued at the start of every billing period. Reader and Library tiers cancel from the account page and access continues until the end of the paid period. The Field tier carries a six-month minimum because the first two printed notebooks are printed and shipped before the second invoice is issued.

VAT treatment: as an Egyptian L.L.C. registered under VAT ID 567-318-204, we charge Egyptian VAT to Egyptian-resident subscribers. International subscribers are zero-rated under the standard export rules and are responsible for any reverse-charge VAT in their own jurisdiction.

Pricing questions

The seven questions we get most often.

Why no annual discount?
An annual discount shifts cash forward at the cost of editorial flexibility. We would rather lose a marginal subscriber than have a year of pre-paid revenue locked in against a tier we may want to revise. The pricing is set to be sustainable monthly; if monthly is not worth it, an annual discount will not change that.
Is there a free trial?
No. Every public family file is free to read in full with the dated change log visible. If the public material is not enough on its own to make you want the subscription, the subscription is probably not for you yet.
Can a school subscribe for a whole class or year-group?
Yes. The institutional Field tier is €380 per six months for up to fifteen named users (teachers and assistants), with €22 per additional user per six months. Schools use this primarily for El Alamein curriculum trips. Contact the desk for the framework template.
What happens if I cancel mid-period?
Access continues until the end of the paid period. We do not pro-rate refunds for partial periods.
Can I gift a subscription?
Yes, at any tier. The invoice goes to the gifter; access is provisioned for the recipient. Field-tier gifts include a personal note from the editor inside the first mailed notebook. This is a popular grandparent-to-grandchild option for families with multi-generation trips planned.
Is there a student rate?
Yes. The Library tier is €14 per month for students enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate programme in tourism studies, geography, history or education. Send proof of enrolment by email; the rate runs to the end of the academic year and renews on fresh proof.
What happens if my subscription lapses?
The day after the paid period ends, access reverts to public-only. Your account is preserved for twelve months; if you resubscribe inside that window, your download history is restored. After twelve months the account is archived and a fresh subscription opens a new one.

Write to the desk and we set up the subscription by email.

Tell us the tier, your billing address and your preferred currency. The first reply, with the invoice, arrives inside one Egyptian working day.

Start a subscription See the catalogue