You could also have your single Sim complete enough of the Egyptian quests to get the fragments to reconstruct a pushable statue. You just need an extra one. Though I found for a lot of the big quests, it's easier with 2 Sims just because there's a lot of rubble to clear, doors to inspect, etc. and one Sim easily gets tired and has to return to sleep before finishing a tomb.
Once you are able to get enough ancient coins and visa level 3 somewhere, you can also purchase the Sultan's Tabernacle, which is the fanciest tent (a palace in a tent). I originally thought you could only put tents within base camp, but it turns out you can put them outside the entrances to pyramids, etc., so for particularly large tombs I just put the tent outside and have them sleep there, eat some dried food and have a shower in a can in the morning, and they are good to go again! They also get a big moodlet boost for sleeping like a queen or king in the palace.
It's also faster for them to get to places if you either have a vacation home and teleportation pad (teleport home and then where you want to go each time), a fancy car in your backpack inventory, or at the least the Kenspa scooter from the Egyptian merchant. A lot of the terrain in Egypt and China is sandy/hilly though, so they end up having to get on and off their vehicles and jog frequently, which is why the tent saves a lot of time in travelling.