JORDAN TRAVEL GUIDES - CHARLIES WANDERINGS

The best time to visit Jordan is during Spring and Autumn in the months of April, May, September and October. During these months the days are dry and warm but not so sizzling hot as during the Summer months.

The weather is nice enough during the day to go hiking and wildflowers start blooming as well! Especially if you want to discover most of Petra on foot this is the ideal time to go. Do know that this also means that hotels and tours can book up fast so you might want to make reservations from well before.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN TRAVELING TO JORDAN

Language – The official language in Jordan is Arabic but a lot of people in the more touristic places also speak English. Learning some key Arabic phrases like hello (mer-ha-ba) and thank you (shok-ran) will go a long way.

Currency – The currency in Jordan is the Jordanian Dinar and 1JOD is the equivalent of €1,43.

Credit cards & ATM’s – You’ll find ATM’s at the airport and at the bank offices in the bigger cities but not so much in the more rural areas such as Wadi Rum and Wadi Mujib. Make sure to carry enough cash on you cause Credit Cards aren’t always accepted.

Safety – I traveled through Jordan together with a girlfriend and we felt perfectly safe the entire time. We hired a car near the airport and did a road trip throughout the entire country without any problems. The only place where you have to be careful as a woman is in Petra. Typical here are the so called romance scams where young bedouins promise eternal love to a more “lonely looking” woman but the entire thing is a scam to extort money.

TIPS FOR YOUR FIRST VISIT TO JORDAN

Don’t drink tap water – Make sure to only drink bottled water to avoid getting sick.

The 5 minutes rule – Punctuality is not really a thing in Jordan and this is one of the main reasons why public transport is pretty much a disaster. Busses don’t have fixed timetables and only leave once they’re full.

Meat vs. Vegetarian – There are a couple of delicious options for vegetarians but most dishes do come with meat.

Jordan Pass – I highly recommend getting the Jordan Pass before you leave for your trip. It saves you a $25 fee to get into the country and includes your entrance to Petra and other touristic attractions as well.

Dresscode – Jordan is a rather conservative country so make sure not to wear anything too revealing. I usually stick to flowy midi and maxi dresses combined with All Stars or sandals.

Jordan is more than Petra – Don’t be scared to wander off the beaten path and explore some lesser known places. Of course Petra has to be on your bucket list but it’s not the only beautiful place in Jordan as you’ll see in my travel guides below!

🚘 ROAD TRIPPING THROUGH JORDAN

When it comes to choosing a rental car company things can get a little confusing cause there’s a lot of companies out there ready to rip you off.

Horror Story: In South Africa the rental car company that I booked with actually copied my credit card details and 1 day later my card was blocked. So there I was, in the middle of South Africa and without a credit card. Luckily we would switch to a different company the next day for the further duration of our trip but you really don’t want this to happen on your holiday.

A good rental car company should include the following in your rental price: unlimited mileage and a fair fuel arrangement, third-party insurance of at least €7.5 million, damage insurance, theft insurance, towing cost if your car breaks down and cancel or change your reservation without any hassle.

For my road trips I always prefer booking with SunnyCars. Here you can already rent a car for as little as €27 per day and every single cost is included upon check out. Oh, and all of the things that I mentioned above that should be included are also included with them!

💡 TIP – Sometimes the local rental company will try to make you pay for additional insurance. This is in no way necessary cause SunnyCars offers you full coverage.

ALL JORDAN TRAVEL GUIDES