Are you planning on visiting Jordan for your next trip? Great choice! Jordan is a real treasure trove for exploring packing lots of interesting sights on a relatively small area. But considering that you are traveling to the Middle East, is there anything you should know before your Jordan tour?
In this article, we will share with you 10 essential travel tips for your Jordan trip from simple travel tips to cultural nuances that we wish we would have known before visiting Jordan for the first time.
Key Takeaways
- Jordan is a small Middle Eastern country with rich history, famous sites like Petra, the Dead Sea, and Wadi Rum desert.
- Get the Jordan Pass to save money on entry fees to major attractions, including Petra.
- Booking a jeep tour package for Wadi Rum is highly recommended to explore the desert efficiently and enjoy overnight stays with meals.
- Respect local cultural values and norms by dressing modestly, being polite, and following local customs during your visit.
A Brief Introduction to Jordan
Jordan is a small country in the Middle East, known for its rich history and stunning landscapes. It is home to famous sites like Petra, the Dead Sea, and Wadi Rum desert. The official language is Arabic, the most practiced religion Islam and the currency is the Jordanian Dinar (JOD). The Jordanian people are considered very welcoming towards tourists and hospitable. Despite its size, Jordan offers a wide range of cultural and adventure experiences for travelers.
10 Jordan Travel Tips We Wish We Would Have Known Before
Without further ado, these are 10 Jordan travel tips that you need to know about before travelling to Jordan:
1. Get the Jordan Pass
Are you planing to stay in Jordan for more than two nights? Get the Jordan Pass. The Jordan Pass is a tourist pass that waives your entry visa fee along with your entrance fee to the Lost City of Petra and those of many other attractions. Even if you just enter the country and visit Petra, you are already saving money using the Jordan Pass. In our 3+ years of full-time travel we have never seen a tourist offer this good (and no, this is not sponsored).
Still sceptical? We did a full cost breakdown of the Jordan Pass in a separate article. Check it out to see, just how much you can save with it.
2. Renting a Car in Jordan is Cheap
We love a cheap rental car and Jordan is just the country to take advantage of one. Not only are rental cars at Queen Alia International Airport cheap with daily rates starting from just 19€ (or $23), but driving a car is also surprisingly easy in Jordan.
Granted, traffic in major cities can be challenging, especially during rush hours, but the highways are in good conditions and important signs are also displayed in the Latin script. Plus, Jordan is small enough for driving distances between sights not to exceed 3 to 4 hours.
3. Tips are not Mandatory
This one is for our fellow Americans. Tips are not mandatory in Jordan. But, while tipping is not mandatory, it is still common to leave a small tip for good service. Also, most hotels, modern restaurants and cafés in major cities such as Amman and Aqaba or those located close to tourist hotspots might include a service charge in their bill that usually amounts to about 10 % of the total bill. Also, it is common to tip guides and drivers that you have booked as part of a tour package.
4. Book a Tour for Wadi Rum
Yes, we are all independent explorer and we don’t need guided tours to explore places. But still, we very much recommend booking a jeep tour for Wadi Rum. In the Wadi Rum desert, the sights are spread all around the desert, making it impossible to explore them by foot. Fortunately, booking a tour in Wadi Rum doesn’t have to be expensive, if you follow these three steps.
First, book your tour in advance to take advantage of discounts. Secondly, make sure to book a tour that includes an overnight stay along with breakfast and dinner. This will make your trip a lot cheaper. And lastly, team up with other travelers to share your jeep tour. The more you are, the cheaper the jeep tour gets per person.
5. Take Advantage of JETT Bus
If you are not renting a car, JETT Bus will be your best friend in Jordan. JETT Bus, short for Jordan Express Tourist Transport, is the biggest tourist bus company offering convenient transportation to all major tourist destinations in Jordan, even to Wadi Rum. The quality of the buses is on par with those of Greyhound or FlixBus and the scheduled is flexible enough to plan your trip around it. Plus, tickets are cheap enough, with most rides costing between 10 JOD and 20 JOD.
6. Pack Modest Clothing
While it might be a no-brainer in Western countries to pack short clothing for the summer heat, it is not very appropriate in Jordan. As mentioned above, Jordan is a Muslim country, meaning that there is a lot of emphasis on modesty. Respect this cultural norm by packing modest clothing.
While you would probably get away with wearing whatever you want in public as a foreigner, in churches and mosques at the very least you will be asked to cover your arms and legs. Women additionally cover their heads. So, make sure to pack long sleeves and pants or at the very least some fabric to cover yourself with. And yes, this goes for women and men alike.
7. Get a Resort Day Pass at the Dead Sea
Planning on visiting the Dead Sea? Get a day pass at one of the Dead Sea resort to avoid having to pay for a full overnight stay. Day passes to the best resort on the shores of the Dead Sea start from just 20 JOD per day and person. A day pass not only gives you access to the hotels’ private pools, beach and shower facilities, but also often includes a discount or voucher for food and drinks consumed at one of their restaurants and bars. Not a bad deal, if you ask us.
Where can you find the best day passes, you ask? Check out our full guide to visiting the Dead Sea to find out.
8. Pack for the Heat and the Cold
Believe it or not, Jordan is not all desert and heat. And even in the Jordanian desert it gets cold – and at times rainy – at night. If you are travelling to Jordan between the months of October and March, may sure to pack for the heat AND the cold. We recommend bringing a long sleeve sweater as well as a waterproof jacket and maybe a beanie.
Not sure what the climate is going to be like? Check out our guide to the climate in Wadi Rum to help you decide what to pack for your Jordan trip.
9. Get Enough Cash in the Cities
Especially on markets and in smaller cities and towns, Jordan is still big on cash. And while you might find lots of ATMs in major cities, you might find none in remote areas. Take Wadi Rum for example. The whole of the Wadi Rum desert is completely void of ATMs. Yes, even Wadi Rum Village. The last ATM you will find there is at the Wadi Rum Visitor Center. So, make sure to have enough cash on hand when travelling to more remote areas such as the Wadi Rum Protected Area.
10. Buy a Physical SIM Card
While it might be tempting to just buy one of this overpriced E-SIMs online or even going without one, instead of trying to purchase a SIM card in Arabic, we assure you that it’s not as hard as you think. Many Jordanian locals speak English, including store clerks.
So, instead of wasting on expensive internet packages, we recommend getting a SIM card from an official stand at the airport or a shop in Downtown Amman to stay connected all throughout Jordan. After all, places such as Wadi Rum are still very much off-grid and a stable internet connection is hard to come by there.
The Bottom Line
Before we leave you to your Jordan trip, we have a few words of encouragement for you. Do not worry too much about what you could possibly do wrong in Jordan. Locals are accustomed to tourists of many Western countries coming year after year. They will not expect you to know all the cultural nuances to the dime. Still though, there is some very easy things you can do as to not offend any locals.
Respect is very important in Jordan. Be respectful to locals and you will be treated with respect. Also, be attentive and willing to learn. If you are, for example, unsure how greeting people works, let locals take the lead and go from there. And lastly, hospitality is valued in Jordan. Approach your hosts with respect and curiosity and you will see yourself experiencing so much more than just the tourist sites, from being invited to tea, to sharing dinners and memories that you will treasure for a lifetime.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good tip in Jordan?
While tips are not mandatory in Jordan, tips for good service are still appreciated. Generally, a tip of around 10 % will be considered as appropriate. Also, guides and drivers of guided are usually tipped as well.
Do and don’ts in Jordan?
Respect the local culture by wearing modest clothing, showing curiosity in local customs and try to learn the basics of the Arabic language. Do not wear short or revealing clothing around places of worship and avoid drinking alcohol in public.
What to know before going to Jordan?
Before your Jordan tour, make sure to book your Jordan Pass to save money throughout your trip. Also, remember to pack modest clothing as well as clothing for hot AND cold temperature as the weather can fluctuate a lot according to the region and season.
How much cash should I take to Jordan?
If you have a travel credit card, we recommend withdrawing cash at ATMs in major cities. If you don’t have a travel credit card, we recommend carrying cash equalling 50 JOD to 100 JOD per day depending on your budget and travel style.
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