We had never planned an international trip on our own before. Jordan wasn’t even on the original list. But when Ryanair posted a €35 return flight from Paphos, we booked before we even looked at a map. This is the honest story of how we put together the trip — the stress, the help we found, the things we wish we’d known, and why Jordan turned out to be one of the best decisions we made.
The Flight That Made the Decision For Us
€35 return from Paphos on Ryanair. That’s the kind of price you don’t overthink. We saw it, we clicked it. At that point we didn’t have a hotel, a plan, or any real knowledge of Jordan. The flight just went in the calendar and the rest was to figure out.
The excitement hit first, but it quickly turned into hours of research. I was deep into social media, saving every “must-see” place I came across, gathering information and trying to connect the dots — figuring out not just what was worth seeing, but what was actually worth fitting into the length of the trip.
For anyone flying from Cyprus, Paphos to Amman is one of the easiest connections in the region. We didn’t know that then — we just knew the price was too good to ignore.
Planning From Scratch: What We Knew and What We Didn’t
We knew two things: Petra was non-negotiable, and the Dead Sea was on the list. Beyond that, we had nothing.
The research turned into a much bigger task than expected. I was jumping between Facebook travel groups, scrolling through Instagram posts, watching YouTube travel vlogs, and asking friends who had been to Jordan before. Everyone had pieces of information, but rarely the full picture. One person would say, “Petra is incredible, you need to go,” without explaining whether that meant half a day or two full days. A YouTube video would show beautiful drone shots and cinematic moments but skip over practical things like where they stayed, how they got there, or whether the route even made sense for a short trip. In Facebook groups, people would recommend places but every answer seemed different, often based on completely different travel styles, budgets, or trip lengths.
The information online felt scattered. People shared highlights and experiences, but very few explained the process behind them — how they built the route, how long they stayed somewhere, what was actually worth the time, and what they skipped. We spent hours reading, watching, and comparing things without really getting the answers we needed. That was the frustrating part: there was plenty of content, but not enough clarity.
How We Found Help — The Organised Tour Option
Then a promotion appeared on social media — an organised Jordan trip that covered the exact dates we’d booked. We contacted them. To be fair, they were genuinely helpful with information. They answered questions we had struggled to figure out ourselves, explained the route, shared timing details, and gave us a much clearer picture of how people usually structure a Jordan trip. After spending hours piecing together scattered information online, it felt like finally having a framework in front of us.
But once we looked more closely at the itinerary, we realised it wasn’t exactly our trip. The schedule included stops and activities that were interesting on paper, but after discussing it, we decided they weren’t things we wanted to fit into this trip. Some sights were places we’d absolutely like to see one day, but with limited time in Jordan we had already started prioritising what mattered most to us. We didn’t want to spend part of the trip adding extra stops just because they were included in a package if it meant reducing time somewhere else.
The bigger issue was the timing. Petra, for example, wasn’t something we wanted to experience with a strict clock running in the background — arriving, walking through, taking a few photos, and moving on because the bus schedule said so. We wanted room to slow down, stop when we wanted, change plans if something surprised us, and spend more time in places that felt worth it. The organised trip made us realise something important: tours can give you structure and remove the stress of planning, but that structure sometimes comes with trade-offs. You gain convenience, but you lose some control over what the experience becomes. That tension between structure and freedom ended up being one of the biggest lessons from the trip.
What We’d Do Differently If We Went Again
If we were planning Jordan from scratch today, here’s what we’d change:
- Book at least 5 nights — Wadi Rum alone deserves two full days, not one rushed visit; a night in a desert camp is worth more than any hotel.
- Skip the Dead Sea resort prices — use a public beach access point for a fraction of the cost (if planning a budget-friendly trip).
- Don’t overplan Amman — one full day is enough; it’s a city, not a bucket-list sight.
- Get a local SIM at the airport — it’s cheap, fast, and makes navigation effortless.
Where to Stay in Jordan: Our Recommendations
Accommodation ended up shaping a much bigger part of the trip than we expected. We wanted places that made sense with our route and didn’t feel like just somewhere to sleep for a few hours. Looking back, each stay had its own completely different atmosphere and experience, which made the trip feel much more varied.
Amman – 1 Night
For Amman, we kept things simple and stayed with the hotel used by the organised trip we had looked into earlier. At that stage, after researching so much already, it felt like the safest and easiest choice. Since we only had one night there, we weren’t looking for something luxurious — just somewhere comfortable, clean, and practical. It had everything you needed and worked perfectly as a base before continuing further south. Sometimes when you’re arriving in a new country late or staying for a short period, having a straightforward, stress-free option matters more than finding the “perfect” hotel.
Wadi Rum – 1 Night at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp
This wasn’t just accommodation — it felt like part of the experience itself. Staying in the desert is already something special, but this place made it feel even more memorable. The staff were incredibly friendly and genuinely helpful from the moment we arrived, making the whole experience feel welcoming rather than overly touristy. Their café built into the mountain was something that immediately stood out; sitting there with the desert views around you honestly felt unreal. The scenery looked almost too perfect to be real.
For such a short stay, we actually packed a lot into the experience. We booked the shorter 3-hour desert tour, which ended up being exactly right for us — enough time to explore the landscape, stop at different points, take photos, and get a feel for how enormous and quiet the desert really is without feeling rushed. The day finished with sitting around a fire in the desert while watching the sunset, and that combination of silence, open space, and changing colours in the sky is difficult to describe properly.
At night we also booked the stargazing experience. Since it was our first time doing something like that, we weren’t sure what to expect, but it turned out to be surprisingly fascinating. The lack of city lights made a huge difference — you could actually see an incredible number of stars, and even the moon looked unbelievably clear. If we’re lucky enough to visit Jordan again, this is one place where one night simply wouldn’t be enough.
Book this stay: Memories Aicha Luxury Camp →
Dead Sea – Stay at Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa
When people talk about luxury experiences, this stay immediately comes to mind. We felt incredibly lucky with this booking because the moment we walked in, it felt like the perfect place to slow down after days of moving around. The balcony view alone was worth it — looking out over the Dead Sea felt almost unreal, especially around sunset when the light started changing over the water.
This part of the trip naturally became less about rushing from place to place and more about enjoying the experience itself. Floating in the Dead Sea is one of those things that sounds almost strange until you actually do it. You lean back expecting to sink like normal, and your body simply refuses. Spending time by the water, relaxing around the resort, and finally slowing the pace after the previous days made it feel like the perfect ending to the trip. The balance between adventure in Wadi Rum and relaxation at the Dead Sea worked much better than we had expected.
Book this stay: Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa →
Where we’d book your stays in Jordan
If you want to copy our route, these are the properties we recommend, all bookable through our Stay22 partner links:
- Amman: Mena Tyche Hotel Amman — simple, practical city base.
- Wadi Rum: Memories Aicha Luxury Camp — the desert camp experience itself.
- Dead Sea: Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa — the slow, balcony-view ending.