General tips – Look into buying a Jordan Pass (http://www.jordanpass.jo/), recently released by the Jordanian government. It can save you money on visa and entrance fees, particularly for Petra.

Amman – Visit the Roman Citadel. If you take a tour here, negotiate hard for it or combine forces with other tourists. The tour I went on was shorter than discussed and not very informative. See the Roman Amphitheatre. I enjoyed the Royal Automobile Museum – the cars in the collection are impressive and the pro monarchy propaganda offers an interesting look at Jordan’s history. Wild Jordan offers weekend tours, products made by local women, and the café has a beautiful view of the Citadel.

Dead Sea – Most beachfront property is owned by resorts, so you’ll have to pay for a day pass. Pros to this are that the beaches are nice and the resorts provide clay. To get there, share a taxi with friends ($15 each/4 people) or take an Uber for $12-$15 (note: Uber is currently running illegally in Jordan). It’s much warmer here than in Amman.

Jerash – Roman city and aqueduct. See this before Petra if possible, it’s much more impressive that way. Take a minibus from the Tabarbour bus station to Jerash for 1JD (just over 1 hour, once the bus filled). As a solo female traveler, I had to be assertive when declining tours.

Petra – I took the JETT bus from Amman to Petra (6:30AM; 10JD) and returned via Aqaba. There are more bus options back to Amman from Aqaba than Wadi Rum. I stayed Sab’a Hotel here and met great solo travelers. Tip: I paid for the “Petra by Night” show. The atmosphere was nice, but it’s short and not worth the cost if you’re backpacking.

Wadi Rum – I reserved a bus through my hostel from Petra here (there’s only one per day in the morning). I booked a night at a camp and a half hour jeep tour on Booking.com beforehand for $60 through Salman Zwaidh camp. Other backpackers took the bus to the Wadi Rum visitor center and negotiated with camps there with varying levels of success. Tip: Ask for a second blanket or bring a sleeping bag in the winter, the wind’s strong in the desert.

Aqaba – I dove the Cedar Pride shipwreck. This was my first wreck dive, so I enjoyed it, but there isn’t much macro life here. The wreck was sunk in 1985 to create a dive site. I spent a day here and took the JETT bus from Aqaba to Amman (Abdali) (7.85 JD). In the low season, check ahead to make sure the bus is running. Tip: it’s worth trying to negotiate for a cheaper price than listed. I was able to dive for $5 less.

Eat – Falafel (try Al-Quds on Rainbow Street), shawarma (available everywhere in Amman), knafeh (delicious pastry), mensaf, hummus, labneh, zarb (Bedouin barbeque – this was amazing at Wadi Rum).

Drink – Arak (anise flavored alcoholic drink), Arabic coffee, Arabic tea (readily available at Wadi Rum and Petra).