Travelmarvels Head of Product Support and Pre-departure Services, Michele Chard, shares her experience on our 8-day Hidden Jordan tour. 

Tell us a bit about your role and why you went on this tour. 

As Head of Product Support and Pre-Departure Services I predominantly manage the documentation of tours globally. I actually chose the Jordan tour myself, as none of the product team had ever experienced Jordan as a guest on our tour, I though I could provide my valuable insight into what was being delivered. I am happy to confirm we are offering a wonderful product!  

What appealed to you about this tour? 

In school I remember learning about Petra and Wadi Rum, and since the Jordan has been on my bucket list. Looking at the itinerary Travelmarvel Jordan tour, I could see that everywhere I wanted to visit was included, as well as some exciting destinations I hadn’t heard of.  

What were your expectations for the tour?  

Being a Travelmarvel tour, I knew I could expect a high level of service, and it was a relief to know that I would be able to see and do as much of Jordan as possible in one week, without the stress of planning or navigating solo travel. 

Did you have any concerns about visiting Jordan? 

I was a little nervous about visiting as a solo traveller, however I quickly realised Jordan is very safe and our guides took us to places we would feel very comfortable exploring alone if we wished. All the locals were so friendly and welcoming, they were genuinely happy to see tourists exploring their country.  

I really appreciated that our Tour Guide took the time to get to know us all individually and understand our interests so that when we had free time, he could direct us to places that might interest us. For example, he would direct the foodies to places he enjoyed eating to try the best falafel or point out an interesting museum of guests who loved history.  

What was a standout moment on tour? 

Our Tour Guide made visiting Petra so memorable, there is 1.5km walk through the beautiful red rock to reach the city, where he drew our attention to interesting features and art on the rockface. At one point the entire group were struggling to see a work of art in the rock he was pointing too, but when we turned around the city of Petra was right before us. It was a really special and moving experience to see it all together as group for the first time, one woman cried. 

I also hadn’t realised the city was 5km long! There were so many more places to explore than just the treasury and monastery you always see in photos, so I am really glad our itinerary allowed for us to spend a whole day there, I felt disappointed for the people on other tours who only arrived an hour before closing, it wasn’t nearly enough time to take in the beauty of the place. 

What about the tour surprised you? 

The scenery! Jordan is so much more than the top tourist attractions we hear about, I actually really enjoyed travelling between towns and cities and seeing the remarkable landscape. It is worth noting Jordan is very spread out, with up to five hour drives between locations, yet another reason I was glad to be on a tour…that would be a lot of travelling to navigate on you own. 

How did your tour director help you get the most from your holiday? 

Our Tour Director made such an effort to make our experience special, for example every day while we were travelling on the coach, he would introduce us to a new local snack. As a visitor you don’t always know what is good or safe to eat, but thanks to him we got to sample delicious pastries, biscuits, and dates.  

In addition to having extensive knowledge of the region and insight into daily life as a Jordanian, he also had a gift for bonding us as a group; he was very in tune with the Australian sense of humour and made our trip fun.  We were like a little family of 19 by the end! 

We have some amazing accommodation on this tour, which was your favourite stay? 

Mövenpick, Red Sea was wonderful. The rooms were spacious and modern, but with traditional Jordanian décor…definitely not a standard plain white hotel! My room had a huge bed, and a lovely little Juliet balcony overlooking the Red Sea so I could walk out and feel the ocean breeze. The location was ideal, central and perfect for easy exploring, I would recommend trying one of the nearby seafood restaurants for some freshly caught fish. 

Tell us more about the food! 

The food was truly amazing, from the street vendors who grilled falafel right in front of you in exchange for just a few cents, to the beautiful sit down dinners we enjoyed at sunset, everything was fresh and flavourful.  

There was so much variety too, we had celiacs and veggies on tour how were well catered for and not just repeatedly offered salad. A typical dinner would include an entrée of dips, pickled veggies and pita breads followed by lots of rice and meat. The dips were always a standout for me, and I was so pleased when we learned how to make our own during our exclusive cooking class at Petra Kitchen. 

I also became addicted to two typical local treats; Limonana, a refreshing lemon and crushed mint drink and Knafeh, a friend cheese coated in pistachios and soaked in honey syrup – delicious!   

Do you have a favourite day? 

The sunset picnic at Wadi Rum will stay with me. To get to the best spot amongst the dunes we rode through the desert on the back of the jeep – it really was the quintessential movie moment of visiting the Middle East. I suspected having seen so many photos of the sunset here, it might be disappointing in person – but as we sat down on the picnic rugs with a glass of bubbly in hand to watch the sun descend, it was yet another excursion that exceeded all expectations.   

What advice would you give to someone contemplating a tour of Jordan?  

Guided touring is a great way to experience Jordan. Though the charm of this area of this country is that it is less touristy, it can be a bit difficult to navigate without an experienced guide. The  8-day Hidden Jordan tour is the perfect length to tick off all the must-see tourist attractions in addition to some lesser known Jordanian wonders.