A country which I'm starting to get interested in recently, and almost booked the flight to, is Jordan. Think Indiana Jones movie, which made Petra famous the world over!
Ryanair started flying to Jordan in 2018, which is good news for travelers, as their fares are very much affordable. Their sale fares, starting from 9.99 euro, are always very tempting.
Currently, Ryanair flies into two airports in Jordan, Amman, the main airport, and Aqaba, the smaller airport, but closer to Petra. There are more links to Amman than Aqaba though.
Ryanair does have fares as low as 9.99 euro on several routes to Jordan. However, there is an additional fee to bring a roller bag onboard, which actually increases the final fare to S$27 one way. This price is still attractive to me.
Unfortunately, I have since fixed almost my entire itinerary so I cannot book the cheap flights at a whim. So while I researched more on the country and visiting Petra in particular, the price have slowly crept up.
Anyway, comparing both Jordanian airports, Amman airport has an airport bus to shuttle visitors to convenient downtown spots such as 7th circle, with accommodations nearby.
On the other hand, Aqaba airport does not have any such shuttle or public bus. There are only airport taxis, frequently charging foreign tourists exorbitant prices for short routes. A reason why I'm very reluctant to rely on taxis when abroad.
Aqaba is nearer to Petra than Amman. But there are only minibuses that ply the route. In Amman, there is the Jett bus that plies the route, though only once a day.
About the Jordanian visa, for me, I require a visa to enter Jordan. At 40 JOD, it's not exactly cheap. But there are ways to waive this fee. If landing at Aqaba airport, the visa is actually free. If arriving at Amman airport, the visa will only be free if the Jordan pass (cost is 70 JOD) is purchased and I stay a minimum of 3 nights in Jordan. The pass covers the entrance fee to Petra as well.
Now all this sounds tempting to me. Except the scheduling is difficult. Personally, I would have liked to spend 3 nights in Jordan, so that I can visit Petra and the Dead Sea, both of which requires a day. For Petra, it will be great if I can stay a night to enjoy the Petra by night attraction.
Right now the only period for me to visit Jordan is in the 3rd week of December, after I land in Gothenburg, Sweden. But the flight prices are higher this period, probably due to the Christmas season.
So currently I'm still monitoring the flight prices. If prices are reasonable, I will head to Jordan. If prices remain high, then I will leave Jordan to next year?
Maybe I can visit other countries such as Georgia, Yerevan and Israel within the same trip.😀
Ryanair started flying to Jordan in 2018, which is good news for travelers, as their fares are very much affordable. Their sale fares, starting from 9.99 euro, are always very tempting.
Currently, Ryanair flies into two airports in Jordan, Amman, the main airport, and Aqaba, the smaller airport, but closer to Petra. There are more links to Amman than Aqaba though.
Ryanair does have fares as low as 9.99 euro on several routes to Jordan. However, there is an additional fee to bring a roller bag onboard, which actually increases the final fare to S$27 one way. This price is still attractive to me.
Unfortunately, I have since fixed almost my entire itinerary so I cannot book the cheap flights at a whim. So while I researched more on the country and visiting Petra in particular, the price have slowly crept up.
Anyway, comparing both Jordanian airports, Amman airport has an airport bus to shuttle visitors to convenient downtown spots such as 7th circle, with accommodations nearby.
On the other hand, Aqaba airport does not have any such shuttle or public bus. There are only airport taxis, frequently charging foreign tourists exorbitant prices for short routes. A reason why I'm very reluctant to rely on taxis when abroad.
Aqaba is nearer to Petra than Amman. But there are only minibuses that ply the route. In Amman, there is the Jett bus that plies the route, though only once a day.
About the Jordanian visa, for me, I require a visa to enter Jordan. At 40 JOD, it's not exactly cheap. But there are ways to waive this fee. If landing at Aqaba airport, the visa is actually free. If arriving at Amman airport, the visa will only be free if the Jordan pass (cost is 70 JOD) is purchased and I stay a minimum of 3 nights in Jordan. The pass covers the entrance fee to Petra as well.
Now all this sounds tempting to me. Except the scheduling is difficult. Personally, I would have liked to spend 3 nights in Jordan, so that I can visit Petra and the Dead Sea, both of which requires a day. For Petra, it will be great if I can stay a night to enjoy the Petra by night attraction.
Right now the only period for me to visit Jordan is in the 3rd week of December, after I land in Gothenburg, Sweden. But the flight prices are higher this period, probably due to the Christmas season.
So currently I'm still monitoring the flight prices. If prices are reasonable, I will head to Jordan. If prices remain high, then I will leave Jordan to next year?
Maybe I can visit other countries such as Georgia, Yerevan and Israel within the same trip.😀
