This is what Jordan is really like 🇯🇴the ultimate travel vlog

I've always been fascinated by Jordan. For one, probably because of the countless movies it's been a part of, but also its really unique geographical location and the rich history that's found in every corner of this country. Finally the time has come and I'm about to spend the next 10 days essentially circumnavigating Jordan to see it all from the major cities to its small coastline to the vast deserts and an ancient town. So let's see what Jordan's all about. Hello hello from Amman, Jordan. I can't believe I'm here. I flew in from Paris to explore the country for the next like 11 days. I'm actually with the tourism board. There's a group of us of some creators and journalists so I'm gonna make some new friends. It's gonna be an amazing mix of seeing so many different sides of Jordan from the city to all the natural beauty to the adventures to the culture to the cuisine to the history. My dream. So yalla let's go see Jordan. Hello from the citadel. Coming to you with a little history lesson. For one this like region of the world is kind of the cradle of civilization so for anyone who's interested in history come to Jordan. So this used to be the royal ancient city of the Ammonites which is where Amman actually comes from and the citadel has so much history linked to it from so many different civilizations from like the Ammonites to the Mayans to the Romans and it's interesting how much has lasted throughout so many different periods of civilizations, war, earthquakes, you name it. I'm always amazed at how the architecture stays intact after all of that. Very fascinating. Oh my god. We accidentally ordered a lamb's foot. I'm usually adventurous with food but this is a little freaked out. Was it good? Interesting. All right. Seven out of ten. Seven? Seven. Before we leave Amman to explore the rest of Jordan let's talk a little bit about the history of this country. Jordan which is situated in the heart of Levant has truly seen it all. This land was ruled by just about all the big players. Syrians, Romans, Byzantines, various Islamic caliphates all the way up to the Ottoman Empire where it served as an important point on major trade routes and the pilgrimage to Mecca. Around the time of World War I, the Ottoman Empire largely disintegrated and the region was then split up by European powers. It was at this time that colonial leaders drew some basically random lines on a map and created what we know as today's borders. In 1921 as a result of negotiations made during and after World War I, notably the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the British established the semi-autonomous emirate of So throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Emir Abdullah I worked to consolidate power while negotiating greater autonomy from the British. This laid the groundwork for the modern state of Jordan which finally gained full independence in 1946. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Jordan annexed the West Bank significantly changing local populations as Palestinian refugees fled or were displaced. In 1967, Israel recaptured the West Bank forcing even more Palestinian refugees into Jordan. Today well over half the people living in Jordan are Palestinian and in 1994, Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel. To this day, Jordan continues to face a tricky balance of foreign policy with its neighbor. The reality is that the economy of Jordan which is home to half a million Syrians and two million Palestinian refugees relies heavily on tourism. Not surprisingly, the tourism sector has taken a serious hit in the last several months. So I want to use my platform to encourage travel to Jordan and in turn ideally support the local population along the way. And of course, if you're interested in supporting migrants in Jordan more directly, I'm including specific links in the description below. Today, Jordan faces challenges of limited natural resources, overcrowding, and unemployment but is a beacon of stability in a region often marked by conflict. From the bustling capital of Oman to the serene deserts of the Wadi Rum and the therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea, Jordan is truly one of the most stunning places in the world. Good morning. We just left Oman this morning and we are in the small town of Salt. Hello. Checking in from Madaba. I think I just had one of the best meals of my life. That is not an exaggeration. I am shocked of how incredible this restaurant is called Karab House. The food comes from regenerative farming. It's super sustainable. Everything is locally grown, clean, organic. There's zero food waste. Anything that isn't finished is put back into the compost. We actually got to visit the local farm of the owner. I don't think I've ever been so inspired learning about food. I will be dreaming about that meal. It was so, so good. And now we're finally heading to Petra. We've been slowly making our way from Oman to Salt to now Madaba. And then now we're going to Petra, which I'm so excited about. It's been like a dream of mine forever. So, let's go. Hi, hello. How's it going? I just got to the hotel after quite a long road trip, and I'm so excited to be here. And it's getting pretty dark. I'm running out of lighting. And I can't wait to see Petra in the morning. And I want to talk about a travel tip that I don't think I've ever mentioned, but has changed the game of traveling for me. And that is air alone. So, as a frequent traveler, I obviously need to stay connected abroad. It's kind of part of my job. And it's always been such a pain. I either, one, end up with a really huge internet bill after the fact, or I don't have service and I'm stuck in some sticky situation where I need service to figure out where to go, or maybe to get into an Airbnb, et cetera, and I don't have access. And in the past, I always hated dealing with regular SIM cards because you'd have to wait in that really long airport kiosk line. Or honestly, my least favorite part was that you'd have to change your number and you'd have some random number, and it was hard to contact friends. And so, I finally have a solution for that through air alone. This has changed the game for me. If you're unfamiliar, it's the world's first eSIM, essentially. It helps solve the problem of having that painful high-rooming bill by giving you a digital SIM. And with it, you get to keep your phone number, which is probably one of my favorite parts. All you do is essentially download the app and you can purchase different SIM cards. And they have over 200 countries and regions covered from local to regional to global eSIMs. And it's trusted by over 10 million travelers worldwide. So, it's pretty great. Even Lindsay here on this trip with me is using it as well. And if you want to join me, you can install Airalo. Everything will, of course, be linked down in the description below so that you can be connected no matter where you're traveling. And you can use my code ELENA3 to get $3 off your first eSIM. So, definitely check it out if you're traveling this summer or in general. This is truly a game changer. I love Airalo so much. All right. Time for me to get some sleep. Cannot wait to see Petra in the morning. So, stay tuned. Petra, I can barely believe I'm saying that right now. I've always dreamt of coming here. We are going to see if this place lives up to the hype or not. We have our little tour group, a few other creators that are here on the trip and an amazing tour guide who has so much information. Here we are with Lindsay. We're here. We made it. We met in California once. Like 45 minutes. And our second time hangout is in Jordan. Our third will be on another continent. It's true. Stay tuned. To be determined. Yeah. This is crazy. You guys ready to see the treasury? So ready. So ready. We're almost there apparently. Am I getting emotional? This is insane. Welcome to Petra. It's one of the most iconic archaeological sites in the world located just 150 miles south of Oman. This ancient city of the Nabataeans was once a major metropolis and dates all the way back to around 300 BCE. The Nabataeans were master craftsmen and engineers and their innovations enabled them to carve these buildings, tombs, and temples intricately into the stone cliffs here. They also developed an extensive water management system which allowed for reliable drinking water, public baths, and even lush gardens. So you can picture Petra back in the day as this unexpected garden-like oasis including paved streets, markets, and amphitheater. But then in around the year 100 CE the city was taken over by the Romans and then later by the Byzantines. And then due to shifting trade routes and a massive earthquake by the 7th century Petra was largely abandoned and it remained unknown to the western world until it was discovered by a Swiss explorer in 1812. In recent decades the indigenous people who called the city home were forcibly relocated by the Jordanian government. The area has mostly transitioned into a tourist destination. Today Petra is not only a symbol of Jordan's rich history but also really a testament to human ingenuity and resilience. We've made a friend. Every cat here is so friendly. They are. Everyone here has been so interesting, friendly, helpful, so so kind. All the way over there. Monastery. That was me an hour ago and then Elena held my hand. Talking shit. Talking shit. Mom, go get your baby. Here, here, that way. Over there. You did it. I'm so proud of you. Okay, all the hurts together. Absolute drama. Okay, we're going up to the best view according to the sign. DJ in the back playing us some music. You know how to dance? No, you dance. Let me teach you. It's a good lesson. Greetings. New day, new me. Still in all black because I did not pack appropriately but we are unfortunately leaving Petra. We're headed to Wadi Rum. Let's, let's go. I can't believe I'm here right now. If I've ever stayed, let me show you. Is this a joke? Excuse me? Okay, the further I get into my time in Jordan, the more I'm impressed. I wasn't sure if this was one of those locations that's just on a lot of like travel lists but sometimes you get there and you're like, that was cool but don't need to do it again. Jordan, every location I've been in Jordan has blown me away. Amazing food, fascinating history, really kind people, beautiful, beautiful, epic scenery. Like this place has it all. On that note, I just feel like this region of the world is just underrepresented and underappreciated in the travel sphere. It's just so beautiful and has the kindness and most hospitable people you'll ever meet. I will stand by that forever. Also, everyone on my trip has been so lovely and I've been making new friends and I'm just feeling really grateful. You gotta check this place out. Holy smokes. It looks like you're just hanging off a cliff. Marhaba. Habibi, don't go. Hear this sound, it means the coffee today in my house, you are most welcome. That was sick. We are here, this is the food for animal and the animal will be in the corner here. The goat is waiting us. He has a lot to say. We still have people live like this and they love to live like this. We're in a traditional Bedouin tent slash home and I see the appeal. So we're being introduced to the natural makeup of the Bedouins. Is it on like their cheeks or their eyes? Light red color. Orangey. You can see if it's... Yeah, it's a really nice shade. Giddy gurus. Can you see it? You can definitely see it. Yeah, yeah. Good job. Okay. So good, Carlos. Look at this. Wadi Rum is probably one of the coolest places I've ever been. I mean, for one, there's been countless, countless movies filmed here. Dune, Prometheus, The Martian, Star Wars, et cetera. It's just so beautiful. I can't get over like the detailing in the limestone. And we're having a little lunch now. It's after doing like a full jeep day of exploring the desert. Like you could have so much time here and barely scratch the surface. New day, new location. You can go from like the most epic desert exploration, like really adventurous type of travel. And then just a couple hours later, be in Aqaba, which is on the Red Sea. It basically sits on the Gulf of Aqaba. It's probably the only places in the world when we take a little boat out later. From that boat, you can see Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia all from the boat. So you're in this like really interesting kind of like border hotspot that's very close by, but it's this like peaceful seaside coastal city. We are getting on the Dead Sea today. It's perfect weather. Great dive. The Dead Sea, the final stop. No, it's okay. Thank you though. No worries. It's a video. It's too fun. I'm going to be embarrassing myself. So we're at the last stop of our tour, the Dead Sea, which apparently is the lowest place on earth. It's called the Dead Sea because it's too like I believe salty for any like animals to live. So there's no fish or anything here. I'm very curious to see how this is. It's also fascinating. Like I grew up studying the Bible like as a kid. So there was a lot of biblical history here too, which is fascinating. So let's go float.