I’m Going to Jordan and Yes It’s Safe: Introducing #GirlsGoneJordan

For the past almost two months I’ve been keeping a huge secret from everyone…

I’M GOING TO JORDAN!

On Thursday!

I’ll be spending a week traveling around the country as a guest of the Jordan Tourism Board as part of a campaign that I helped create. That’s right. This isn’t any old press trip. This is a press trip created by Ashley, Jessica, Julika, and me with our interests and the interests of our readers in mind.

Introducing #GirlsGoneJordan

After the success of our #GirlsGoneMAD weekend, the four of us knew we wanted to take our girly adventures somewhere else. Jordan may not seem like the ideal locale for a girl’s getaway, which actually made it the perfect destination for our next campaign.

We want to show that Middle East can be an accessible, safe, and fun place for women to travel. We want to break the stereotype that this entire region is a bad place for women. We want to showcase Jordan as a country for women.

In addition to visiting some of Jordan’s most famous sites, we will be meeting women all across the country who are doing great things. These are women who own businesses, women who have started organizations to help the poor, and women who are leaders in their families.

The essence of the #GirlsGoneJordan campaign is to show a new side of Jordan to fellow female travelers while still traveling and doing the same things we would do if were by ourselves. Which means I’ll still be talking a lot about food and beer. Don’t worry.

But is Jordan safe to visit right now?!

If you’re anything like my dad, you are probably imagining me being kidnapped by cloaked figures as soon as my flight touches down in Amman. In reality, though, Jordan is safe.

The Middle East, contrary to the apparent belief of many in the West, is not one giant country. While Jordan may share a border with both Syria and Iraq, it is actually one of the most liberal and modern countries in the region.

Women are not required to wear hijab, homosexuality is legal, and you can buy alcohol (there’s even one microbrewery in the country!). King Abdullah speaks often of religious tolerance and has worked hard to liberalize the press in Jordan, including making it illegal to detain journalists. His wife, Queen Rania, steadfastly campaigns for women’s rights in the entire Arab world. And she has half a million Instagram followers!

On the news we only hear the bad things about the Middle East. Reporting about groups of crazy extremists is a lot more interesting than talking about the millions of Muslims who live peaceful lives. Yes, there have been some tensions near the border, but there have been no killings or captures inside Jordan and the country continued to fight religious extremism.

Just as Americans are different than Canadians and Germans are different than Austrians, just because countries shares a border, a language, and a religion does not make them the same place. Jordan is not Iraq. Jordan is not Syria.

If you asked me if I was even a little scared to be traveling to Jordan right now, my answer would be not at all.

The #GirlsGoneJordan Itinerary

In addition to meeting local women and exploring Jordanian culture, we have plans to visit some kickass places. While the itinerary isn’t finalized, the week is going to go something like this:

We’ll start in Amman and take in a bit of modern Jordanian culture while exploring the well preserved ancient ruins both in and around the city.

From there we will head to Petra, also known as the Rose City, to explore the impressive rock-cut architecture.

Then we are moving onto Wadi Rum, a deep valley in the south, for camel riding and dinner with the Bedouins. I’m pretty terrified of most animals and have about zero coordination so I’m sure camel riding will be an interesting experience for me. I’ll definitely be eating my feelings that night.

After that we go to Aqaba, a resort city on the Red Sea, for a little relaxation. This will definitely be the “vacation” part of the trip.

Finally, we are stopping at the Dead Sea to take some epic floating photos before our making our way back to Amman.

Follow along!

We will be updating in real time on social media for the duration of the trip. If you’re not already following us all on social media, make sure you are and don’t forget to stalk the #GirlsGoneJordan hashtag on Instagram and Twitter!

Facebook: Amanda | Ashley | Jessica | Julika

Twitter: Amanda | Ashley | Jessica | Julika | #GirlsGoneJordan

Instagram: Amanda | Ashley | Jessica | Julika | #GirlsGoneJordan

All photos courtesy of Visit Jordan. Map courtesy of Lonely Planet. 

What are your opinions of traveling to the Middle East right now? Have you been to Jordan? What do I have to eat?