Jordan

Jordan is small enough to cross in a day and varied enough that you won't want to. The north is green hills and Roman cities; the middle is Amman, a capital built across nineteen hills that reveals itself slowly; the south runs down through Petra and the desert of Wadi Rum to a short, warm stretch of Red Sea coast at Aqaba. Distances are short, roads are good, and the country is used to visitors without being overwhelmed by them. Most people underestimate how much of it they can see in a week.

What things cost: Jordan sits in the middle: cheaper than the Gulf or Europe, noticeably pricier than Egypt or Turkey. Food and local transport are inexpensive; entry tickets to the big sites are not, and Petra in particular is a significant single cost. When a zone below is marked 'low', that means low for Jordan.