Jordan Adventure

Timing is everything in life, and right now, the jury is still out as to whether my timing is extremely foolhardy or rather brilliant.

I booked the Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) trip to Egypt in late February of 2023. For years, I’ve wanted to visit Petra, and OAT’s trip offered the opportunity to spend five nights in Jordan, prior to the start of the main trip in Egypt. OAT limits their trips to a maximum of 16 travelers, and their single rooms get snapped up quickly, so I knew if I hesitated, I would lose out. I also knew that it would be wise to spend the my first holidays without Mike, Sandy, and my dad away from home.

You’d have to be living in a cave on a deserted island not to know that things changed in the Middle East rather dramatically on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel. Given Jordan’s proximity to Israel, one might question the wisdom of traveling so close to a war zone. In fact, MANY questioned that decision. So, I figured I’d share my thought process. (Yes, I actually DID put some thought into the decision to “stay the course”.)

Take a look at the visual atop this post. You will see (as I did, because I did indeed look) that Jordan is on Israel’s eastern border, and the Gaza Strip is on the west, with quite a few miles separating Gaza from Amman and Petra. Here’s a more detailed view of where we will be while in Jordan.

The parts of Egypt that I will be visiting are even further away from the action. The following map provides an overview of the main trip, including the two internal flights and the Nile cruise.

I’m comforted by the knowledge that OAT has, in the past, canceled trips whenever there is even a remote chance for danger. In fact, this particular trip offered a choice of two pre-trips, either Jordan or Israel. Not surprisingly, the Israel pre-trip has been canceled.

The wonderful members of the Facebook Group, “Friends of Overseas Adventure Travel”, who have recently, or are currently following my itinerary have been posting photos and urging us future travelers not to cancel. They feel safe and welcome. An added bonus? They have reported that the sites are not crowded!

I’ll confess, getting to Amman is no picnic. Departure day started with NPR announcing flight cancellations at JFK and Newark airports, then the neighborhood Facebook forum was full of inquiries about flooded roads. I kept a careful eye on my United app, which assured me that everything would go as planned. And it did.

I left Newark at 7:30 PM to arrive in Frankfurt a little after 9 AM, which to my body is 3 AM. Normally, l prefer to travel with carry on only. But not when the Frankfurt airport is part of the itinerary. Every time I’ve flown into Frankfurt, the plane has parked in East No-Jetway-land and this trip was no exception. We carried our luggage down the stairs, then crammed into a bus that deposited us at one of the Terminal 1 concourses. Sometimes it’s the concourse you want, sometimes it’s not. This time it was not. It took a while for me to figure that out, because the gate for my flight to Amman was not showing up on the board. Eventually, I learned that I needed to get into the VERY long line for (what else) the bus to concourse B, and then walk down two flights, with my blessedly light carry on bag slung over my shoulder.

Fortunately, OAT was offering reasonably priced business class flights. Business class usually comes with lounge access, so while at home, I checked out their lounge using this helpful link that a member of Friends of OAT sent. Hanging out for 6 hours in the airport didn’t seem so bad given the showers and sleeping facilities the link promised.

Guess what? That lounge was a HUGE disappointment. Yes, there were 4 leather “beds” but there was no door to the room, and based on the clanging noises, I suspect it was near the kitchen. Still, I was able to get about an hour’s rest. It was downhill after that. The shower room was frigid — I didn’t want to remove my sweater, never mind the rest of my clothes—and that lounge had the WORST food ever! I actually left the lounge early to hang out at the gate instead. Maybe the good stuff is all in the First Class lounge?

Business class between Frankfurt and Amman is nothing special. The middle seat is unoccupied, so you at least get a little more room. I guess this explains why business class was so affordable. But enough of the bitchin’ and moanin’. In a little more than 4 hours, I’ll be in Jordan!