Originally Posted by iahphx

I'm hoping someone can steer me in the right direction on some trip planning for next month. It appears that Israel has suddenly eliminated its Covid entry rules, so I'm excited to be able to finally use my award tickets to TLV. After seeing the sights in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, we want to travel to Jordan. I'm intrigued by the possibilty of making my way to Eliat (which I've heard isn't so great) to cross the border to Aqaba. I'm a Hyatt Globalist so I'd like to stay for a couple days at the new (and apparently) nice Hyatt Regency there, which is quite affordable (especially on points) next month. From there, we'd like to see some sites like Petra and Wadi Rum. I assume this is doable in an affordable manner? I've heard I can't drive an Israeli rental car across the border, but can I drop one off in Eliat and then cross the border and get to my hotel by public transport/hotel shuttle? Once I'm in Jordan, it appears that I can rent a car. That has appeal to me to see Petra and Wadi Rum, but is it relatively easy to do and a good idea? Would it be better to go with a tour, and how expensive would that be?

Thanks for any suggestions.