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Off the Beaten Path in Petra (Photos)
Wadi Rum is often touted as the place in Jordan for adventure and Bedouin culture. But if you do some planning before time, you'll find some exceptional cultural experiences around Petra itself. Here are some [...]
“May God Salute Your Mustache!”
“Is this a relative?” I ask our Jordanian host, motioning to a large portrait of a mustachioed man. Though not on par with Panayot Hitov, his ‘stache could have given Sam Elliott a run for [...]
Authentic & Experiential Travel – Jordan
After a long hot walk we entered the first Bedouin tent we came to. Our host for the day ended up being a widow with three children. Because we were a group of men, [...]
Jabal Amman Visitor Information Center
Jon and I attended the official launch of the Jabal Amman Historical Exhibition this last Friday. With support from USAID - Jordan Tourism Development Project and the Jabal Amman Residents Association (JARA) there is [...]
What Is Shawarma? A Video for Tony Stark
In The Avengers, Tony Stark asks, "You ever try shawarma?... I don't know what it is, but I want to try it." Well, Tony Stark, you are in for a treat. Shawarma is one [...]
Engaging Locals (Video)
Crossing sites off a bucket list can be fulfilling, but we need to add more human experiences to our bucket lists. After our tours, we ask our guests to give us the top 2 [...]
Abraham’s Path Video
William Ury, founder of The Abraham Path, shares about the path, and peace through tourism. (William Ury from Coexist Foundation on Vimeo.) What did you think? Please let us know in the [...]
Preserving Petra
Preserving Petra is no easy feat. After all, just because Petra has been called a city "half as old as time," that doesn't mean it will be around forever. Carved some 2,000 years ago, [...]
Walking in Ayoun, Northern Jordan
Our friends at The Abraham's Path Initiative and the Ayoun Community Project have started weekly walks in this beautiful area of Northern Jordan. If you're traveling in Jordan, or live here and want to experience [...]
Women Traveling in Jordan
As mentioned in our previous blog post 'Women Traveling in Jordan', Engaging Cultures Travel hosted two American women on a 4 day customized tour in Jordan this last week. During the visit I recorded some [...]
Snow in Tunisia; Blanket Distribution
Snow! All over the Tunisian country side. Today I am mobilizing people to donate blankets and food and will bring them to mountain villages tomorrow morning where they have the greatest need. My goal [...]
Is it Safe to Travel to Tunisia?
With newspapers reporting on the Arab Spring in North Africa and the Middle East, people often ask me Is it safe to travel to Tunisia? As a foreigner working in Tunisia I would like to share about [...]
Voluntourism in Jordan
This post originally was featured in the Voluntourist newsletter for Voluntourism.org. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust Jordan has some of the most [...]
Fairuz or Umm Kulthum? – the Hardest Question
I recently discovered the hardest question you can ask an Arab: Fairuz or Umm Kulthum? Taxi drivers in Amman typically answer this question: “This is too hard.” or “You cannot ask this question.” Fairuz and [...]
Camping in the Sahara Desert – Tunisia
Last weekend I brought a group of seven 40 and 50 year-olds to southern Tunisia, the land of unique underground Berber dwellings and the exotic Sahara Desert. Like many visitors on group tours [...]
“What you guys do has to be the highlight of my travels. (And I’ve been wined and dined in the Paris Opera House and traveled on private trains with world famous guides). What you do gave me more understanding of a people and culture in a week than I would have thought possible!”