Jordan

Jordan is a country that punches so far above its weight it is almost unfair. A small desert kingdom with limited natural resources, it somehow contains Petra - one of the New Seven Wonders of the World - the otherworldly desert of Wadi Rum, a coastline on both the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, and a reputation for hospitality that is legendary even by Middle Eastern standards. The Jordanian invitation to sit and drink tea is less of a request and more of a gentle command.

The history here spans millennia. Petra, carved into rose-red sandstone by the Nabataeans over 2,000 years ago, is one of those places that photographs simply cannot prepare you for. Wadi Rum's vast desert of red sand and towering rock formations has served as a stand-in for Mars in multiple films, and it is where T.E. Lawrence based his operations during the Arab Revolt. The Dead Sea shares its shoreline with Israel and Palestine, and the ancient Roman city of Jerash is one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere. Jordan has managed to remain a stable, welcoming island in a turbulent region, and visitors consistently rank it among the friendliest countries they have ever experienced.