Jordan Guide
Getting around
Hitchhiking
Hitching a ride on well-travelled routes such as Amman to Petra will likely take you hours (or days), since drivers won't have a clue why you can't just get the bus like everyone else. However, in areas where buses may be sporadic or nonexistent – the eastern desert, the southern portions of the King's Highway, the link road from the Desert Highway into Wadi Rum, or just from one village to the next on quiet country roads – local drivers stick to a well-established countryside protocol about picking people up if they have space. The way to show you're hitching is to hold out your arm and loosely flap your index finger.
The first rule – apart from foreign women never hitching alone – is that you should always be prepared to pay something, even if your money is refused when offered. Trying to freebie your way around the country will inspire contempt rather than camaraderie. Travellers who decide to hitch should do so always in pairs. The risk of unpleasantness is minuscule but nonetheless does exist; women should never sit next to men, and spontaneous offers of hospitality should be accepted only with extreme caution. Water and a hat are vital accoutrements: dehydration is probably the greatest threat.