The Middle East gets a bad rap as being dangerous and inhospitable. Granted, some of the reputation is well deserved, but Jordan gets roped into that stereotype because of its neighbors.
During our 9-day road trip all over Jordan (except the borders), we found the people friendly and helpful everywhere we went. This was even true in the big city of Amman.
It surprised us how many people went out of their way to help us, from translating to giving directions, to making recommendations. Plus, no one wanted anything in return. This is starkly different from many developing countries.
We never saw anyone begging, nor did anyone harass us. We were told that because of the strong tribal communities, homelessness and extreme poverty are not huge issues in the country.
The political system is typically stable, and crime is low. However, nowhere in the world is completely safe, and travelers (arguably everyone), must always be situationally aware. However, Jordan doesn’t require any additional hyper-vigilance, though traveling to the border regions with Syria and Iraq is not recommended.
Sadly, women must always be hyper-vigilant, especially when traveling alone. This applies to Jordan as much as it applies anywhere. Sexual attacks on female travelers have happened in Jordan.
As safety situations can change fast, we always recommend checking travel advisories before going to a foreign country. We personally use the UK’s Foreign Advisories pages, we’ve always found them to be accurate.