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in this guide
01The Essentials
If you read one section, read this one
Three things are non-negotiable across the region — connectivity, insurance, and a working VPN. Get these sorted before you book the flight.
Holafly eSIM
Holafly works on a flat daily price with unlimited data. You don't think about GB, you just use your phone normally — maps, video calls, uploading photos — like you would at home. That's the whole pitch. Best for: short trips, vacation mode, anyone who doesn't want to ration data.
Get a Holafly eSIMAiralo eSIM
Airalo charges by data, not by day. If you already know you'll be on WiFi most of the trip and only need data for maps and messaging, a 5 GB or 10 GB plan is perfect. They also have regional MENA plans that work across borders without reinstalling. Best for: light data users, multi-country trips, anyone comfortable tracking GB.
Get an Airalo eSIMHeymondo travel insurance
Accidents are rare, but in the Gulf a single hospital bill can run into the thousands. What makes Heymondo work for this region: it covers the activities most policies quietly exclude — diving, water sports, horse riding — which makes it one of the few real options for the Red Sea and the Gulf coast. Multi-country trips can be covered under a single plan, and the in-app medical chat lets you talk to a doctor without needing a hospital — useful on a desert road trip when the nearest clinic is four hours away.
Readers of Dunes Atlas get 5% offNordVPN
Several apps you use daily — WhatsApp calls, FaceTime, parts of social media — are restricted or throttled across the region, especially in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. A VPN routes around it. NordVPN is the one I trust on hotel WiFi and the one I keep paying for. If you'll barely use it, a free VPN is enough. If you work remotely, post on social, or make video calls daily, the paid plan pays for itself fast.
Get NordVPN02Booking the trip
Where the trip actually gets built
Almost every booking across the region runs through one of these six platforms. The right combination depends on the trip — solo backpacker, couples retreat, family villa, or business stopover all use a different mix.
Skyscanner
The "everywhere" search and flexible-date grid catches Gulf carrier deals (Etihad, Qatar, Emirates) that Google Flights often misses on Europe → MENA routes. A quick check on the airline's own site before booking never hurts, but Skyscanner is where the search starts.
Search flightsBooking.com
The default for mid-range hotels and up — comfort stays, design hotels, business properties, and luxury too. The deepest inventory of any platform in the region's cities.
Search hotelsGetYourGuide
Petra by Night, Pyramids tours, Wadi Rum 4x4, Sahara overnight from Marrakech — GetYourGuide has one of the deepest MENA inventories of any tour platform, with free cancellation up to 24h. Best for the tours where being on time really matters and the operator has to actually show up: sunrise at Petra, hot air balloon in Luxor, anything pre-dawn.
Browse toursViator
Owned by Tripadvisor, Viator's catalog overlaps with GetYourGuide but isn't identical — some operators only list on one platform. Worth checking both when booking the headline tours (Pyramids, Petra, Wadi Rum), since prices and time slots can differ. The reviews tend to carry more weight here given the Tripadvisor connection.
Browse toursHostelworld
If you're traveling solo or on a budget, Hostelworld has hostels and guesthouses that don't appear on Booking — especially in Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt. It's also where the social side of travel lives: shared dinners, group day trips, other travelers heading the same direction. Worth checking even if you usually book hotels.
Browse hostelsAirbnb
For trips where the accommodation is part of the experience — a villa on the coast, an apartment in Marrakech for a long stay, a house big enough to split between friends. Airbnb works best when you want space, a kitchen, or somewhere that feels lived-in rather than booked. Less useful for one or two nights.
Browse Airbnb03Money & logistics
Cards, visas, and getting around
Regional currencies and logistics — the unglamorous tools that prevent the most travel headaches.
Wise
Wise lets you hold and switch between almost every currency in the world inside a single account — useful when a trip crosses dirhams, dinars, and riyals in the same week. Moving money between currencies uses the real exchange rate, with no markup, and the card works for everyday spending wherever you land. The kind of tool that makes more sense the more you travel.
Open a Wise accountDiscover Cars
DiscoverCars searches across most rental companies in each country at the same time, so the best available price and conditions surface in one comparison instead of opening five tabs. Especially useful in some countries where local agencies are often cheaper than the global brands but harder to find on your own.
Compare car rentalsiVisa
iVisa shows the visa options available for your nationality across every country in the region and handles the application for you — forms, photo specs, document requirements, submission. Worth the markup when the country has a paperwork-heavy process; less essential when the official portal is already straightforward.
Check visa requirements04Gear I actually use
Three items. I've packed everything else and the rest is noise.
A buff or large scarf
For sandstorms in the Sahara, dust in souks, and covering shoulders when entering mosques. One piece does it all.
View on AmazonA filtered water bottle
Tap water isn't safe across most of the region. A good bottle can save you buying 6 bottles of water a day.
View on AmazonA light packable jacket
Wadi Rum and the Sahara drop to 5°C at night in winter. Nobody expects desert cold and everybody feels it.
View on Amazon05By country
Country-specific quirks beyond the global tools
Each country has its own list of things worth booking. These guides cut straight to the providers, hotels, and experiences I would book again.
Egypt
Egypt is a country of guides, Nile cruises, and dive boats. The Pyramids with a generalist vs. an Egyptologist are two different days, and the cruise between Luxor and Aswan changes completely depending on the operator. Knowing who to book with is most of the trip.
See Egypt picksMorocco
Morocco runs on riads, desert camps, and colivings. Where you sleep in Marrakech, who you go into the Sahara with, and which coastal town you stop in are three decisions that shape the whole trip. The shortlist of names worth knowing is inside.
See Morocco picksSaudi Arabia
Saudi is still a country where the right operator makes the difference between a trip and a logistics problem. AlUla, Edge of the World, and the Red Sea each need a different name on the booking. Those names are inside.
See Saudi Arabia picksUAE
The UAE is desert safaris, mountain stays, and brunches priced like flights. The gap between a tourist-trap operator and a good one is wider here than almost anywhere in the region. The ones worth your money are inside.
See UAE picksOman
Oman is built for 4x4 routes, Bedouin camps, and overnight coastal stops. The interior asks for the right rental company, Wahiba for a camp with real Bedouin hosts, and Ras Al Jinz for staying the night. Getting these three right is the trip.
See Oman picksJordan
Jordan is Wadi Rum camps, Petra tours, and Dead Sea hotels — three bookings that carry most of the trip. The difference between a generic Wadi Rum camp and a good one is the difference between sleeping in the desert and sleeping near a parking lot.
See Jordan picksQatar
Qatar is a stopover country, which means the bookings that matter are the layover hotel, the desert tour to the Inland Sea, and the dhow at sunset.
See Qatar picksBahrain
Bahrain is small enough to plan in a weekend and old enough to be worth more time than that. The heritage stays in old Manama, the Pearling Trail operators, and the dive sites off Hawar are the bookings that carry the trip. The names are inside.
See Bahrain picksKuwait
Kuwait is the least-touristed country on this list, which means the few operators worth booking really matter. The traditional stays near Souq Al-Mubarakiya, the dhow trips in the bay, and the food tours through old Kuwait City make the difference. The ones worth contacting are inside.
See Kuwait picks06Need help planning?
Two ways to keep going
Country itineraries & planning tools
Day-by-day routes I've actually walked, hotels I've actually slept in, what's worth the detour and what to skip.
See the planning options07Frequently asked
Honest answers, no upsells
Most of the time, nothing. You browse, you book, you message — everything works. The exception is some social and calling apps in specific countries, which can fail to connect or get throttled, especially at peak hours and on hotel WiFi. If you're traveling for a few days and don't rely on those apps, you'll likely be fine. If you're working remote, posting on social, or making video calls daily, highly recommended.
In most of these countries, healthcare is private and held to a high standard — which also means it's expensive. A single visit can run into the hundreds of dolars; a procedure, into the thousands, payable upfront. Morocco and Egypt are more affordable, so basic things are within reach for most travelers, but it's still not worth the risk. Insurance is one of the cheapest, highest-return investments you'll make on a trip.
Yes. You'll almost always find a place with WiFi — cafés, hotels, restaurants. It's a valid option if you're traveling with an agency and everything's pre-booked. But if you're traveling independently, I'd recommend either an eSIM or a local SIM so you always have data — especially in rural areas, the desert, or on the road, where WiFi disappears and offline maps stop being enough.
It's smart to book ahead if you're traveling solo or want to stay somewhere popular (Petra, riads in Fes, desert camps in Wahiba), because those fill up. But if you're flexible, the Arab world is one of the last places where walking into a hotel still works. Negotiation is part of the culture — booking direct at reception often gets you a better price than the platform, because the hotel doesn't pay the booking fee and you pay in local currency.
No. Buy based on the trip you're taking. The bare minimum: if you're a woman, the scarf is non-negotiable for mosque entries. A lightweight packable jacket is the other thing I'd call essential almost everywhere in the region — desert nights and air-conditioned interiors are colder than you think. Everything else is nice to have, not need.
Depends on the trip and how much friction you want. A few days, pure vacation mode — get an eSIM. It activates before you land and there's nothing to set up at the airport. A few weeks, traveler mode — a local SIM is worth the effort: it's cheaper for long stays, and it gives you a local number you'll need to sign up for local apps like food delivery, and some payment platforms. For everything in between, Holafly or Airalo wins on convenience.