Israel, Jordan and Egypt

[twilight_tea]

I'll be traveling on Birthright to Israel (it's a free trip for young Jews) and have extended my trip to stay another 3 weeks afterwards, so I'm looking into going into Jordan to see Petra (almost definitely doing this), and feeling out places to go in Israel and Egypt aside from the Birthright hot spots and Cairo. So, here are my questions

Comments

[freda]

I stayed one night in Hayarkon 48 Hostel in Tel Aviv. It's near the beach AND the city centre and was really alright. It was clean and friendly and we had nice room mates.
http://www.hayarkon48.com

Your daily budget will be dominated by your travel expenses as food and accomodation are rather cheap. We bought tons of fruits and baked stuff at the markets every day for around 5 bucks. The only items I remember being more expensive were toiletries.
I think our average budget wasn't above 50 dollars.

I've only been in Israel for two weeks, so we've mainly been to the more touristy places. Don't miss a trip to the dead sea, it's really that amazing.

The trains are actually quite affordable but a sherut will bring you almost everywhere and is so much fun as there are lots of intressting people traveling with them (ask locals or hostel employees about stations and routes).

The Lonely Planet guide was really helpful even if everyone you met somewhere had it.

[lean968]

In Egypt I really loved Siwa Oasis. It's less touristy than a lot of places, and a lot more laid back. If I remember correctly, it was about an 8 hour bus ride from Cairo.

[_losingtouch_]

When I extended my trip in Israel, I stayed with family, a hostel, and then I rented a little apartment for a few days (which was nice and I could cook but the guy was a little sketch I rented it from). Israel is not a particularly inexpensive country. I would say prices for food and hostels and hotels are similar to the United States. It also depends on what you want to do during the day. In Tel Aviv, I just laid on the beach a few of the days because I was so exhausted after birthright which was free! I also got some things from the grocery store (which is the best travel suggestion) so I didn't have to waste as much money on food.