Petra

Petra is one of those rare places that survives its own reputation. You walk through the Siq — a slot canyon so narrow you can touch both walls — and the Treasury reveals itself at the end like a slow punchline. It is worth every minute of the flight.

Give it two full days. The Monastery is a harder walk than the brochures admit and worth four times the effort. Pair with a night at a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum. Sleep under more stars than you have ever seen and wonder why you waited this long.