Driving in Jordan - buying a GPS, renting a GPS, or buying a GPS map?

For the routes and destinations that you have mentioned you don't need anything, except if you are extremely "orientation-challenged". Most major towns and tourist sites are signposted in English.

For backup, a paper map or the maps in the LP or Rough Guide guidebooks are sufficient. The best maps are available outside Jordan, but even these are not great.

If you want to invest a little more money, you can buy a hand-held GPS at home. Get one that allows you to upload map files onto the unit or onto a memory card inserted into the GPS. Just like for most software and data files, there are places (both real and virtual) where you can obtain Garmin map software for a few pennies, or for free. A less stressful option is to download open-source map files (Open Street Map) legally. These GPS maps will not always provide excellent coverage and accuracy, and the hand-held GPS highway mode is far less sophisticated than vehicle-mounted units where a pleasant female voice accompanies an almost movie-quality image of the street and says something like "Turn right after 36.8 meters!" But I have found the whole setup more than adequate, even in places like Iraq, where the coverage is less detailed than for Jordan.

A hand-held GPS will of course remain useful for many years to come and you can load it with the appropriate maps wherever you go. At Jordanian airports and borders where they x-ray or inspect your baggage, keep the GPS in your checked (not cabin) baggage, ideally packed in a bundle with other electronic junk. Some security officials can be a bit anal about such equipment. (Never mind you can buy GPS units in the local mall and map files at your corner DVD shop...)

If you stick to the main routes, driving around Jordan is extremely easy, so I wouldn't say a GPS is essential. In fact even getting out of Amman was a breeze, but truth be told we were staying in the 5th Circle so we didn't have to negotiate with the inner city traffic.

So all in all if you are planning to do the typical, roads are in good condition and well signposted so don't worry if you don't want to spend some extra bucks in a GPS.

That said, we rented with Avis and DID use a GPS (my friends insisted), which turned out to be quite useless and outdated. We got lost on our way to Petra, due to incompetence in our part, and the GPS only made matters worse!!! We decided to ignore it for the rest of our trip, i.e. for the Wadi Rum and Aqaba legs.

Have fun in Jordan.

Gps is not necessary as stated before. Plan your route on bing maps as support and use the printed route.

I'm with Buffy in that in many countries I've used just a basic as you can get Garmin eTrex GPS, gone on Google Earth and noted down a load of coordinates for the places I wanted to go. Then bought a basic road map to work with it. The GPS has pointed out the direction and the paper map has given me the road. However, it is true that most places of note do have road signs (brown coloured for tourists in English), the GPS I've used more often to pinpoint the hotel or the restaurant in the town.

I do now have though a Sat Nav and it's a bit of a waste of time. It seems to often send me off the main roads. Interesting to use the back roads sometimes but not all the time it wants me to.

many thanks to all of you for the helpful suggestions. It will be a plain paper map + a bit of extra time to allow for getting lost :)

I've used a cheap Garmin satnav with free open street maps from the internet. The OSM for Jordan are quite good and detailed.