travelbook about Saudi-Arabia (Jeddah)

Hi everybody,

this is Henning, living in Munich/Germany and working on a travelbook about Saudi. I am planning a trip in december, arriving in Jeddah around the 4th. I do have a rough idea where to go: Jeddah - Yanbu - Duba - some wadis along the coast - Haql - Jebel Lawz with desert overnights - Tabuk - (Sakaka - Ha'il - crossing Nafud?) - Madain Salaeh - Chaibar - white volcanoes - Jeddah (we have roughly 3,5 weeks).

Any help is highly appreciated, like
* which hotel would you suggest in Jeddah or one of these towns (no 4/5-star required, any nice, friendly, comfortable guesthouse run on a private basis is prefered!!! and I have to finance all by myself :-)

* where could I rent a reliable small 4x4 for a decent price

* would it be possible to buy a car without residence? (I guess not) - just asking because more travelling is planned between jan - april

* should anyone of you run (or know somebody who does) an accomodation / restaurant / cafe / shop that is of interest for future travellers - send me a message and I'll pass by (my contacts see below)

* my wife is travelling with me, we work as guides for a german tourcompany ( Protected content ) and do among others desert-hikings in rub al-khali (oman side), therefore want to spend as many nights as possible outdoors - where would be the best place to get basic equipment?

any idea / suggestion / help is highly appreciated, you can get in touch either by whatsapp ( Protected content ) or email Protected content

should anybody need further informations, I can send a CV and a letter of recommendation by the publisher (Trescher Verlag: Protected content

best wishes, thank you for reading
have a great day
Henning