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Before I traveled to Morocco I have heard a lot of stories and read a lot about how it is not safe, and that people are terrible there with tourists, etc. and etc. I can confirm that 95% of the stories are false.
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Morroco is still a very conservative country even if it has many tourists and cultural differences there. Especially if you are a female do not be surprised if you get a lot of stares from men that are there, in some cases they are really primitive and rude, but that is they culture and you will get used to it in a few hours. My main tip is to pack long dresses and light pants so you can easily walk through the city without any problem.
Similar to Asia, it is very common to bargain in Morocco and it is normal to bargain for literally anything and everything that you are buying, especially souvenirs, dresses, and especially taxis, but I will cover that later.
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I do not recommend that you rent a car or any type of vehicle in Morocco, and especially in Marrakech, because the traffic and driving there is like Wild West, people are not looking where they are going and most of my driving I was looking down to my legs because I could not look on how my taxi driver is driving.
My recommendation is to take the hotel transportation to and from the hotel. I always recommend that you, if you are offered, take the hotel transportation from the airport to the hotel the first time, mainly because it is really hard to communicate with taxi drivers the first time when you land there.
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I do not recommend people to ask for directions, mainly because if they help you they will ask you to pay them, and if you do not want to pay they will pull you on your shirt and you won’t have a good time.
Do not be surprised if kids start following you, since they are sometimes just a recon for the older people so they can scam you, therefore be sure to stay where most tourists are.
If you want to feel the real Morrocan and especially Marrakech culture and spirit, be sure to stay in a Riad, which are traditional Moroccan houses with an interior courtyard, you could associate them with bed & breakfasts. It’s a lot more charming than a hotel, plus the staff can help you a lot.
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First of all be careful what you eat and where, and I do not recommend eating from the food stands as I did in Asia since Africa is a different beast.
Therefore be sure to bring probiotics if you are not used to Moroccan or African food and be sure to bring something that you can drink for fever or something similar.
Do not rely on restaurant and hotel WIFI if you can grab a SIM card for 4 Euros that can give you 10 GB of internet in any part of Morocco. Be sure to get Maroc Telecom since that is the wider and most spread telecom in Morocco.
Always have a pen near you, first, you will have to fill Immigration forms similar to ones in Asia, then in most Riads you will have to fill another paper for their hotel that they have to file.
My last tip is just to enjoy your trip and embrace the different cultures and different people that you will meet in Morroco.
I can say that it is truly one of a kind country in several ways, from amazing food to amazing staff that is being nice to you in any situation, to the crazy salesman on the streets.
Hello! I’m Sara, a Croatian native. I’ve traveled all over the world and have knocked out some amazing cities and countries off my bucket list.
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