Hiring a Local Guide Will Make Your First Trip to Morocco More Fun
By Gabriel Forsyth
My plane was the last one in for the night. The airport was practically empty save a few airport employees here and there. I walked around looking for my friends who had arrived a few days earlier and were supposed to be meeting me at the airport.
It was just past midnight and I was beginning to get worried. I didn’t know any French or Arabic and I had never been to Marrakech tours before. I walked around the airport looking to see if maybe my friends had gone to the wrong terminal.
Luckily Casablanca’s airport is relatively small reassuring me that if I walked around for a bit, I wouldn’t miss my friends. Right as my internal tension about this new place was reaching its peak, my friends walked through the terminal’s glass doors.
“Come on,†they said, “We’ve got to get on this bus going into the city, there will not be another one until tomorrow morning.†We hurried out the door and boarded the bus.
Morocco Travel Tips
In this country where tourism contributes greatly to the national economy, a little bit of common traveling sense is absolutely essential for the first time visitor. It’s also not a bad idea to hire a local guide from a reputable organization
My trip to Morocco was filled with learning experiences from which I gleaned some basic DOs and DON’Ts that will help make traveling in this mysterious country a smoother experience.
DO hang on to your bus ticket.
Once we arrived in Casablanca, we immediately jumped on another bus heading for Marrakech where the rest of our friends were waiting for us. As we were making our way out of the city, the bus driver and his assistant started yelling back and forth.
We had no clue what was going on at first. Then all of a sudden the bus driver stopped the bus on the side of the road. The bus driver’s assistant began checking everyone’s tickets. We soon picked up on the idea that we were carrying one too many passengers.
When one man couldn’t come up with proof that he belonged in a seat, he was quickly escorted off the bus to be left on the side of the road. I was genuinely relieved I had held on to my ticket.
DON’T agree to cab drivers offer prematurely.
In Marrakech, I extensively explored the Market. After a few days, I started picking up on some of Morocco’s cultural etiquette. I began feeling comfortable in this fascinating ancient city.