Listen to This Before You Go to Morocco

Welcome to the Destination Morocco podcast, the show that takes you way to the beautiful country of Morocco. I am your Az dean Elmoustaquim. In each episode, we explore Moroccan culture, history, attractions and activities real and practical information coming from experienced travelers and native Moroccans like myself. And now let's go exploring. Welcome back to another episode of Destination Morocco podcast. In today's episode we have Sam with us, all ,the way from Marrakech, and we're going to do Q&A, and this episode we're going to talk about everything you need to do before your trip to Morocco. So we're going to be talking about pre-planning your trip to Morocco. We'll cover as much as we can on this episode and we're going to have probably a few other episodes after this one. So we're going to cover everything from pre-planning transportation, accommodations, things to see and do throughout Morocco and so forth. So probably we're going to have three or four episodes that we're going to cover everything. So, Sam, welcome back to the show. I'm very glad to have you here. So what do we have for the guests, for the clients or the listeners in today's episode?

Okay, very much. I'm very glad to be here again. So we have many things to tell our audience about what to know, what to prepare, what to plan before they go to their trip to Morocco. So there is many useful information that we'll cover during this episode. Let's start with the first question. Mr Azdean, In your opinion, what is the best time to visit Morocco?

The best time really to visit Morocco. It has changed, actually, if you're comparing pre-COVID to post-COVID. Now everything is super busy throughout the year, with a little bit of the exception of July and August, because it's really hard, but even then sometimes we ourselves find it kind of difficult to find accommodations, even in the summertime. So the best time to go you have to look at it in terms of weather, because that's what's going to really make a difference. For example, the spring is really good, september is really really good, october, november and then December obviously. But when you go into December, just make sure you book everything ahead of time, mainly at least nine months before, because it gets really really busy and you're not going to have a lot of options if you wait until the last minute.

Do US citizens need a visa or require the visa to visit Morocco? If so, how they can obtain the visa to travel to Morocco?

That's a really good question. If you live in the US, you don't really need a visa as long as you're staying less than 90 days. But if you're going to stay more than 90 days, then you definitely need to get in touch with the Visa Central office. The phone number is 1-877-535-0688. Or, y ou can go online at visacentral. com and see what you can find the things that you're going to need. So really good question.

Thank you very much for all this information. It's interesting. So my next question is are there any specific health precautions or vaccinations problems from US need to know about before that travels to Morocco?

Well, at the moment there's not. I just came back from Morocco to the US and I see that COVID cases are on the rise again. Morocco doesn't have any restrictions yet because of the cases are very low, maybe around 100 or so. So nothing at the moment. But if anything changes we'll definitely update the listeners. So that's the latest updates. You don't need any vaccinations to travel to Morocco, but it's up to you. If you want to get some vaccinations to Morocco that you're not really feeling comfortable, you can do that as well, whether it's hepatitis A, B or C, just to protect yourself.

What is the local currency in Morocco and how you can obtain Moroccan local currency.

Okay, the Moroccan currency in Morocco is the Dirham, and you can obtain it in many different ways. For example, you can do it when you get to the airport. That's option number one, but the exchange is not going to be to your favorite, so you're going to pay a little bit extra for that. But when you get to your other hotel, you can also exchange the currency, whether it's US dollar, Canadian dollar and so forth. Also, there are a couple of places, especially in Marrakesh, where you can get a little bit more foreign dollar than anywhere else. When you're trying to exchange currency, do not do it at the bank. We need any bank because in Morocco you have two options when it comes to the bank. If you are a member of that bank, they'll give you a better rate, but if you're not a member of that bank, they're not going to give you a better rate. Stay away from the post office, because it's just they're cutting their fees and exchange rates they're not really that good. So the best way to do it is you're a hotel or ask your driver or local guide. There's some spots outside the red and outside the hotel, especially in Morocco. There are a few spots by the general transfer square where you can get the exchange a really good rate. Very good question, sir.

Is it safe to drink water in Morocco or they need to buy bottled water?

I always stay away from tab water. I mean not just in Morocco, but anywhere you travel. But especially in Morocco, the quality has changed and again, the quality is different from city to city. But even though I still do not recommend tab water, now, in terms of bottled water, you have a few options. They're really some good brands that you can get. They sell them in three or four different sizes, so there's like a quarter, you know, 250 milliliters, half a liter, 500 milliliters, one liter, one and a half liter and two liters. So it just depends how long you stay in, where you stay in, if you stay in one spot or if you're traveling and just make sure you get enough of it. So, in terms of the cost, one liter would cost you around, you know, 6 Dirhams, 7 Dirhams, which is the equivalent to 80 cents. So it's not really expensive and it's better to get it. Just take as much as you can with you, just in case.

So are there any like cultural customs or norms, travellers they have to know, or they should respect when they travel to Morocco?

I mean, of course there are and even in Morocco it really varies from city to city or, you know, on the outskirts of the big cities, the villages and stuff like that but the majority, I think, just see what the locals do and do the same, you know, mimic their actions, Because sometimes you don't know if you're doing the right thing or saying the right thing. But normally this is not really a major issue when it comes to love tourists or travelers to get themselves comfortable with the local culture.

So what is the language spoken in Morocco? Maybe some people they think like that Morocco is a French country and something like that. Can you please give us some information about that? Yeah, about this, please.

Absolutely, absolutely. Morocco is not a French country. We are independent. We have our own languages, by the way, and the main language is Dereja, which is a slang. It's a combination of other languages, then Arabic, then French, because obviously we were a French colony and now they have changed the school curriculum. So now English is being taught since first grade, so they get rid of the French language. But normally when you go to Morocco, when you go to Marrakech, for example, like the dead center of the country, french is very popular. When you go to the north side of Morocco, then Spanish is very popular. Then when you go to the south, berber is very popular. It's in Sahara, the desert, but also you know the local languages that are spoken. If you go to the north side we're talking about the Reef Mountains and the North region then the Reef, which is a Berber language, a Mazi language. It's very popular. That's what it's spoken. Then when you go to the Atlas Mountains, there's two more Berber languages. Then when you go to the south, so the Berber language is very strong. When it comes, you know, to Morocco, there's a variety of slangs and a variety of different Berber languages. So people from the south may communicate with the Atlas, but there's a few differences in terms of things that are being said and stuff like that, but overall they can still communicate. So when it comes to tourist cities in Morocco, morocco is really diverse, culturally, historically, in so many different ways. So a lot of people, the average Moroccan, they speak three languages. Then when you go to the soaps and markets and people that are involved in tourism industry, they speak an average of four to six languages. So, in terms of language, whatever language you speak, you'll definitely find somebody in Morocco that will communicate with you really easy. Very good question, sam. Thank you. What do we have next?

Absolutely so. Next, we talked before about Moroccan currency and you gave us seriously information. No, for example, travelers who travel into Morocco how they can use their debital credit card and, if you can please give us some explanations about ATM machines and so on.

Okay. So before using your debit card or credit card in Morocco, just make sure before you travel you let your credit card company know, let your bank know, that Morocco is going to be there for you know whether it's seven days, 10 days, 15 days, and also you can use them freely in Morocco. A lot more places now are accepting credit card and debit card versus the past. The other question that you have, sam, when it comes to ATM ATM, the best way to use it is in the major cities. Obviously, use it in the morning, because sometimes the ATM machine itself runs out of money and we can't make sure. You definitely use it early, but to even position yourself, better use it before the weekend. That way you don't have to. You're not really scrambling for cash and stuff like that, but it's always, always a good idea to have cash with your hand. I get this question quite a bit from the travelers. The way that I do it is I have some cash with me all the time and I use the ATM. In case I cannot use the ATM, then I just use the cash that I have with me. It's much easier that way.

So you know, morocco is like we talk about hospitality. I think Morocco is amazing. The country is just. We talk about the culture of the people and the way they help tourists and travelers. The whole country, even the inner areas, it's amazing. So can you please give us some information about the tipping culture and etiquette in Morocco? You know?

we get this question all the time. Morocco, if we talk in the 60s, 70s, it was an insult to tip somebody, it was embarrassing. But now, like you said, the tourism industry has evolved so much and now it really really depends quite a bit on that tipping part of it. That's how the system now is set up. You have a local guide, you know, yeah, you pay them their fees, but then at the end of the experience they still expect you to give them a little bit of a tip. So whether it's a local guide, a tour leader, a national guide, a restaurant, a coffee shop, a taxi, anywhere, it's largely expected nowadays. The norm for us we say 10% to 15%, but again, it depends on case by case. So if you go into Morocco, for example, for like two weeks, then really 10% is kind of high, you know, but just a few hundred bucks depending on how good the service is. For example, if you're doing just a few days, you can apply the 10% For the big ticket items. 10% it's still kind of high. But normally if you're eating a restaurant, that would say 10%. 15% is good. At the coffee shop you have a coffee, maybe a buck or two, just a few coins is good. Three, five dirhams they're equivalent to 50 cents it's still good, it's still decent. So that's what I would recommend. There's not really a specific rule, but it depends case by case if that makes sense to you, sam.

That's absolutely yes, because this is like people that get confused when they go to the country. They don't know about the culture of the country and some stuff. So are there any specific item advisories? People, they need to plan, they need to know, for example, before they go to travel to the country. We talk about Morocco, always.

You're talking about what they should pack going to.

Morocco. Yeah, that's right. Yes.

Okay. Well, that's a good question. There are a few things I'm not as in as I used to be, so now I take medication with me. It's definitely a must. It's what we said. Stomach Whatever you feel comfortable with, I get my stuff at Costco, Sam's is good as well. Wal-mart you can buy stuff like that In my case. We travel quite a Painkillers are good. They don't need to be prescribed by doctor, but just over the counter, for stomach as well. Toiletries is a must. Now when you go to Morocco, when you're using public restrooms. They're much, much better than they used to. But keep in mind you take when you go use the restrooms. It's like a dirham, which is the equivalent to 25 cents. 20 cents, for example. It's not much, but yeah, what else? When it comes to packing we actually had a whole episode about packing to Morocco Make sure whether you have a camera with you, whether you have cell phone charger adapter, for sure, yes, but the adapter, I would say the best way to do it is wait until you get to Morocco, because the one that you can get here in a store or at Amazon, sometimes they are not the best fit in Morocco. That issue could be solved just by asking your driver and they make a stop and take care of it for you. It normally costs, because I know we had the same situation and we stopped.

He stopped for his.

Yeah, so I think it cost us two dollars, but it was really good quantity. So yeah, that's right, yeah.

So what kind of budget for accommodations? Just estimate budget for accommodation in the mail and, for example, stuff when you are traveling to Morocco.

For the accommodations. It really depends what you're feeling comfortable with. We are based in Marrakech, so most of the examples that I give you, they can be based in Marrakech. That can be applied to other cities. If you look at the Jamal Fina Square, just in the vicinity of that square, there's about 700 riots and traces that you can stay and the price really varies for less than 50 bucks and all the way to $31,000 a night. So it just up to you what's your budget and things that you want to stay and the money you want to spend For the riads. It just depends. When you go to two-star riads, two-star hotels, you're really putting yourself, I wouldn't say at risk, but I would say don't expect much because the service may not be there unless you're lucky. Then when you look at four-star, I would say the average for us is four-star and that's what we use. So there's plenty of four-star places that you can find in all major cities and when it comes in the budget, those are probably, I would say, still between $75 to $100 a night. It just depends Again on the season. It just depends on the property and stuff like that. The five-star hotels and the riads. There's plenty of them. They are really, really good. If they are a good fit for you, go for it. If it's not a good fit for you, there's still a lot of choices within your budget. Travelers to Morocco,

do they need to register on the US Embassy before they travel to Morocco?

They don't need to register, but it's a plus if they can register with the Embassy or the Consulate. The reason is because you never know what's going to happen. I mean, morocco is a very safe country, but you do this anywhere you travel, go to Morocco or any other destination, just to protect yourself, just to be on the safe side. If something were to happen, you need, for example, to be evacuated, so they know how to get in touch with you and inform you. So that's the best way that I would recommend, and also the US. They have a program called STEP and again, we talked about this when we did the packing to Morocco and you can find more information when you go to www. step. state. gov/step, and you can find a lot more information there. But it's absolutely recommended. You don't have to, but it's highly recommended. Really, really good question, thank you.

So, when it comes to it, Moroccan cuisine is very diverse. You know about Moroccan cuisine it's unbelievable. So for travelers, do they have to eat anything or just to eat specific dishes, especially if they are first time travelers in Morocco? Can you please explain to us about what can be?

eaten and what?

cannot be eaten in Morocco.

If you're a solo traveler, if you're traveling by yourself with friends, you always have to do your homework, because the food is incredible and it can be very tricky and it will absolutely get you. No matter how careful you are, it will still get you. Talking from experience, because we just came back and we did 50 days in Morocco. On 40 days we were on the road. We were very blessed and very lucky. We had some amazing, amazing food throughout the south of Morocco, the north of Morocco, but every now and then it's going to get you because it's delicious and it looks really good, but sometimes it does not align with your stomach. The best way to handle it is to stay away from meat, especially in the first few days, maybe two or three days when you go into Morocco, especially when it's fresh, whether you like lamb, whether you like goat or beef, because it's very different than beef. So just ease yourself to it little bit by little bit and even when you eat meat, just make sure you eat in just a few ounces at first and then the next day you eat a little bit more because you want to test your stomach. If it's a lot more than food, then you eat in these allergies, nothing is bothering you, and then after the first week then you shouldn't be good. So really good question.

So, as we talked about before, we talked about Moroccan people and hospitality and kindness of the people. Now could you please, Mr Azdean, tell us about etiquette or protocol, for example, the following when you want to take photos or pictures of the people, for example during your travels in, Morocco.

Okay, oh, that's a really good question. Now we're talking about the city, we're talking about the villages, we're talking about the kids. So when you are in Morocco, especially in the markets, it's okay to take pictures from a distance. Nobody's going to say no, because it's general picture. There's no specific person in that picture, it's just you're picturing the scene, the view. You know that experience. But if you want to take a picture of a local or a store or a clerk or something, then you really have to talk to them. If it's okay with them, you always want to ask permission and it's you got to pay. You know that's what we do. Just say hey, if it's okay. Some of them they'll say yes, and some of them they would expect you to compensate them for that picture. Maybe two bucks is good, some say five bucks. You know the equivalent to 50 dirhams. The same thing with children. You know, do not take pictures of them, especially in the villages, whether you're in the desert or the mountains, because the Amazir culture it's very different. The culture in the mountains it's very different than the city. But you always want to be very respectful to the kids, to the parents, to the culture and a lot of people they would not mind when you ask. So if you have to pay, just a few dollars will do. Was it the trick? Yeah, that's a really, really good question. Always ask, always, always.

Yeah, oh, thank you very much. Thank you very much. They're useful information. So, related to photography again, can people bring the drone tomorrow when?

they travel.

This is an issue. Could you please explain to us if it's possible or not.

Okay, you can bring it, but they may take it away from you. This is what I would recommend: The drone laws in Morocco are very complicated. I don't want to sound too dramatic, but if you have a drone, just do not really bring it to Morocco, because if they find it on you when they come into the customs, they will confiscate, they will keep it. They'll tell you to come back. When you're going back to the US, for example, you can have it back. So it's really pointless to take it with you. They keep it. They may not give it back to you. That's a chance that they definitely would not want to take. Now, if you take it with you and you got away with it, you use it in the city, they will come, they will take it away from you. In between cities, villages, where it's kind of far, you can use it, you can take pictures and stuff like that, but you definitely must have a license for it, especially with the drone. The drone is very sensitive subject because there's airports in the areas, there's military bases in the area and they will shoot it down. I did not know this until our last trip, because we're running into these issues ourselves and they don't budge. It doesn't matter who you are or who you know you're going to be in trouble. It's going to really affect your experience in Morocco because they treat the drone very seriously. So that's a really really good question, sir.

Thank you very much.

This is very interesting yeah.

I saw many travelers, they get confused about do they need to have travel insurance when they travel to Morocco or not? If so, how they can get their insurance from where, for example? Could you please explain to us about this subject please?

Definitely, definitely. You know we call it insurance, but it's actually it's a protection for your investment. When we were kids I mean not really kids, but 20s and 30s you don't think of that insurance much because your health, you're good. But nowadays I highly recommend insurance. Why? Because, again, it's not an insurance, it's a protection for your investment. You're paying $10,000, $20,000, $50,000 for your trip and something happens. All that investment is gone, all your money is gone. So it's really I would not say is a must, but I would say it's a highly recommended. Now I have a lot of people that say well, I have my, you know, I have Chase, I have American Express, I have a Visa, I have my credit card and it's included. Yeah, it is included, but it's extremely limited. So that fun print, it's very limited. So you really have to cut a professional travel insurance companies, and there's so many of them. I'm not an expert, please don't take my word on it, because for legalities that I want to be have a responsible, but you can. There's many, many companies you can search and they have good rates. The few things that you need to look into is cancel for any reason. Some companies they they're willing to cancel for any reason. Some they have restrictions as well, and when you do your homework when it comes to travel insurance, you want to make sure that COVID is included. When it comes, for example, to tests, let's say you go to Morocco and you test positive, you know some insurance. You have to pay for your own pocket for your hospital, for your medication, for all your stuff, and then when you come back to the US, you send the claim. Then they refund you. But there's others when you go to the hospital, they take care of the bill and they take care of everything and they have offices globally. There's CHUBB, c-h-u-b-b, there's Alliance, there's many other insurance companies. Just do your homework and I cannot recommend one versus the other, but I do have a personal favorite and also look at whatever they cover when it comes to evacuation. Let's say something happens the country like what happened during COVID, Morocco closed and you need to leave the country, as your insurance cover that. You know evacuation. Some do, some don'ts. So when it comes to it, somebody wants to call the reach out. We can talk a little bit more detail, because travel insurance is, in my opinion, is really is really a must. Really, really good question, sam. Thank you for that.

Travelers travel, you know, long, to Morocco, especially most US travelers. In Morocco they spend more than a week between week to weeks. Depends. So when it comes to laundry, how they can do that, is there like a riad or hotels, or like the place where they can stay. Can you please give us some information about that?

Sure, sure. When it comes to laundry. Let's say, if you stand for one week, if you're staying in one place, you know you can do it. If you're staying at a hotel, they have those services. Drop it in the morning, later that day you have it. But also, in each neighborhood there's a laundry mat where you can do that as well. It's a little bit cheaper and the same thing you drop it in the morning, you pick it up in the afternoon. Now if you're traveling to where the cities go, from city to city to city, now it becomes kind of tricky. So keep in mind that the laundry service takes a whole day because it's just not you, but there's a lot of people that are going to be doing so. If you get, for example, to Marrakesh or to Fès in the morning, and you have a lot of laundry, do it in the morning. Go do whatever you need to do sightseeing. When you come back, just pick it up afterwards. The same thing if you go with a group or traveling with your friends or family, make sure you do it at your other hotel, because nowadays that service is very, very accessible to a lot of people.

By the way, this laundry place its names in. My friend did it somewhere in Morocco, in the city it's called "rising.

Pressing yeah.

Pressing yeah. Pressing is a French name, means laundry and some stuff.

Okay, so I think I have one more. I want to talk about passports. It's been an issue especially for people that are going to renew their passports in the US with COVID, sometimes because of the offices they closed, so no one had that service available. Everybody had to wait until they went back to the office. Now keep in mind, if you're traveling to Morocco or anywhere, that your passport really needs to have a nine months validity to it, so it should be valid for nine months after you're supposed to be coming back from your trip to the US, for example. And also make sure that you have at least one blank page where they can stamp for visa when you go through the airports. And again, for this episode, we're trying to talk about pre-planning for your trip to Morocco things to do and stuff like that. There are going to be more episodes in the same subject where we can cover other topics, but they are still within traveling to Morocco and things that you need to be aware of and so forth. So I really, really appreciate you being here, sam. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

And see you next time. Thank you, have a wonderful day.