Useful tips on Morocco, important and not found in guides

USEFUL TIPS ON MOROCCO!

Useful tips on Morocco that guides do not tell us and instead are very important.

When we decide to head towards a destination, all of us or almost choose to entrust ourselves to a guide (book) or the internet to find out a little more, sometimes we also pay quite an expensive price, a good guide costs around 28 euros, and gives only basic indications most of the times, but it does not say what we really need to know the news of “survival”, those simple things that can help us improve our trip; this is why we have decided to write to help travelers like us to have some extra useful tips and that extra push.

Morocco is an extraordinary country, situated to the north of the African continent, very close to Europe, it is a proper mixture of these two continents and perhaps from both took both merits and defects.

USEFUL TIPS ON MOROCCO

Let us begin by saying that:

– A PASSPORT IS REQUIRED: The citizens of the European Union do not need visa but only a Passport with a remaining validity of at least six months and at least two free pages, however be careful when you arrive in Morocco, at the airport of arrival, you will be controlled more than once and your suitcases scanned on entry even before leaving.

– VERY LONG QUEUES AT THE AIRPORT: When departing make sure to be at the airport at least 3 hours before your departure time, you would not believe it but the queues are very long and the controls infinite. Already to enter the airport you will need to wait in an enormous queue outside, scan suitcases and show the documents, then you need to go to the check-in even if you have already done it online because a stamp must be put on your boarding pass to allow you to go to security before the gates, the next queue, security controls are infinite and after the checks you must shown once again your travel documents before entering the gates’ area, hence there are continuous controls that are also strict meaning that you are not allowed to skip the queues!

– THE TAGINE IS NOT A DISH: When speaking of national dishes we speak about the tagine, but beware the tagine is not a dish but rather a sort of pot in which food is cooked and served at the table, whereby when you read tagine of vegetables or chicken, in reality you will find only vegetables in this container or chicken precisely………. however still VERY GOOD!

– THE HAMMAM IS NOT A TURKISH OR STEAM BATH: The traditional Moroccan Hamam is absolutely not how we think, the usual turkish bath or steam bath, in reality it is totally different and even shocking in some aspects. Therefore meanwhile there is that for men or women, Moroccans do it once a week. You undress and enter into this room with steam, there you sit down and immediately the lady who gives you the hammam arrives, i.e. a real and actual bath. With a sort of saucer she throws hot water on you, than spreads black soap all over your body, makes you lie down and with a cloth glove makes you a scrub, other water is literally thrown on you, a clay mask all over your body and water again. In short a real and actual bath, then obviously the tourists will have even a massage.

– NEGOTIATING IS COMPULSORY: The first merchants were Arabs, as well as the first mathematicians and the Moroccans have gained much from this seed. If you go to the “SUK” be prepared to be given exorbitant prices, the actually start from a high price and most of the times you manage to pay even half or less, they love to haggle which means that you will need to give them offers, always start from a figure lower than that you wish to actually pay and then get there slowly, but be careful not to offend them by offering a single low price on which you do not want to negotiate. Also know that you will pull you ito their stores, do not be afraid or upset but if you do not want to buy anything than do not even approach their store and even if they say only to see, know that you will leave the store with something for sure, they are amazing sellers!

– DO NOT BUY EXCURSIONS AND/OR TOURS FROM HOME: We know that most people prefer to organise their trip and excursions from home, but in Morocco it is not a good idea because you would pay at least 3 times more and would still find the same service. Services in Morocco for tourists are not good, when they see foreigners they see a sort of ATM, hence negotiate also on excursions and know that a lot of patience is required. Walk through the “suk” or squares and you will find many different agencies but the tours are always the same therefore try to pay the least possible and always ask for a sort of receipt.

– THE HOSPITALITY IS INCREDIBLE: Hospitality here is really incredible, but attention in addition to the hospitality there is also their art of selling, so if someone approaches you and wants to give you directions or accompany you directly to where you wanted to go, attention because after you will have to pay for it.

Enjoy Morocco it is quite nice and sometimes contrasting country, be careful as in every part of the world but especially in crowded squares there are pickpockets just like every other country, don’t be in a hurry or rush because here the rhythms are different and obviously also the standards.

Have a good trip