Anyone travelling to Morocco in the next week?

hi.

we are two 21 & 22 year old girls from the UK currently in the south of spain and soon to take the ferry across to morocco. we've been hearing that as girls going alone this might not be the wisest idea so if there are any guys / mixed groups travelling there together soon we're looking for people to travel with. we'll most likely be there from early next week until the 26th july, flying back then from marrakech. we're open about our route, but would like to see chefchaouen, fes and (obviously) marrakech...

thanks, s & g

we've been hearing that as girls going alone this might not be the wisest idea

I don't know who your friends are but there's no reason not to.

I´ve been on my own and had the worst time of my life. Guys and men following me all the time, not a single moment to myself and feeling very unsafe. On my way back from Tanger to Tarifa I met two Scottisch girls who hated it also. And it was TWO of them! Of course everybody has different experiences and I´ve met an English couple who really liked Morocco (but it was a guy and a girl, might be different because they don´t respect woman). Well, it´s all very personal. But I would not recomend Morocco at all. I fled to Spain, having a really good time now. So think twice.......

Kimmie - I'm sorry you had a bad experience. From my experience [twice, in different towns plus travelling] I'd say Moroccans really DO respect women - but first they have to see that the women respect themselves. This means dressing sensibly and not acting like a nerd in public.

Remember that to the [muslim] Moroccans, showing a lot of flesh means you're advertising your availability. Likewise, not acting with 'dignity' shows you have none. If you try to behave in public rather like your granny would, you'll fit in perfectly and have a whale of a time.
I got 'kidnapped' by a berber family, called ana [auntie] by their little girls, went to local hammams with them, slept on their roof under thousands of stars, etc.etc.

GoldenOldie, with all due respect, what you are saying is hogwash. Experiencing it firsthand (through my foreign wife) I can safely say that no Moroccan will automatically respect a woman who "respects herself". Respect for a foreign woman in this country is hard fought and takes time, and will not be meeted out according to a woman's public behaviour or dress (though it is true that the less 'respectfully' a foreign woman dresses, the more likely she is to get hassled). Morocco is still a great country to visit but out on the street I have seen far too much of how Moroccan men perceive foreign women to believe that there is any "respect" involved. Don't get me started on how Moroccan women are treated/perceived. Five years on and with a knowledge of Arabic far beyond the average foreigner, my wife still gets hassled everytime she goes out of the house without me, sometimes by people who are aware of our marriage. Showing flesh or not has little to do with it.

To the OP I would not let what you've heard deter you from going, but travelling in Morocco for women requires one to have a thick skin.

chanol, I wouldn't describe myself as 'thick-skinned'. But I've travelled alone all over Morocco and never had a moment's trouble - quite the reverse in fact.
I even got invited to dine with a family someone described to me as related to the king.
And this isn't because money protects me - on the contrary, I stay at the cheapest places and I've never bought a carpet or anything costing more than a few dirhams.

Yet people who are nervous seem to have their expectations fulfilled. I expect people to treat me respectfully and offer them the same courtesy. It seems to work.

PS - I don't speak Arabic beyond the basic 'asalaamu aleikum' and 'chockrun', and my French is laughable, so it has nothing whatsoever to do with my verbal communication. It's a matter of body language.

Hey girls, I am a very BIG man (equalling roughly 16 Moroccans) and it would be mon pleasure to guide to ensure your safety throughout your visit.

I charge $100 for my services, payable by advance bank transfer. This may sound a lot, but please be aware that without using the services of a strong and knowledgeable guide such as myself your insurance policy may be rendered invalid, and your embassy may refuse to offer you any support in case of emergency.

Give me a call on +00234 419419 to discuss payment.

------------------------

Sorry, in all seriousness, go for it. Do the tourist bits if you must, but for the rest of the time stay away from the tourist trail and you wil have a great time. Cover up, act as your Moroccan counterparts do, and there is nothing to fear.

Peace.

I agree with Chanol - it's not necessarily about dress (although certain things do go a long way) - Today I wore a tanktop and only one man (er, 16 year old boy) tsked me. In the winter, I'm buried under layers of baggy clothing and I can experience 10x the harassment. As I've said a thousand times before, my mother in law WHO WEARS HIJAB gets sexually harassed sometimes. It happens to all women, Moroccan or not, old or young, sexy or the furthest thing from it.

The problem with new tourists to Morocco is that they walk around smiling and don't consider their body language (for example, keeping your eyes downward cast - Islam advises to "lower your gaze" so a woman who looks at men in the eyes is unfortunately kind of asking for it, although that doesn't excuse the men's behavior here).

And they let it bother them. Like I said, there are some days where it feels like every man I pass is undressing me with his eyes, but if I let every one of them bother me, I'd have an awful time. You have to learn to live with it, just like you have to learn to live with bad drivers :)

My experiences (on only five trips to Morocco--wish it were more, starting sooner) have been just like Golden Oldie's, and I'm not even Muslim.

Sometimes I'm with a group of American and British expatriates, sometimes with just one other, with or without one or more Moroccans, but often alone.

Kimbabim - my friend and I did the same thing as you a couple of years ago and had a really good time. However, we did feel harrassed sometimes but this mostly occurred in Marrakech! In Ouazarate, Chefchouen and Fez we just had the odd catcall or 'hello spice girl'! Yes sometimes men followed us, trying to get our attention or talked to us non-stop on buses even though we were sleeping or listening to walkmans...enough ignoring and they eventually stop. The greatest lesson I learnt is just to keep your eyes down, avoiding unnecessary eye contact. I'm heading back for my fifth time so it didn't put me off!

Hey

I´m traveeling tomorrowfrom Alegricas tomorrow the next day and fly out ofMarrakesh on the 1st Aug. I´m female and 21 and from scotland (Iknow you were looking for males) and was wanting someone to travel with too. I´m planning to gostraight to Chefchaouen then on from there.

When are planning on going across and if it suits could i join you?