shira

I'd like to go to Morocco in October/November, but I'll be traveling alone and need some advice. <BR> <BR>I'm in my late 20s and I'm very interested in absorbing the music, dance, food, culture of various parts of Morocco but I'm a bit hesitant to just show up without a plan. I'm thinking of trying to find a tour group, but I'm not a 'tour group' kind of traveler and would hate to get stuck being dragged to the planned tourist brunch event at the Ritz with a group of people who don't share my interests. At the same time, I also don't just want to show up with a backpack and a list of hostels. Something in between, perhaps? <BR> <BR>Does anyone know of an organization or group that runs small tours for people in their 20s or 30s who want the freedom to explore the non-tourist areas but who want a bit of structure to help plan the trip? I'm also a woman traveling alone so I wouldn't mind having a few people who know my whereabouts. I realize it's a pretty specific request, so any insight would be welcome. <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance for any guidance.

elvira

We used the following company who put together a tour just for us, and cannot recommend them enough: <BR>http://www.imilchil-travel.com/

Betsy Koch

I just got back from a trip that included a week in Morocco (Tanger, Fez and Marrakesh). Even travelling with my boy friend, I found it difficult to deal with the constant harrassment (not sexual, but of tourists generally). At times, it seemed like everyone (even people working at the hotels where we stayed) was working some kind of scam. Of all the places we visited (we were travelling around the world), Morocco was our least favorite. My recommendation would be to go to Turkey ;-} ... but if you're intent on Morocco, find a tour group!

texasgirl

Hi, I had a quite different experience from the previous poster and loved Morocco, and would definitely recommend it for a trip. We were warned about the scams, general hassles before we went, but didn't really find it that bad, at least in Marrakech, Essaouira and Sahara route. Any hassles, to me, were totally compensated for by the incredible food, art, architecture, and the genuine friendliness of most of the people. <BR> <BR>We (my boyfriend and I) went on our own but joined one small tour group of 12 people, to go into the Sahara. There are many small tours operating that you can join from Marrakech, just by signing up _ many agencies, especially on the avenue mohammed v, and elsewhere. We joined one leaving from the Hotel Ali, which is popular with backpacker set and quite reasonable (something like $15 US a night i think.) (The tour was under $100 person for three days) <BR> <BR>The hotels in most of Morocco were inexpensive _ you can find something for about $30US a night, with breakfast, that is very nice. We liked the Gallia and the Sherezade the best, and both were in the medina in Marrakesh. If you stay at the budget hotels, and if you join a tour early on, you will probably find people to hang out with right away. We met several people who were on their own and they seemed fine.. <BR> <BR>I am not a tour person either, so I don't have any firsthand knowledge of packages that can be booked ahead, but you might look on something like gorp.com, to see if they have anything going in the time you want.

Andi

I am not a conventional tour kind of person,but have found some companies that offer small group trips that have been wonderful for me as a single woman. I used Classic Journeys (classicjourneys.com) for Morocco, and it was great, although the age skewed a bit older; I think the youngest person on the trip was in her late 40's (I'm 50). A better choice might be Backroads (backroads.com) which offers hiking and biking trips around the world, including Morocco. Their trips are quite expensive, but worth it if you can afford it. They attract people of all ages; I used them for New Mexico, and the ages ranged from 20's to 70's, which makes for a very interesting trip. There are tons of adventure/small group tour companies; check out gorp.com for extensive listings.