Brandigrl

I've found myself with some unexpected time off and I'm considering traveling to Morocco for the first in early December.

I'm a 40 year old, solo female traveler. I'm considering hiring a guide but not going with a group and I have a couple of questions:

1. As a caucasian American, my friends who are experienced with Morocco are concerned that I'll be aggressively pestered in the larger cities to the point of misery if I attempt to wander alone. They actually thought the pestering could be worse in the off-season because there aren't as many people to support the local businesses so the ones who are there receive even more attention.

Can anyone advise on what this aspect is like during the off-season?

2. Has anyone traveled solo in Morocco (perhaps with a guide)? Were you able to meet other travelers along the way? What kinds of settings/locations were best suited to meeting others?

3. Annoying pestering aside, in larger cities, is it safe to explore solo?

While I'm up for the adventure of solo travel, I'm kind of concerned about feeling exiled. I like the idea of the freedom I'd have with my own guide but if I'm going to be exiled and pestered to death, I may do the trip differently.

Thanks in advance.

MmePerdu

My dear, you're 40. If you were 20 I might not advise it. But I suspect you're perfectly able to ignore the occasional comments and function on your own. For the most part, since you are 40, the comments are sales pitches not seduction and you're free to continue your walk in perfect safety. You don't need a guide unless you want a companion. You may or may not meet people.

The reason we go to places unlike our own is precisely for an edge, possibly what you refer to as being "exiled". It's the whole point. Being a little startled by a place is a wonderful thing. I've been going to Morocco, often on my own, since I was not much older than you are. Fair and attractive at that time, I've never had an experience that frightened me. You'll have a wonderful time.

Bring some warm things to wear or be prepared to buy some should you encounter cold weather which you might that time of year.

Alex251986

Just read more information about guides and safety, here is a helpful topic from Tripadvisor about it : http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...e-Morocco.html
as i agree with the above comment as well.

BrklynTraveler

I travelled to Morocco on my own with no guide two years ago when I was 36 (and am female) and although I was pestered relentlessly to buy things, hire a guide, pay for directions, etc. I never felt that my safety was at risk. The children were the worst for me as they were the most cunning and they got me to let my guard down. I live in NYC and so I am used to big cities but the medina in Marrakech makes NY look downright sleepy (OK maybe I exaggerate but you get it). It was intense but I had an incredible experience and have no regrets. I am headed to the South of Spain in two weeks and am tempted to hop a ferry back over. If you decide to go I have a bunch of recommendations (and places to avoid). If you want an easier experience stay outside the medina of whatever city you are visiting and hire a guide at least for day trips. I took a trip with a driver through the Atlas Mountains then camels into the Sahara for an overnight and it was absolutely magical.

Fra_Diavolo

It would be a shame -- perhaps a crime -- to miss the medina in Fes, and damn the hassles!

MmePerdu

"...stay outside the medina..." BrklynTraveler

I was rendered speechless by this suggestion, one of the worst I've ever read on Fodor's. The first time I went to Morroco many years ago on a tour we stayed outside the medina in Marrakech. I felt utterly cheated. Indeed, damn the hassle. If one stays and wanders off the beaten track, a good idea in almost any part of the world, the hassles disappear in any case.

thursdaysd

Well, whether to stay in or out of the medina in Marrakech rather depends on how long you've been in Morocco! After three weeks, including a stay in the medina in Fez, I would have been OK staying in the newer part of Marrakech just to get some more options on where to eat. But if you're only in Morocco for a week to ten days, definitely stay in the medina. But then I thought the medina in Marrakech wasn't nearly as interesting as the one in Fes, and was much more geared to tourists.

Zambezi

I can tell that it is time for me to write my report of a recent visit to Morocco. ZZ