By: Jasmyn Purves

Morocco, specifically Marrakech has recently become a hot topic on many young people’s instagram and TikTok feeds. Trendy posts from influencer’s set the scene, depicting gorgeous deserts, stunning Riad accomodations and an overall safe vibrant travel experience for young men and women alike. So what is Morocco actually like as budget travellers, rather than an all expenses paid vacay?

To begin two friends (also on exchanges from Cardiff) and I flew into Marrakech airport where an airport shuttle dropped us at our Riad accommodation. We got lucky being on the top floor and had the entire terrace roof practically to ourselves! All for the low cost of £23.00 a night with breakfast included (about $53.00 NZD). Now it’s important to note that many Riads have breakfast included in your stay. These typically consist of delicious mint green tea and coffee, a selection of cakes, breads, cream cheeses and jams which is well worth it in my opinion!

Next we explored the Souks which was a particularly interesting experience to say the least. With over 3000 stalls selling various handcrafted goods like handbags, belts, tin lanterns and hundreds of more goodies I’ve never been more amazing and overstimulated at the same time. The culture shock within the Medina (city centre) was a crazy experience as well. Compared to other countries I’ve travelled to abroad, tourists in Morocco stick out like sore thumbs which isn’t a bad thing except you’re guaranteed to pay a mega tourist tax on every single thing you buy. For example restaurants will double their prices, vendors triple or even quadruple theirs and you’re harassed for “tips” fairly often. Although there are worse things to happen while abroad, it did give the sense you were constantly being scammed so I would advise you shop around and really research what prices are fair for the products you’re buying. 

Another issue we faced almost constantly within the Medina was being catcalled and harassed. As a group of three girls we became prime targets and were often followed down the street, yelled at and unfortunately experienced nasty hurls of racism too. It’s important to note Morocco is a Muslim country and whilst Marrakech is fairly modern I would recommend dressing as modestly as possible, especially if you aren’t travelling with males. 

Despite these downsides Morocco was still an unforgettable experience that I’d recommend to anyone travelling specifically through Spain as the flights are short and cheap! We rode camels, watched the sunset and rise over the Sahara Desert, took part in a traditional cooking class and met some of the loveliest people too. I think it’s just important to remember that what’s depicted on social media is extremely different from reality but with that in mind, you’ll be far more prepped for your own adventure!