Morocco Travel Agent Professional

I spent six weeks traveling through Morocco, and it remains one of the most disorienting, rewarding trips I've ever taken. It's a country that can feel overwhelming at first glance: the medinas, the mountains, the desert and the coast all feel like different worlds, and I plan it for clients with that contrast in mind rather than trying to cram everything into one fast loop. 

My biggest piece of advice to anyone headed there, especially first-time visitors from the West, is that Morocco can be a bit overstimulating. The sounds, the crowds, the constant hustle for your attention in the souks; it's a lot to take in at once. 

Planning a good Morocco trip is really about building in a rhythm: a few intense, immersive days in Marrakech followed by something quieter, so the trip stays exciting instead of exhausting.

Marrakech was my entry point, and it's not a relaxing city, it's a sensory one. I stayed in traditional riads rather than hotels, which I recommend to every client headed there: the open air courtyards and rooftop breakfasts are a built-in escape from the chaos of the souks just outside the door. 

I spent my days getting intentionally lost in the medina, bargaining in the marketplace, and wandering through Jardin Majorelle, and my evenings chasing rooftop views for sunset over the Koutoubia Mosque. 

I tell clients to treat Marrakech in doses: three or four days is usually the right amount before the noise and energy start to wear you down, which is exactly why I always build a slower stretch into the itinerary immediately afterward, rather than stacking another big city right behind it.

For me, that meant heading into the Sahara. I booked a private guide and driver for three days, still one of the best decisions I made on the trip. We stopped at Aït Benhaddou on the way out, the fortified clay village that looks like a movie set (because it frequently is one), then crossed the High Atlas Mountains into the dunes of Erg Chebbi. I spent one night in a hotel along the route and one night camping at Desert Luxury Camp. 

For people who are not fans of camping, I send them here. This is luxury glamping at it’s finest: A camel ride into the dunes at sunset, dinner under the stars, and a windswept, freezing cold morning that made the heavy blankets worth it. 

From there I spent about a month living in Taghazout, a small surf town on the Atlantic coast that most travelers have never heard of, and that's exactly its appeal. It's slow, it's unpolished, and it's full of surfers, yogis and remote workers who've found their way there and stayed longer than planned.

I used it as a home base for weekend trips: Agadir for a bigger beach town with resorts and a golf scene, Essaouira for its windswept ramparts and blue and white medina, and Paradise Valley for a hike down to a natural rock pool that's worth the rocky scramble. 

Taghazout isn't for every client, but for anyone who wants a few slow days of sun and surf lessons between the bigger cities, I always point them towards the coast instead of the more crowded Marrakech and Fes.

I closed out my trip with a road trip north through the bigger cities of Casablanca and Rabat to Chefchaouen, the famous Blue City. It's unlike anywhere else I've been in the country. Every wall, door and staircase in the old medina is painted some shade of blue, and the whole town sits tucked into the Rif Mountains with a noticeably cooler, slower climate than the desert heat I'd just left. 

I spent my days wandering the winding streets with a camera and my evenings hiking up to the old Spanish Mosque for sunset views over the rooftops. It's one of the most photogenic places I've traveled, and also one of the most relaxing, which made it the right way to end a trip that had covered so much ground.

Fes is the one major stop I didn't make on this trip, but it's a region I plan often and this is where I'd send clients who want to go deeper into Morocco's history. Known as the spiritual capital of the country, Fes is home to Fes El Bali, the walled medina and UNESCO World Heritage site that's also the largest car-free urban area in the world. 

Centuries-old alleyways, the famous leather tanneries (the smell is as legendary as the craft), and the Al-Attarine Madrasa with its hand-laid tilework. It gets a fraction of the tourist traffic Marrakech does, which makes it a great add-on for clients who've already done the highlights and want something more untouched.

A few things I build into every itinerary: cash for anywhere outside the bigger hotels, modest dress, and riads booked well in advance since good ones fill up months out. 

Mostly, I think about pacing. Morocco can be rushed, but it's so much better done slow, with real breathing room between the medinas, the desert and the coast. If you're considering Morocco for your next trip, I'd love to help you build an itinerary that lets you actually experience it, instead of just surviving it.