Trip Planning: Barcelona and Morocco 2007
In March 2007 we spent two weeks in Barcelona and Morocco. We had a wonderful time on our trip. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Barcelona and would go back in a heartbeat. I definitely want to explore more of Spain on another trip. The food was fabulous and all the Gaudi architecture was fascinating to see. A very easy city to get around in. We had a great hotel in a fabulous location.
Morocco was INCREDIBLE! Not just the sights, but the sounds and the smells. Zaid, our driver, was great – we really enjoyed him. The camel ride and night in the Berber tent were fantastic. You just sort of sit on the back of this camel thinking – Wow! I am actually riding a camel in the Sahara desert right now. Tons of great shopping in Marakkech and Fez – the medinas are like nothing you have ever seen
The most often asked question of us before we left was “why are you going to Morocco??” It was a good question, as when we started thinking about where to go for spring break, it certainly wasn’t on my list of places to go. However, our trip to London/Paris the previous March was quite cold and windy. We were hoping for someplace a bit warmer – it didn’t have to be hot beach weather – just someplace where we didn’t need coat, hat, gloves and scarf every moment. Stephen had a friend who was in Morocco at the same time we were in London/Paris and came home raving about it – Stephen’s ears particularly perked up at the above 70 degree weather every day. My first thought was Morocco – are you crazy?? We had never been to a non-Western, Muslim country, nor anything quite that exotic. But as I started to research it, I began to learn that while not many American tourists go, it is a major European holiday destination, and it is extremely safe. I decided that I wasn’t quite ready to spend our whole 2 weeks there (although I knew that we could) but decided to start in Barcelona for 5 nights, which for us, was an excellent idea.
I did most of my research on Fodors and Trip Advisor with a few guide books thrown in. I planned Barcelona and Marakkech on our own, but used Blue Men of Morocco (http://www.bluemenofmorocco.com/pt/en/) for our private trip to the desert and Fez (great organization – more details to follow). Thanks in particular to a friendly fodorite whose comments about the desert trip got me committed and to a fodorite friend, Andrea, whose excellent trip report got me counting down the days to our own trip. I was excited and no longer worried, until the Monday before we were to leave on Friday, I read on Trip Advisor that there was a suicide bombing in Casablanca – YIKES! Here is a link to a brief story about it:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6440661.stm.
I told my husband about it, and we just decided to continue monitoring it – we would be spending our first 5 nights in Barcelona and if things ratcheted up we could just stay in Spain. Well, the next day they made a wave of arrests and after that there was apparently very little additional info. on the story. Morocco does have a reputation for swiftly dealing with terrorists as they did after the 2003 Casablanca bombings. We figured we could have been in London during the tube bombings or Madrid during the night club bombings…..so we decided to keep with our plans. We were very glad we did. We felt very safe and welcome the whole time we were there and I would not hesitate to return.
Read more about our adventures by clicking on the links below:
5 Nights in Barcelona Marrakech, Morocco Ouarzazate, Merzouga, Camel Trek in Sahara Fez, Morocco
Welcome to From Home to Roam! My name is Judy Gambee. After many years of family trips to Walt Disney World, Arizona and Hawaii I decided it was time for us to see the world! Seven years, five continents and fourteen countries later here I am writing a blog about our adventures along with all kinds of tips and advice on how to dream, plan and go – all on your own! (
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What a great post. The details are perfect! I can’t wait to do this one day, too.
Lorrie – definitely needs to be on your bucket list!!
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[…] Safari packing tips […]
Thank you so much for this write up. This was exceptional. I am planning to go to Kenya with my husband (my first time) in February of 2017. I am already purchasing new clothes, as I literally have little to nothing in my wardrobe that would be suitable. We will be doing a one day safari, but dividing our time between Diani Beach and Nairobi. We are very very excited. Your advice is very thorough. I never really thought about not wearing white, but realize now. I am packing light and bringing neutrals, and lightweight clothes I can layer plus my Barbour jacket.
Vanessa – So glad you found this helpful! You guys will have an amazing time – a safari is really an incredible experience. Enjoy the rest of your planning!!
I have a question about laundry at the lodges. In general, how long does it take to get your laundry back? If I know I can have laundry returned back the same day, I can pack less. For those hard to find colors for womens t-shirts, I found that Under Armour has a Tactical line of dry fit tees in khaki and olive.
Thanks so much for the details and pictures on packing. We’re going to Tanzania and Kenya in July and I too am doing tons of research so this really helps.
Mary Lou – Some of our tents/lodges did it the same day one of them was the next day. i suggest asking your agent to see if they can find out as I would expect that each camp is different.
You will have an amazing trip, going on safari is incredible!!
Thank you for this wonderful post! We are preparing to visit Tanzania with our four children in two weeks and I have been laying our clothes out today. I appreciate that you listed everything and provided photos. Our children really wanted to see a school, so I also enjoyed your post about visiting the orphanage. Do you have any suggestions about group donations that would be appropriate (soccer balls, games,etc.)?
Sounds like a fabulous trip you have planned – your kids will remember this forever!! I would say any type of balls would be great, as I mentioned we ran to the corner store to buy some soccer balls to play with and the kids LOVED that! It just can be hard to pack them – easier deflated but then you will need to bring a pump. We visited a school in Cambodia once and they asked us to bring the old style manual turn pencil sharpeners (they don’t have electricity in the rooms for the electric ones). Maybe some crayons/markers. Honestly, the kids were just so happy to play with us and absolutely LOVED taking selfies – absolutely bring your phones! I wouldn’t bring any type of game that has a lot of pieces or parts. Jumprope’s might be a fun idea too.