4 min read
First trip to Morocco from the US: what's actually different
Less culture shock than a handful of everyday habits worth adjusting before you land.
Coming from the US, the biggest adjustment isn't language or dress, it's pace and bargaining. Fixed prices are the exception rather than the rule in the souks, and haggling is a normal, expected part of buying almost anything from a market stall, not a sign that something's wrong.
Cash still matters more than it does at home. Cards are accepted at hotels, riads, and larger restaurants, but small vendors, taxis, and rural stops often expect cash in Moroccan dirhams, which aren't sold abroad and are best withdrawn from an ATM after you land rather than exchanged in advance.
Tipping works differently too: it's expected in more places than in the US, drivers, guides, riad staff, but at lower amounts per instance, closer to a steady habit than a percentage worked out on a bill.
Mobile data is the easy part: a local SIM, bought at the airport or in any city, is inexpensive and usually simpler than relying on an international plan through a US carrier.
Planning around Fez? Read the Fez destination guide or see 6-Day Sahara Desert Tour: Marrakech to Fez, a sample itinerary that includes it.
A few common questions
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6-Day Sahara Desert Tour: Marrakech to Fez
A private route over the Atlas passes and down into the Sahara, with two nights to actually sit still in the dunes instead of rushing through them. We end in Fez instead of backtracking to Marrakech, so every day moves forward.
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Read articleTours that include this
4-Day Sahara Desert Tour from Fez
The most direct route to Erg Chebbi and back, for travellers based in Fez with four days rather than a week. The Middle Atlas cedar forests and Ziz Valley palmeries do a lot of the scenic work on the way down.
4-Day Imperial Cities Tour from Fez
The shortest way to see three imperial cities and the best Roman ruins in the country, without touching the desert or the coast further south: a good add-on to a Fez-based trip rather than a trip on its own.
4-Day Middle Atlas Tour from Fez: Ifrane and Azrou
A short trip into the cedar forests and mountain air of the Middle Atlas: Ifrane's alpine-style streets, Barbary macaques near Azrou, and a slower pace than the medina, an hour and a half from Fez.