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Solo Female Traveller Marrakech Guide + TOP Tips | Morocco If you think the traffic in Rome or Athens is a sea of calm, then Marrakech will be no problem with you. Having lived in Dubai, Im used to these rules so I didnt find it especially challenging. And visit Morocco alone? Fes was much safer also the desert is lovely as are many of the small towns. If you ask them, its gonna be 10 at least. I also made the mistake of wearing my Arabic name necklace to walk around. I wore long dresses and scarves so I made sure I was always covered as well. And trust me, I ALWAYS have a problem with that sort of stuff, because I have such a low tolerance for it. For instance, one night when I knew exactly where I was going to get to my riad, and was fully covered head to toe, I turned the last corner, and the porch light was off. Marrakech is home to some of the most delicious food Ive ever eaten. I've heard some things about safety before so want to make sure that we wont be in trouble and people wont be nasty because of that. . Marrakesh criminals are ruthless.and local men will not protect you! Well, visiting non-touristy places far away from the center can undermine your safety. Due to my very pale redhead complexion, it was not possible for me to blend in. There was less hassle and haggling but its not as atmospheric! And in Marrakech that includes not drinking in public even though it can be freaking hot and a cold beer would taste incredible. Travelling in Morocco as a woman can be a wonderful experience, if you know how to look after yourself. So it doesnt seem to make a difference if you travel alone: its just a different culture. It's seriously mind-blowing! Most guides will also provide you with fresh mint leaves against the severe stench, so the service is quite welcome. We were harassed constantly while there, some men even tried to touch us, grab us or grope us and say inappropriate sexual things in whatever language they knew. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-24659813', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Marrakech on my own (female) and never felt unsafe for a moment. Ready to join us? Is Marrakech Safe? Warnings and Dangers Travelers Need to Know Complaints can lead to prosecution. Men would cat call me at every turn, they would grab me by the wrist, and a few times I was even touched in my lower back. Theyre the first VPN Ive ever used past one year and have renewed my subscription to. Marrakech is unique in terms of the creativity of some locals when it comes to scams. I told her that there hasnt been an attack in years,showed her pictures of the many amazing luxury hotels, but all to no avail! Id go for lose trousers/skirts & flowing tops and stay away from the more hmmprovocative ensembles or even tight jeans. A VPN basically puts an invisible forcefield around your phone that makes it impossible for a hacker to access your private information and data. The odds of you getting hit while crossing the street (even if you do it poorly) are very low, but you dont want the stress of causing a traffic jam and having people honking and yelling at you! Eddy and I are inseparable, we usually like to discover the city together, spend some time wandering around hands in hands and all those cheesy things. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-24654879', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Marrakech! Water Safety: How to Stay Safe in the Sea, Ocean, Surf, 5 Cyber Safety Tips for Travelers and Digital Nomads, LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Tips to Explore the World With Pride, Top 6 Scams to Look Out for When Traveling in Cambodia, Is The Philippines Safe? And once theyre done helping you, they expect a tip and wont leave until you give them one. As in any city, be careful with your bag, money etc but that is just common sense. They had enough of being bothered so wore outfits like the local women and they said it completely transformed their experience. There are also sometimes issues with bugs swarming around the food. Listen to the people who have been there, take their tips to heart, and decide for yourself whether youre confident enough in your solo travel skills to explore a new culture and region. Norman is the face behind the blog and prides himself of having traveled for more than 30 years without stop or fail. I look to our driver for help but he is running away. Glad you had a better experience than I did! I had overheard from someone that Morocco wasn't a safe place for a woman traveller, and, being a natural worrier, really freaked out. Is Marrakech Safe for Solo Female Travel? | Nina Out and About You're not giving me money? They are a wonderful people. I may not enjoy it, but Im a visitor in their country. "Do you know where I can buy water?" I traveled two years alone before meeting Eddy and I never had a similar experience. No place is every truly safe! Around 7 guys watched while this happened without helping. Where: Iberostar Paraso Beach Hotel, Playa del Carmen. I thoroughly believe that exploring places that are very unlike your own is important. I dont know why, but it seems like the rules of society go out the window when you enter the Marrakech souk. Staff at hotels may ask couples to show evidence of marriage at check-in, and if such evidence is not available, insist on separate rooms. Anas, The Email address or Password is incorrect, World Nomads Contributor - Tue, 4 Sep 2018. I stayed in the modern part of the city and it felt safer after dark than the medina. How to Stay Safe as a Woman Traveling in Morocco - World Nomads People will try to rip you off and/or not listen to you, and you need to be forceful with your words and haggle to a reasonable price. Dont be shocked if the driver stops and lets other passengers in during your ride they take as many people as they can fit. Local are not going out as well and the most of the people youll find out at that time will be especially crazy and drunk. For those few pennies made life a whole lot more comortable:). You can buy at home or while traveling, and claim online from anywhere in the world. I wouldnt walk around alone at night, and Id practice saying no thank you and ignoring the more audacious advances. You cant (at least not the good ones). Morocco, we can not judge it from a situation did happen to someone, guys i have been working with touristes 10 years ago, those crazy expriences are getting less everyday! Marrakech is a magical city, full of mystery, bustle, and color. Visiting the Jemaa el-Fnna in Marrakesh at dusk is fascinating, and many locals are out and aboutenjoying the cool evening. We held our own and were lucky to speak french and know a couple of words in arabic. I genuinely think one of the reasons I was so unphased by it was that Id been similar places and had prepared myself for worse, but it can definitely be overwhelming! This one actually isnt a scam at all and rather a fair way to compensate locals for taking a picture of them. My friend and I were thinking of travelling to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? But as things are not always as easy as they appear, I really tried to focus on all the different safety aspects you might worry about. First trip to Marrakech - is it safe for women to go alone? Is Morocco safe for female tourists? - Digital Nomad Couple Especially if youre new to solo travelling! Thats been said, we think that organize a bit your travel before leaving can be good as well. We were attacked viscously! Read the Privacy Policy for more information. Most importantly, keep your senses and be cautious and alert. You can mimic how they cross the street and ensure you get to the other side safely. Morocco has many historic sights and fascinating souks. No ATMs in budget hotels or small atm booths. This was a habit I learned while in Dubai, where you could actually get in trouble for sitting in the front. I felt safe, welcome and respected. Lots are in well lit and open areas where again your attackers couldn't have operated without intervention. No matter where you travel, you rely on public wifi networks. I recently returned from a week in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Hotels and transportation are also very important things to choose: check out the, 4 Day Yoga Luxury Retreat in the Heart of Marrakech, 5 Day Yoga and Hiking Holiday in Atlas Mountains, Marrakesh-Safi, 6 Day Fabulous Culinary Holiday in Marrakech, 7 Day Transformational Journey with Yoga, Hiking, Meditation and Detox near Essaouira, 8 Day Villa Surya - Yoga and Meditation Retreat in Imi Ouaddar, Since we are talking about safety, we want to compare Mexico and Morocco. You'll see a whole other side to daily life in Morocco. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-29141728', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Marrakech is generally a safe place for women to come to either with friends or solo. If you'd like to avoid being an object of curiosity,traveling with a man or kids will help, as will wearinga wedding ring (fakeif necessary). During our three months in Marrakech I was alone in the city just two or three times for 10 or 15 minutes and that was enough to have the first insistent looks from men, some whistles and winks and I have to say that this is literally a thing I hate with all of myself. See you there, fearless friend! Hurry spots are filling up fast! I recommend booking a private transfer here to get started on the right foot. Both countries can be dangerous for different reasons. If you want to check out which are the things that mine the safety of Tulum, heres our guide on Tulum safety. Its worth mentioning that Essaouira felt even safer that Marrakech. If you have no idea where you are, wait to pull out your map until youre in a store, bathroom, or restaurant. This is definitely one of the tips I always do. Always be wary of any relationships initiated online as there have beenincidents of marriage fraud and extortionattempts against foreign nationals. Dont ask the younger guys who are just standing around because theyll expect payment and wont leave you alone but the ones working in shops cant exactly abandon their stuff, so theyre a safer bet. The L19 bus takes 13 minutes to get to the main centre from Marrakech Airport. A VPN makes using public wifi just as safe as using your home wifi where youre the only person who knows the passcode. Travelling alone in Morocco as a woman | Travelguide Marrakech If you travel in a safe way and do your best to adhere to local culture, pretty much anywhere you travel is safe- including Morocco! Im 35 and went with my mum who is 59 a few weeks ago and we were very apprehensive but felt as safe as anything - we were cautious walking back to the riad at night but then we would be in this country too. Many women travelers say wearing sunglasses can also help avoid eye contact. Hi there and specialy to my excellent Spmm! While I will talk about the most common ones here, and its always good to stay your ground, Id like to stress that there is no need to pick a fight over the equivalent of a quarter dollar. (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? I expected Marrakech to be similar to what I experienced inCairo in terms of safety and respect for female travellers, but it was much more pleasant in Morocco. Here in Germany, it is actually against the law to take pictures of any individual without his consent. Yes!!! Despite it being something you would rather forget you chose to post a graphic description of your terrible experience in Marrakech presumably with a view to helping other travellers? The Solo Female Traveler's Guide to Marrakech He was going on about what I might want from him, but a loud "La!" One of my moms friends daughters went to Marrakech alone and was so overwhelmed that she booked a flight out the next day. If youre gonna do that, we recommend you to take a good insurance and always let know someone you trust about your exact displacements, thats always good for your safety. The father was warm and welcoming. But if you havent travelled to a country with a similar culture before, youll probably be more aware of the differences than I was. But, Marrakech is some of the liveliest cities in the world. Avoid public displays of affection, particularlyaway from the main tourist areas and near religious places. There you have it! Girls or womens they should not be worry to plan for a holiday in Morocco, what i have advice with is to have a plan where you want to go, avoid those bis cities like Casabanca, Rabat Marrakesh is really enough for a half day because most of the locals are more to sell and money but if you ignore them, they will give you your peace and they may follow you to try to sell you something but is not at all dangerous. What hospital did you go to leeleecantravels and what area of the medina were you staying. This overview provides some general advice for women travelling to Morocco . I dont want the thought of Marrakech not being safe to prevent you from exploring the beautiful city. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. Enjoy every second of this beautiful country. They were very kind. It would be helpful for people to know where you were treated. A word of warning: If you plan to rent a car in Marrakech, then know that you really need to be a very experienced driver and you should have a good assistant driver with you. As I said , we were not the first attack that day and I know a lot of peoe with these traumatizing experiences don't post or share because it's difficult to do Sonething we'd rather forget We, mother and daughter, had no problems, but we used a guide, was really cheap and worth every penny. Report inappropriate content. No matter where you go, it is important to be aware of the local scams in the area. Locals are looking out for tourists they can help guide around for a tip. Lastly, if you can bear with me? They loved their adventure and travelled around Morrocco for a whole month. Don't cause offense through your actions or dress, especially during the holy month of Ramadan orwhen visiting religious areas. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-24646803', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Marrakech is safe but use common sense and take same precautions you'll take at home__ leave valuables and passport at your hotel/ riad, avoid walks late eveningsans stick to the crowds in the medina. There are some real dangers you will be facing in Marrakech. Probably the only thing that saves them is the fact that none of them drive really fast. If you never traveled alone before, then Marrakech is probably not the ideal city to start your first solo female trip. Note, while the women may go naked, men never do. But most people going to the hospital have to lie about what happened if they were attacked because "you'd never get out of there", so overall the amount of documenting on these attacks is minimal to say the least. But other than that I really was not aware of any severe problems and especially during the daytime, I saw loads of solo female travelers (or women traveling in groups of two). As with any city around the world petty crime does occur, however violent crime is not common place. In 2017 Marrakesh broke its own record, crossing the 2 million mark for tourists in the city with more than 6 million overnight stays; that's a lot for a city with a population of just under 1 million!. I wouldnt be a responsible travel blogger if I didnt show the dark and light in every destination I write about, right? So, if you want to wander around and try to be as invisible as possible (I do! Marrakech is no exception. Search for women guides in the main towns who can take youaround the souks and medinas and explain a little more about their way of life. However, you need to be a bit cautious when choosing what street food to indulge in. If you want to be feminine without shocking local men, wear a nice long dress, large linen shirts, charming long skirts, instead of your high heels, choose a traditional slipper: make work your imagination and ingenuity! Normal conversation: Morocco is a country where local people have another vision of the world and especially another culture, so its always good to take the right precautions if you are a solo female traveler. If you use the search box above you will find previous posts on this topic with more information. You can install your NordVPN on up to 6 devices, so you can protect your online data everywhere for one low price. Tips for travelling alone for the first time. Not a situation I wanted to enter into.