Destination Morocco Podcast
Destinations Morocco is a direct ground operator based in Houston, Texas, with an office in Marrakech — offering custom private tours, small-group departures, and white-label itineraries for travel advisors and agencies.
On our podcast, host Azdean Elmoustaquim — born and raised in Marrakech — takes you on an exploration of his country's distinct culture, vibrant history, and stunning attractions, alongside co-host and producer Ted.
Azdean prepares you for the real Morocco: where to go, what to expect, real costs and prices, safety (including specifically for female travelers), the kinds of scams to watch for in the bazaars, useful local phrases, and so much more.
New: a dedicated series built for travel advisors and agencies, digging into commission structures, client objections, seasonality, and everything else you need to sell Morocco with confidence.
New episodes every 1st and 15th. Whether you're planning your own trip or building one for a client, our podcast unpacks the mystery and opens up discovery of an amazing land. We invite you along for the journey.
Learn more or request a custom quote at destinationsmorocco.com.
Destination Morocco Podcast
"Never in My Life Have I Experienced So Much Genuine Hospitality"
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Moroccans are known for their generous, welcoming hospitality, and their instinct for making visitors feel at home. Traveler and podcast listener Pablo Juarez is here today to confirm this, having just returned from Morocco scarcely a week before the recording, in mid-October of 2022.
It was the first trip there for Pablo and his partner Harmony, and it was full of pleasant surprises. From the food, the generosity, the riads, the landscape and most of all, the people, Morocco was at once modern and wonderfully traditional.
Even experienced travellers turn to tour companies from time to time, to help them get the best out of their vacation, and have access to places and experiences they otherwise would have never known about. The great thing is you can combine a guided tour with some of your own independent sightseeing, it doesn't have to be all one or the other.
Pablo and Harmony were hosted by Destination Morocco for 4 days of their 18 day trip, taking the desert tour through Fès, Merzouga, Marrakech, Ifrane, Dades Valley, the Atlas Mountains, Ouarzazate and Aït Benhaddou.
Having some prior knowledge of Morocco, thanks to the podcast, helped complement the guided tour once they were actually there. The show provided a solid foundation for what to expect and how to prepare.
Pablo describes their riads in great detail: hot tubs, pools, rooftop patios, and lounges where you can meet the other guests, who rarely number more than 7 or 8 in total. "It feels like you're visiting with a family member or friend. We ate so much amazing food in Morocco," he says.
Thank you to Pablo for sharing his journey with us, and encouraging more people to discover this amazing land.
Experiences you're about to share:
- Visiting the Hassan II Mosque: what it's like inside, the way the light comes into the spaces.
- A touching story from Aït Benhaddou, and an experience that you don't find in other large group tours.
- The fascinating experience of learning about hand-woven rugs at the Ouaouzguite Rugs Cooperative, getting to try it himself and how long the entire process can take.
- What might be an "Omelette with drippy meat" ?!
- Devouring stone-baked bread, off the beaten path.
- Discovering hidden underwater aquifers, in caves that have existed for centuries.
Resources Mentioned in this episode: