Barbara’s travel story in Morocco, through photos, thoughts and emotions, first alone then as a couple. To go beyond stereotypes. On my shoulders a 10-kilo backpack. In my pockets a return ticket for December. In my head the usual recommendations. Every time I leave alone it’s like this : my anxiety (not a little, I assure you) is abundantly fed by that of the people around me.I landed in Morocco on November 4, 2024 and before leaving I asked myself “Is it really that dangerous to travel to Morocco for a woman alone ?” And then… “Was it that different than doing it with my partner?”
Is Traveling Alone in Morocco Dangerous? Let’s Go Beyond the Stereotypes
In the first ten days in Morocco I visited three cities moving only by bus and train: Tangier, Chefchaouen and Fes.Leaving Tangier airport , the city that opens up before my eyes is modern and lively: wide streets framed by clean sidewalks and well-kept flowerbeds, animated by girls dressed “Western style”.Smiling couples share a tea while the shops of the most famous brands alternate before my eyes. A modern and electrifying image, far from the stereotype we are used to, often associated with an idea of closure and backwardness.Arriving at the foot of the Medina , the taxi driver makes me get out.
Shortly after, my host is waiting for me.Once past the city gates, the landscape changes completely: the buildings are replaced by low houses, the wide, bright streets by small, narrow alleys, the sun gives way to shade and humidity. We turn right, continue straight, pass a small square where four men stare at us. A cat eats fish. A strong smell pierces my nostrils. We turn right again, cross a dark alley, completely closed by an elevated corridor that connects the two houses that line it. We find ourselves in front of the hostel. “I screwed up, they were right ” I think fearfully as I pay the bill for my stay.So I set Google Maps in the direction of the main square and go out, ready to find out if the first (and bad) impression is well founded . I go back down the street. The alley is still dark, the cat has stopped eating and has lain down to enjoy the sun’s rays, the men have disappeared. I find myself in a small square, lit up and full of little shops, tourists walking hurriedly to reach some hungry restaurant. Before my eyes a thousand different colors follow one another, spices stacked like small pyramids, carpets with different textures that seem to hide coded messages, brightly colored leather slippers. And again, restaurants, small artisan shops, street food stalls.
I turn off Google Maps, leave the main road and get lost in the streets of the Medina; curiosity has made its way replacing fear . The more I walk, the more I want to discover. For every glimpse that takes my breath away, I discover another that fills my eyes with wonder . Even though we are raised with fear of the world, since I started traveling alone and experiencing this world first-hand, I have found many more people willing to help me rather than hurt me… And the same thing happened in Morocco
And beyond the first impression
Once I got over my first impression, I was no longer afraid of walking alone. I discovered that the charm of the Medinas increases during the early hours of the morning, so I started to walk mainly during the early hours of the day, getting lost in the alleys and trying to spy on the life of the locals, meeting them while they accompany their children to school or during the first shopping of the day.Only once did I feel in danger , in Chefchaouen, when two boys approached me while I was trying to photograph the first sun on the city. I couldn’t understand their question, and my fear began to grow when they started pointing to my ankle, right where I was wearing a silver anklet. A girl, an isolated alley, two boys… it’s a story we know all too well. In reality, it was just a misunderstanding: hidden by a strong Arabic accent, the boys were just asking me where I was from. In Morocco, in fact, it is considered rude to point to a person, so they preferred to point to my shoes instead of me, so as not to disrespect me.Fear is so deeply rooted in our education that it distorts our perception of the world , making us see dangers even where they do not exist. Indispensable for our protection, it cannot be doubted. But how many times have we let prejudice and fear win without bothering to verify them?
Differences between traveling alone and traveling as a couple
Morocco is a vast country, where very different realities alternate . The coastal cities of the north give way to immense desert expanses and small villages as we move south. Luxurious and modern restaurants to tea and pomegranate juice stalls, tourist shops to crowded souks.
It is difficult to document a homogeneous experience, but after more than a month spent in this country I have noticed some common attitudes , regardless of the city or village I find myself in.Before leaving I had been warned about the insistence of local traders, but my experience was different from my expectations : many tried to sell me their goods and many young people, meeting me on the street, offered to be my guide, but they always respected my refusals without making me feel in danger or putting me “in a tight spot”.There has been no shortage of scam attempts with related scams related to closed roads, very common also in Southeast Asia. The “locals” stop you to inform you that the road you are traveling is closed, then offer to take you to another place in exchange for money. I just ignored them, showed that I knew the road or simply pretended not to understand and no one was intrusive. After my stay in Fes I reached Marrakech . Here I met my partner and we continued the journey together, slowly moving towards the desert of Merzouga. As we moved together, I realized that the approach of the traders became more insistent but, on the other hand, many more men stopped us on the street to have a chat, just for the pleasure of getting to know us and not to sell us something or offer us a service. They rarely addressed me directly – and this is probably one of the things I found most annoying – but traveling in company gave me the opportunity to meet and interact with many more men, something that alone, instead, was not possible.
In conclusion… should you go alone or with company?
My experience as a solo traveler in Morocco was very positive, I felt much safer traveling here than in other European capitals. So yes, if you feel like leaving, do it . Obviously always take the necessary precautions , respecting local customs and, if you don’t want to receive too much attention, trying to go as unnoticed as possible, avoiding skimpy or very short clothes.If you decide to travel alone, the advice is always to stay in hostels (even in single rooms): in Morocco I met many solo female travellers. It will not be difficult to find companions for your adventure if you want or need it. In fact, the only advantage I found when travelling as a couple was my partner’s knowledge of French: I only speak English and, moving inland, communicating with the “locals” becomes very difficult without a basic knowledge of French. But, fortunately, with Google Translate even this difficulty can be easily ironed out!Leave your prejudices and fears at home . Allow this country to amaze you, with its chaotic Medinas and the kindness of its people.
Treasure your freedom
At the beginning of this trip I greeted the “locals” I knew, inviting them to come and visit us in Rome, but as the days went by, these invitations faded into a promise to come back and visit them. Getting a passport here is not easy, “unless you have a registered and regular job,” explains Youssef, a young man who accompanied us to explore the Dades Gorges. “ Maybe one day, when I have my own guest house, I can come and visit you in Italy,” he tells us hopefully, as we walk on the floor that will one day be a room, a living room or maybe a kitchen “where I can host lots of cooking classes,” he smiles.“Big dreams take time.” And so I wonder how often we take our freedom for granted , how often we hide behind fears and prejudices to avoid buying that ticket we dream of, or how often we wait for “someone else” because doing things alone is scary. Because it is scary to take a plane and discover a country alone, because it is scary to travel alone in a country considered “dangerous”, but if compared to not having the freedom to take that flight, is it really that scary…? The choice is yours.
The photographs in the text are by Barbara Montruccoli.