10 Reasons Why I Love Thailand (And Why You Need to Visit)

Updated: 8/5/2019 | August 5th, 2019

I’ve been to Thailand more times than I can count. I’ve lived in Bangkok twice, I’ve run tours through the country, and if I stay away for more than a year, I feel as if a piece of me is missing.

I love visiting Thailand.

It holds a special place in my heart.

People often ask me why I return to places I’ve already visited instead of exploring somewhere new. Well, that’s an easy answer: because I feel attached to them. I feel at home when I’m visiting them.

And Thailand is probably the one place outside of the U.S. where I feel most at home.

And why do I love Thailand so much?

Here are ten reasons why Thailand is one of the best countries in the world to visit – and what you can look forward to when you travel there:

1. The delicious food

When people say they like Thai food but haven’t been to Thailand, I can’t help but think, “You’ve never really experienced Thai food.” Thai food in Thailand is leagues better than anywhere else in the world. The spices, the fragrances, the variety of flavors. Your mouth dances with flavor when you eat here. There are dishes and styles in the country that you simply can’t get anywhere else.

All over the streets of Thailand, outdoor stalls serve up the cheapest and best meals you can find. You’ll be hunched over a bowl of noodles next to a little kid, office worker, and bank president. Street food in Thailand is the great equalizer and fundamental to Thai culture. And no matter what time of the day it is, there’s always food available somewhere.

Moreover, Thailand has world-class international food (and a few Michelin starred restaurants) thanks to the hordes of tourists and expats that come here. Some of my favorite sushi restaurants are in Bangkok, and you can find amazing halal and Indian food in the downtown Sukhumvit area.

Thailand is a foodie’s wet dream.

2. The warm weather

I love the sun a lot (much to my mother’s and my dermatologist’s dismay). I think after shoveling snow in Boston for the vast majority of my life, I gravitate to the sun because, in the tropics, there’s no snow. I love the heat, and the fact that it’s always hot and humid in Thailand appeals to me. It’s never “jacket” weather here.

(OK, that’s not entirely true. In January, I do wear a jacket. It gets pretty close to 20° C here. You can always tell the expats from the tourists in Bangkok because the expats are the ones wearing sweaters and jackets in January. I once had a friend visit me and I refused to turn on the A/C in my apartment. It was far too cold for that!)

3. The friendly locals

Thais are some of the nicest people I have ever met. They’re always happy, always smiling, extremely polite, and always helpful. They’ll help you out if you’re in trouble and help translate for you if you can’t speak Thai. They treat you well, and whenever I come back here, the local shop owners whose stores I frequent greet me with a warm smile and a big hug. Once a friend, always a friend. I always feel safe in Thailand. Thailand is one of the few countries I feel comfortable leaving my laptop out while I go to the bathroom.

4. It’s the perfect travel hub

Thailand is smack-dab in the middle of everything. It’s three hours to Hong Kong, two hours to Singapore, four hours to Bali, and half way between Australia and Europe. You can get to a lot of places easily from Thailand, which, for a traveler like myself, is really appealing.

5. The postcard-perfect tropical islands

I love the beach. I can sit on the sand and go for a swim for hours upon end. While Thailand has been developed for years and many of the best beaches have been ruined through uncontrolled development, you can still find some pristine, picture-perfect islands and beaches around the country.

I particularly love Ko Chang, Ko Kood, Surin Island, Ko Adang, and Ko Lanta. The best islands are down south near the Malaysian border. They all look like the above picture.

As long as you avoid the super touristy and overdeveloped beaches (and there are many), you’ll find the postcard perfect beaches you’ve already dreamed of!

6. The lush jungles

As much as I enjoy sitting on the beach, I also love to hike through jungles, and Thailand has some of the most beautiful and lush ones I’ve seen. From the jungles and elephants in Khao Yai National Park, to the famed lake of Khao Sok in the south, to the famous jungle and hill tribe treks near Chiang Mai, you can get your tropical jungle fix very easily here.

They may not be the wild and untamed jungles of some places in Borneo or the middle of Africa, but they still offer amazing views, dense forests, waterfalls to cool off in, and an interesting variety of wildlife.

7. The international environment

Thailand is a country where you can get as local or foreign as you like. Because of all the tourists and expats who live here, the country is very cosmopolitan and international. There are global food chains, international restaurants and stores, Starbucks, and Hollywood movies.

Thailand is a melting pot of people, and you’ll find people from around the world. I’ve made friends here from France, Germany, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Israel, just to name a few.

8. The convenience

Thailand is convenient. Hungry at 3:30am? There’s someone around to sell you food. Need to take a bus to Vietnam? That can be easily arranged. Need to go shopping at some strange hour? There’s a store open. Pharmacy at 2am? Got that too. Thailand is just an easy place to live and move around in. And in Bangkok, you never have to wait for a taxi.

(HEY! Are you planning a trip to Thailand? Don’t forget to check out the book I wrote about the country. Click here to travel it like a pro!)

9. Bangkok

I hated Bangkok the first few times I traveled there. It wasn’t until I moved there that I fell in love with it. Bangkok, it turns out, is an easy city to live in. There’s lots to do, plenty of events, great bars, and amazing food (see above), and it’s easy to get around (except during rush hour). I love cities where there’s always something to do. No matter what time of the day or day of the week, you can always find something to do in Bangkok.

I began to love Bangkok when I got know it beyond the temples and the tourist trail. When I found hidden markets and amazing street stalls frequented only by locals, became friends with residents, and understood how it operated, I knew why people loved Bangkok so much.

Bangkok is not a city for tourists.

It’s for residents.

Take some time here and enjoy it!

10. It’s cheap!

Thailand is cheap to visit and cheap to live in. Yesterday, I spent $4 USD for all of my food for the day, including some drinks and snacks. Most food from the street vendors costs $1. I can get a private room for $10 USD per night or a bungalow in front of the beach for $15–20 USD. An apartment in downtown Bangkok costs $300 a month, and it’s still bigger than what I need. Thailand simply offers incredible value for your money.

A few years back, I was telling my friend that after a month bouncing around the islands, I had spent around 40,000 baht ($1,400 USD). He was shocked! “How the hell could you spend so much money in one month!” he exclaimed.

If you’re traveling here on a backpacker’s budget, you can get by for about $30 USD a day!

***When people ask me what my favorite country is, I always say Thailand. Though I wonder how you can pick a favorite country. Each one is amazing in its own right. No country is really better than another, just different. However, Thailand has a special place in my heart. We have a long history together. I’ll always return to this country.

When people ask me what my favorite country is, I always say Thailand. Though I wonder how you can pick a favorite country. Each one is amazing in its own right. No country is really better than another, just different. However, Thailand has a special place in my heart. We have a long history together. I’ll always return to this country.

If you’re looking to visit Thailand, here are some resources we have to help you:

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
• Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

6 Reasons Why Girls Should Go to Southeast Asia in 2019

Updated: 04/28/2019 | April 28th, 2019

Updated: 04/28/2019 | April 28th, 2019

This is a guest blog by Laura, one of our resident experts on solo female travel. Be sure to check out our comprehensive section on solo female travel for even more helpful advice!

Planning a solo trip as a woman can be intimidating. Sometimes it’s not always by choice; after all, it’s not easy to convince someone to jump ship with you and take an extended vacation.

However, solo travel can be exhilarating, insightful, and incredibly rewarding. As Matt has said, travel is a great tool for personal development — and solo travel especially so!

When it comes to finding a great destination for your first solo trip, I can’t think of a better place than Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia is easy to navigate on a budget, there are plenty of other travelers around to meet, and it’s quite safe. Still not convinced? Here are X reasons why every girl should consider Southeast Asia for their next solo trip!

6 Reasons Girls Should Travel to Southeast Asia

1. It’s Budget-Friendly

One of the downfalls about solo travel is that it tends to be more expensive. You don’t have someone to share a hotel room with or to split a cab ride, for example. But compared to the Western world, Southeast Asia is cheap!

One of the downfalls about solo travel is that it tends to be more expensive. You don’t have someone to share a hotel room with or to split a cab ride, for example. But compared to the Western world, Southeast Asia is cheap!

Depending on your travel style you should be able to live off of $20-30 USD per day. On my cheapest day in Southeast Asia, I spent just $7 USD for lodging and food in Laos.

Best of all, thanks to the sharing economy, if you plan to hang around a city for at least a month, you can rent an apartment at an extremely low rate.

2. It’s Easy to Get Around

You can take public transportation to pretty much any destination. Not only is it widely available, but I consider it fairly comfortable as well. Most buses are air-conditioned, and if you’re taking an overnight bus, there are sleeper buses available.

You can take public transportation to pretty much any destination. Not only is it widely available, but I consider it fairly comfortable as well. Most buses are air-conditioned, and if you’re taking an overnight bus, there are sleeper buses available. Traveling in Southeast Asia can be done both easily and affordably.

I remember my first bus ride in Southeast Asia was from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Battambang in Cambodia. I bought my ticket at a travel agency around the corner from my hotel, and they said, “The bus company will pick you up at your hotel 30 minutes before departure.”

I was caught off guard and thought, “What? You mean I don’t have to grab a taxi or lug my bags to the bus station? I don’t have to worry about getting lost and finding the right bus to get on? This is great!”

Most of the time, you can book a bus that will pick you up at your hotel. If not, arranging transportation is incredibly easy. Your hostel or accommodation can help you with that, usually by ordering a taxi or tuk-tuk in advance.

3. Travelers Abound

Unless you really make an effort to

Unless you really make an effort to get off the beaten path or venture into a town that’s unheard of, you will see tourists everywhere. I consider this a definite plus for a first-time solo trip. You shouldn’t have any problem meeting other travelers in guesthouses or around town.

Not only is it nice to make friends (after all, who wants to talk to a brick wall the entire time?) but you’re also likely to find other travelers to join you to go sightseeing or to grab dinner or a drink in the evening.

I think it’s also noteworthy to point out the stereotype of travelers you may meet in Southeast Asia. Everywhere I’ve traveled to, I find a different type of tourist. I find the travelers in Southeast Asia to be more social and have more of a “travel hard, party harder” attitude. Rarely will you find a guest in your hostel sitting around or sightseeing solo.

Yes, plenty of travelers go alone to Southeast Asia, but they want to and do meet others quickly. You just have to make sure you put yourself out there.

4. It’s Safe

While there is crime — as there is everywhere in the world — I feel extremely safe when I’m in Southeast Asia. I take standard precautions, but I’m not afraid to walk around by myself or take public transport. I go out in the evenings and don’t hesitate to interact with the locals.

While there is crime — as there is everywhere in the world — I feel extremely safe when I’m in Southeast Asia. I take standard precautions, but I’m not afraid to walk around by myself or take public transport. I go out in the evenings and don’t hesitate to interact with the locals.

As a female traveler, safety is key, and I feel just as safe here as I do back home. If you run into any sort of theft, I’d venture to say it’s most often by a fellow traveler in your guesthouse.

As long as you aren’t wandering drunk at 3am in the seedy area of Phuket, you will be all right. Yes, there are travel scams to be aware of. But if you take normal, common-sense precautions you should have nothing to worry about.

5. There are Friendly Locals & Unique Cultures

If you’re looking to really dive into a place that’s completely different,

If you’re looking to really dive into a place that’s completely different, Southeast Asia will not disappoint. Mouthwatering street food and some of the friendliest locals in the world are probably my favorite things about this part of the world. It doesn’t matter if you come into contact with a local who knows zero English (as I did on a 10-hour train ride); they will generally still want to communicate with you.

While I was in a village in Laos, I told a restaurant owner that I wanted to participate in the alms ceremony for monks. She invited me to her home at 5:30 the next morning, made rice for me to give to the monks, and showed me proper etiquette for this Buddhist ceremony. Most locals in Southeast Asia treated me like a member of the family.

You won’t have to try hard here if your goal is to dive into the culture, and if you ask a local about some ceremony or event, you’ll most likely be invited to participate (even in weddings).

6. There’s Something for Everyone

Whether you’re looking for relaxing beach getaways, hectic cities full of delicious street food, world-class diving opportunities, all-night parties, or rich history, you’ll be able to find it in Southeast Asia — often all within the same country!

Whether you’re looking for relaxing beach getaways, hectic cities full of delicious street food, world-class diving opportunities, all-night parties, or rich history, you’ll be able to find it in Southeast Asia — often all within the same country!

From the stunning ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the epic Full Moon Party in Thailand to the health and wellness mecca of Bali, Southeast Asia has something for every solo female traveler’s appetite. It’s just a matter of deciding what you want to see first!

***
If you are considering a solo trip for the first time,

If you are considering a solo trip for the first time, Southeast Asia is a great place to start. As a female backpacker, I like that I feel safe here, can get by on a budget, and meet other people. It’s a great combination when I can achieve all of these things, as well as discover amazing cultures.

Laura Walker ran the travel website, A Wandering Sole. She’s an avid traveler, former blogger, and entrepreneur.

Conquering Mountains: The Guide to Solo Female Travel

For a complete A-to-Z guide on solo female travel, check out Kristin’s new book, Conquering Mountains. Besides discussing many of the practical tips of preparing and planning your trip, the book addresses the fears, safety, and emotional concerns women have about traveling alone. It features over twenty interviews with other female travel writers and travelers. Click here to learn more about the book and how it can help you, and you can start reading it today!

Book Your Trip to Southeast Asia: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe, so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewher eother than a hotel, use Booking.com, as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
• Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use — and I think they will help you too!

Looking for more information on visiting Southeast Asia?
Check out my in-depth destination guide to Southeast Asia with more tips on what to see and do, costs, ways to save, and much, much more!

13 Reasons Why I Fell in Love with Japan

Last month, I toured Japan for three weeks with G Adventures. As you know, I was very excited. I had high expectations for a country that I had for years dreamed about seeing. And when you have high expectations, you can be easily disappointed. But Japan didn’t disappoint — it exceeded my expectations. I loved Japan! Loved it beyond anything I expected. The food, the people, the architecture, the culture — it was bliss. Just how much did I love it? Let me count the ways:

Temples and Zen Gardens

The temples of Japan are beautiful. The bells, the Zen gardens, the bamboo, and the torii gates really do instill a sense of peace and serenity. I’m going to create one of these for my future home.

Sushi

Sushi was one of the things I was most looking forward to eating while in Japan. After all, Japan is the birthplace of sushi. Even the worst sushi I had was still as good as the average sushi I’ve had elsewhere in the world. The sushi trains (those little conveyer-belt sushi shops) even had great toro (high-quality tuna)! And the best sushi? The Michelin star, drain-your-wallet kind? So good, it makes you cry tears of joy. The flavor, the soft texture, the moist rice — heaven.

Politeness
I couldn’t get over how amazingly polite everyone was. People went out of their way to be helpful. While getting lost looking for my Couchsurfing host, a guy walked me all the way to the address to make sure I got there. A security card who spoke no English just walked me to the ATM because he couldn’t explain the directions. There was always an offer of helpfulness at the slightest indication of confusion. There was always an apologetic “sorry” — even the signs, when letting people know something was not allowed, began with “sorry.” There is simply a courtesy and helpfulness that permeates the soul of Japan.

Friendliness

The woman who ran out of her house to talk to our tour group. The man who let everyone take 1,000 pictures of his dog. The college students to whom I gave English lessons. The owner of the noodle shop who spoke no English but wanted to have a fake game of baseball with me when I told him I was American. The old couple who just smiled at me while I ate at their sushi restaurant and gave me a thumbs up every time I said oishii (“delicious” in Japanese). The man who helped me place my order in Japanese and was shocked when I knew the names of fish in Japanese. Everyone was just helpful and genuinely friendly.

Boyfriend/Girlfriend “Service”
While in Osaka, my Couchsurfing host took me to the nightlife area and we did a little people-watching. There on the street were young men and women dressed in bad pop-star outfits chasing down rich men and women in order to be their “friend for the night.” And I don’t mean in a hooker way. They are simply paid for their company (and even bought stuff!). Weird, right? How come no one pays me to hang out with them? Apparently, they earn up to $1,000 USD for this per night, and there’s no expectation of sex at all! This makes the list for one reason: it’s fascinating. Talk about something that is culturally Japanese! I could sit there on the street with some popcorn and watch as girls and boys dressed like anime characters chase after sugar daddies and mamas who might buy them drinks or bad outfits.

Bullet Trains

Bullet trains cut nine-hour journeys down to 2.5 hours. That’s what more of the world needs. Spacious, clean, fast, and semi-perfect — they just need Wi-Fi and electrical outlets.

Sidewalk Vending Machines

You are never more than 10 feet from a vending machine in Japan. Everywhere you look, two or three machines are lined up to give you everything you need — beer, sake, water, tea — to quench your thirst. Even on tiny, small-town streets without a soul in sight, you would see the glow of one of these machines. Now, if only they had food vending machines!

Crazy Fashion
I love the crazy and wacky outfits people wear in Japan:

Multipurpose Train Stations

When is a train station not just a train station? When it’s a Japanese train station. In Japan, train stations aren’t just for trains, they’re also for malls, supermarkets, huge restaurant areas, and office buildings. Talk about using space effectively.

Service
Asian countries always have much better hotel service than in the West, but Japan takes it to another level. I left my bags out one day and they were brought to my room. Towels brought up just because they thought I might need extra. At the traditional hotels, my bed mat was set up at dinner and taken away while I had breakfast. Hotel owners wave you good-bye. Everything is done with a bow. Everyone is helpful. American hospitality is great, but even we could learn a thing or ten from the Japanese.

Japanese Onsens

I’m not a fan of bathhouses. Sitting around naked with a bunch of people isn’t my thing. I gave the Japanese onsens a try, but there were just too many naked men for me. However, I did venture out when they opened first thing in the morning to have them to myself. I have to admit: sitting in a hot bath with a little waterfall near you is pretty damn relaxing. I want one in my house…when I get a house.

Sake

Japanese rice wine is one of my favorite alcoholic drinks. The smooth taste, the fine finish, the fruity flavoring — mmmmm. It makes for the perfect accompaniment to Japanese food. Sake in Japan doesn’t taste better than anywhere else in the world; there’s just more of the good stuff (a fact I took full advantage of!). I especially enjoyed how you could get free sake samples at stores!

High-Tech Toilets

Leave it to the Japanese to turn a simple toilet into a technological marvel. There you sit down on a warm seat, while music is playing, and (sorry for getting graphic) have a jet of water come and wash you from the front or back. It’s pretty awesome.

As I watched the sunrise over Mt. Fuji toward the end of my trip, I dreaded leaving Japan. Japan exceeded all of my expectations, and I only scratched its surface. What wonders did I miss? What other secrets does Japan have to offer? From Hokkaido to Okinawa, my mind darted to all the sights on my list I didn’t get to see. I already long to go back. Within a day of leaving, I had withdrawal. Like a bullet train, Japan had sped to the top of my favorite countries list.

I’ll be back soon. And when I do, this list will surely get longer.

11 Reasons Why I Fell in Love With Morocco

Visiting Morocco has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to ride a camel, see the desert, explore maze-like medinas, and drink tea with Berbers.

As I stood overlooking the Sahara one morning, marveling at the rhythmic, undulating dunes of the desert, I realized that my dream had come true.

For miles around, the dunes rolled like red-tinged waves in the sea. I had ridden a camel to the spot where I would gaze at a million stars that night, smiling at the fact I was finally somewhere I had dreamed about under the same stars thousands of miles away.

For two weeks, I traveled around the country on Intrepid Travel’s Best of Morocco tour and gorged myself on couscous, drank my body weight in mint tea, hiked, and absorbed the sights and sounds of Morocco.

Of all those moments, these were my favorite experiences from the trip:

Camel trekking in the Sahara

While I wish you could still ride the old camel caravans from Morocco to Egypt, I settled for one night under the stars. Turns out riding a camel for an hour is pretty uncomfortable, but seeing the beautiful color of the desert up close and personal, camping with Bedouins, and gazing at a million stars with no light pollution made it all worthwhile. There’s an eerie silence in the desert when the wind dies down and you feel a great sense of peace, just sitting and being in nature.

Fun fact: It rained while I was in the desert. There was a crazy, crazy lightning storm — one of the most intense I have ever seen. The roar of the thunder sounded like a million bombs going off, and the lightning turned night into day. It hadn’t rained all year but that night the sky opened up for a brief moment to let out all her anger. Surreal.

Hiking the Atlas Mountains

The Atlas Mountains cover most of Morocco, and we spent a lot of time in the low, middle, and high parts of the range (it’s hard not to). My favorite part was when we traversed the High Atlas range, climbing for an hour to reach a small farmhouse, where we stayed the night with a local family (who cooked us the tastiest tagine dinner and Berber omelet of the trip).

Arriving early and leaving late the next day, we had plenty of time to hike and explore the surrounding area. I love a good hike, so I enjoyed the opportunity to really get out into nature, walk through riverbeds, and see Mt. Toubkal (North Africa’s highest peak) in the distance. Next to the camel trek, this was my favorite experience.

Eating at Café Clock

Recommended to me by many people and with locations in Marrakesh and Fez, this Western-influenced café is famous for its gigantic and delicious camel burger (which tastes a lot like spicy shawarma). The food is excellent: the burger, green smoothies, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery chicken couscous were so satisfying I ate here twice. And, in the crazy and chaotic medinas of each city, the cafés provide an oasis of calm, where you can recharge, use Wi-Fi, and cool down with air conditioning. They also offer cooking classes and host regular events in each location!

Getting lost in the medinas

The medinas are the historic hearts of each city in Morocco: part residential area, part shopping center, part food market. Here you’ll find twisting and turning streets where shops, restaurants, markets, and homes all line the streets in buildings seemingly too close together and too old to stay up much longer. As someone who loves to get lost, the medinas were heaven. I spent hours wandering through them, making right turns, doubling back, walking through plazas and streets that kind of looked familiar, and finding my way, only to get purposely lost all over again. They were a maze I loved trying to solve while also drinking tea, eating delicious and fragrant food, and seeing the sights.

Word of caution: Fez is a bit sketchy and unsafe, so do not go too far off the beaten path. Stick to streets with lots of people. I had some close calls involving pickpockets and potential robbers.

Exploring Volubilis

A major trading center and the southernmost settlement during Roman times, Volubilis is one of the best preserved (and least frequented) such ruins in the world. I found it empty of tourists, not built up, and open in a way that really lets you get up close and see the structures without being behind ten feet of barriers and jostled by crowds. Most of the city is still unexcavated so the site has a very raw feel to it. I’ve been to a lot of Roman ruins in my travels, but I love this one the best.

Seeing Aït Benhaddou

Though I didn’t get to spend much time here, exploring this place full of kasbahs (fortified houses) was pretty amazing. It is the Hollywood of Morocco and has been featured in Game of Thrones, Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, and many more films. It was the most picturesque ksar I saw, which is probably why it’s in every movie! It plays into what people think an old ksar -fortified village – should look like. I enjoyed roaming the streets and climbing to the top for the view.

Enjoying the beach and seafood of Essaouira

My favorite city in Morocco, Essaouira is located a few hours from Marrakesh on the Atlantic coast and is a popular beach destination for tourists, especially Brits. I loved the relaxed atmosphere of the city, the lack of pushy touts, the sea air, and all the fresh fish.

Be sure to visit the wonderful fish market in town, where all the small fisherman sell their day’s catch. Afterward, check out the small fish stalls nearby in the main square where you can enjoy fresh seafood grilled really cheap. My friends and I “splurged” on a meal here: for $75 USD total, the four of us shared a lobster, eight tiger prawns, two fish weighing over a kilo, and half a kilo of squid. All that came with drinks, bread, salad, and tea. (We ate there every day, and meals afterward were about $15 USD.) Try stalls #5 and #11 for the best fish!

Visiting Marrakech

Marrakech was everything I thought it would be: a modern mix of Moroccan and international culture with the most diversity of delicious international food (check out PepeNero for Italian and Latitude for a Med-Moroccan mix) and beautiful architecture in the medina. Though Marrakech lacked the grit and edge of the rest of the country, it was the most eclectic city on the trip.

The chaotic pace exposed a city and people always on the go. The famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square is truly the mess everyone describes: tens of thousands of people at night eating, shopping, getting henna tattoos, listening to bands and storytellers, and watching magicians (and snake charmers during the day). It’s one of the most hectic but fascinating people-watching places in the country. It still blows my mind how big and full it was! (Contrast that to the underwhelming Saadian Tombs, which is an attraction I would skip — they are simple, the grounds are small, and overall, it was just bland.)

Eating lots of couscous and tagine

By the end of my two weeks there, I was a bit “couscoused out.” That said, I dove head first into eating as much of it as possible — I loved savoring the flavors, seeing the regional variety, and getting to really appreciate how long each dish took to prepare. Tagine (cooked with meat, dates, nuts, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and saffron in a clay pot) was by far my favorite Moroccan dish. Also worth trying is the Berber omelet, which is egg, tomato, onion, and herbs, also cooked in a clay pot.

Drinking mint tea

I’ve never drunk more tea than when I was in Morocco. In a country where “having a beer” is not a thing, locals substitute pots of mint tea. There’s even an art to pouring it: the higher the teapot, the better. I couldn’t get enough of this minty, sugary treat and sitting in the tea shops watching soccer with the locals. I must have drunk a pot or two a day. Man, that stuff is addicting!

Hearing the call to prayer
While I’ve been to predominantly Muslim countries before, in Southeast Asia, I’ve never experienced an Arab Muslim country or heard the call to prayer. There was something beautiful about the melodic nature of the call, and it was a great alarm clock at 5 a.m. Seeing people flock to the mosque in their white prayer clothes was a unique cultural experience I couldn’t help but observe.

Morocco is an incredibly destination. At times, it was trying, stressful, chaotic, and overloaded my senses, but for all the stresses of travel, it was a country where I felt out of my element and like I was truly somewhere new and different. I loved that feeling and everything else about Morocco.

Editor’s Note: I went to Morocco with Intrepid Travel on their Best of Morocco tour. It was part of my ongoing partnership with Intrepid Travel. They covered the cost of the tour, flight, and meals.