Morocco's Getting Busy: Book Your Trip Early!

Azdean Elmoustaquim
Welcome back to another incredible episode of Destination Morocco podcast. We have the one and only Ted. Welcome back, Ted. It's just, it's so refreshing and amazing to have you back. And I'm very grateful.

Ted Cragg (00:20.27)
Yeah, it's nice to be back. I love popping in here every every few episodes saying hello and chatting about Morocco.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (00:26.812)
Thank you, thank you. So in today's episode, can you tell the audience what you expected, please?

Ted Cragg (00:32.942)
Yeah, we were thinking, well, for one thing, did do an episode one of the times I was here earlier this year, just kind of looking at.

kind of travel trends and predictions for 2025. And now as we're getting later into the year, we can review that a bit, but also think ahead to the next, say, six months and really emphasizing that, you know, if you're thinking of going to Morocco, things to keep in mind in terms of your travel planning and just the timeframe of all that, because big thing, what we'll chat about here today is just really planning ahead so that you have the most options and things don't get booked up as quickly and you really have a more and better choice of where

you want to stay, prices, know, style, things like that. So yeah, a bit of a review of travel planning and just some of the things to expect over the next few months.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (01:18.106)
Absolutely, absolutely.

Ted Cragg (01:21.422)
Do remember when we looked at the kind of prediction of the year back there a few months ago, how things panned out based on what we talked about then as far as how busy things are getting and is Morocco getting a lot busier already even from like a few months ago?

Azdean Elmoustaquim (01:36.092)
Well, last time when we did that episode in the beginning of the year, we predicted this year 2025 is going to be the biggest, the busiest year in terms of tourism for Morocco and rightfully so. And everything we've talked about actually has happened. So it is, it's just, it's insane. It is super busy, especially with the soccer events, you know, recently the local national team, Morocco won the African championship.

Women soccer under 17. In those they won the World Cup. mean, it's just incredible accomplishments in terms of soccer for, you know, women's soccer team and men's soccer team. And now, you know, just a days ago, the men's soccer team, qualified for 2026 World Cup that it's going to be here in US, Canada and Mexico, which is just incredible, incredible. So it has been very, very busy, like we have predicted.

Ted Cragg (02:15.916)
Yeah.

Ted Cragg (02:24.728)
Great.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (02:34.524)
And now we are in September, almost to December, it's rightfully so. It looks like it's going to be exactly how we thought it's going to be.

Ted Cragg (02:44.782)
Yeah, so that's a good starting point in the sense if anyone is still thinking of going before the end of this year, what are the prospects of that? What can they expect if they want to try to get in a trip before the end of 2025?

Azdean Elmoustaquim (02:56.802)
That's a really good question, Ted. You know, normally we require two to three months, you know, as much time as we can to book and plan itineraries and trips. But sometimes a lot of the travelers, they don't have that. They just want to do last minute. And it's really, really unfortunate. I remember a few months ago, you know, we are in June, July, and September is completely booked. October is completely booked. So when I say completely booked, yeah, you can still find bookings.

but they are not going to be what you would expect. know, just yesterday we were talking and I said, if you remember the square Jemel now, know, the two mile radius, there's about 700 riads and hotels. So you can just imagine how crowded that space is. And then when we say it's booked, basically the city is pretty booked. So if you need to book anything and you find something to book, it's going to be a little bit far from the square or from the center of the city or downtown, if you would.

That's where you find availability and then move with caution. That's what I always say. So September is completely booked. October is completely booked. November, there's still about 10 % availability. So it is pretty busy.

Ted Cragg (04:15.187)
Part of it is the just the nature of riad's I mean their original old like family home so the capacity is you know three or four couples kind of thing usually they've got three or four rooms so 700 riad's whatever it is sounds like a lot but really the overall room capacity isn't isn't all that high because you don't get if I remember you don't get a lot of big hotels kind of thing close to the city center especially Marrakesh they they're further out

Azdean Elmoustaquim (04:41.274)
Yeah, I totally agree. that's again, the difference between the riads and hotels. Hotels definitely they have more rooms, more availability, but the riads still have that experience that you cannot find anywhere else. And also Riads only exist in Morocco. But then the capacity, some, because most of them are family owned and they are small. You'll see maybe three rooms, four rooms, seven rooms. So, yes.

Ted Cragg (05:05.325)
Right.

Yeah. So that's just it. mean, yeah, if you're going to Morocco, do absolutely everything you can to stay in riad It's a wonderful experience. It's such a unique experience. There's some pictures in your on your wall. I can see behind some of them in the courtyards, right? And the fountains and benches. One, the one we stayed at. That's right. Marrakesh even had a little swimming pool right in the middle of the courtyard. It was small, but you could jump in it. It was fine. So it's there's nothing else like it. It's really neat.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (05:20.036)
Yes. yes. Yes.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (05:29.051)
Yes.

Yes, absolutely. It is very neat indeed.

Ted Cragg (05:37.227)
Yeah. So I've heard you say before, certainly, that once you get into the end of the year and Christmas, New Year's, it's like the busiest time of all in Morocco because it's not just tourists, but families coming back and, you know, vacation and things like that. So that's a particularly busy time for sure.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (05:55.972)
It is. know, when we look at the Christmas time, people, say, Morocco is a Muslim country, but you haven't been in Morocco at that time. But if you have, you'll see how crazy it is. It's just, it's, it's insane. So, and again, this year it's a little different because it's much, much busier. Just to give, to give the audience an idea, you know, especially when we talk about Marrakech, Marrakech has been a hot destination for quite a bit.

Ted Cragg (06:15.426)
Yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (06:24.22)
It has been ranking for the last at least for the last decade top three to top five destinations to visit So in Christmas time New Year's people from Casablanca, know, they go during that time to Marrakesh and they want to stay in hotels They want to stay in riad's same thing people from Rabat from all over the flock to Marrakesh around, know the last two weeks of December now absolutely. Yes Marrakesh. Yes. So and then

Ted Cragg (06:47.189)
In particular, it's Marrakesh.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (06:51.61)
with the soccer events, just don't have, it's not just the clubs that are participating in the event, but it's the media and they go in and they just book the whole, you know, hotel or half of it and they have the staff, have, you know, it's just, it just makes it very, very difficult. Then also, if you remember, when we talk about booking in December, Ted, we always say that, you know, a lot of places, they don't want you to book just one night. Some they'll have restriction of booking minimum of three nights.

Ted Cragg (07:16.843)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's a point.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (07:20.624)
maybe four nights even. And this goes for the luxury. If we're talking four season, if we're talking, you know, a Royal Mansour, if we're talking, you know, luxury brands, then also just regular yards because supply and demand. Then in places, for example, in New Year's, New Year's Eve, for example, they may be cover charged to go to two places, you know, even restaurants. Some of them may charge you to go in because of that celebration at the end of dinner.

You know, hotels, they have nightclubs and it's expected as well. So it's just, it's a different time, especially the last, again, the last 10 days, if you would, in December for Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Ted Cragg (08:05.037)
Mm-hmm.

Well, is there are there any options if you did want to go to Morocco over the holidays and if we're talking, you know, from North America or Europe and that's when you have some vacation holiday time, right? And let's say, yeah, you do want to try to go. Well, are there any parts of the country that might be a little quieter if people are flocking to Marrakesh, perhaps some of the other cities, but where they can still go to avoid the crowds now, you may not be able to see Marrakesh or maybe just kind of pass through. But are there any other options if that's your time window to

travel.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (08:37.254)
That's a really good question. Yeah, absolutely. The best part I would say to visit is going to be the southern part of Morocco. So keep in mind when we talk about Marrakesh, right next to it is Fes. It's the same thing. Fes is just as incredible and it's as busy. And those two destinations are always the ones that get really booked first. Marrakesh and then Fes. So you will have difficulties finding accommodation in those cities. But also you can still find something

It's just going to be a little bit of a drive if you don't Then you'll just enjoy the festivities, enjoy, you know, Christmas time, New Year's, even the celebration. But that's the only thing. So you're not going to find something in the middle of or the heart of Marrakesh or the heart of fast party. It's going to be a little bit of a drive. It could be a 30 minute drive. could be a 45 minute drive, but you will find accommodations. I'll stay away if they said we found something in the square because if something is left over, it's not booked.

You don't want to be there for sure. And then the southern part of Morocco is really what comes to mind because there's so much to see and so much to do. you know, Christmas and New Year's Eve, they are not as big of a deal in those parts of the country as, you know, in a very popular city, first Marrakesh, Casablanca, and the other major cities. So that's a good opportunity to go, you know, for example, to Merzouga and, yeah.

Ted Cragg (10:05.089)
Yeah, that's what I thinking. What if you went to Morocco over the Christmas holidays and went out to Merzouga Desert, which is a trek of course in itself, right? It takes a few days to get there, have some time there, get back to Marrakesh or wherever, but that might be a good window.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (10:13.326)
Yes, yes.

That's it is it I totally agree Ted because just to give the audience a little bit of perspective You know, I get a lot of inquiries about hey, you know, we want to do three day in in Merzouga then first I always say that's just a scam for me. That's a red flag and I don't want to get involved so But you can do Merzouga I would say minimum five days because you just don't want to drive

and come back because just to give you an idea, the drive from Marrakesh to Merzouga is about 10 hours, 10 hours nonstop. Now, if you think and you can imagine, you know, it's a family of four, a family of six traveling, you know, for 10 hours nonstop, that's, you know, it's, it's not going to be fun. So we always split it in two days. And along the way we do some stops and have fun, enjoy the scenery, enjoy your family, you know, your company. And then.

Ted Cragg (10:51.02)
Yeah.

Ted Cragg (11:04.673)
Mm-hmm.

Ted Cragg (11:13.292)
Yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (11:14.288)
when you want to do back again either fast or back to Marrakesh, we take a different route back to Marrakesh and again it's going to be 10 hours. If you have five days, you can spend few days in the desert. You don't have to do just one night. You can do two days, you can do three days and there's so much things to see. absolutely. Yes. If you remember Sesha, she went and that's what she wanted and she wanted to stay in the desert and she was able to do a

Ted Cragg (11:23.06)
Mm-hmm.

Ted Cragg (11:30.22)
Yeah.

There's a lot to do around here, yeah.

Ted Cragg (11:38.411)
yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (11:43.044)
a lot of experiences and she had an amazing time. So people when they think of Merzouga they just want to go check in and check out. No, it has so much, there's so much stuff to do in Merzouga.

Ted Cragg (11:47.575)
Mm-hmm.

Ted Cragg (11:56.782)
Hmm. Yeah. Yeah. And I got my map pulled up here. So you get a sense. I mean, Marrakesh way over here. Right. And you got to drive over the mountains plus the pass was is that and then all the way over here to Marasuka. So it's a track. It's beautiful, but it's a long drive.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (12:03.781)
Yes.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (12:07.94)
Yes, yeah. Yeah, yes, yeah. It's a really good thing that you put the map because a lot of people, when they look at Morocco in the map, they think it's small. It's not small. Just to give you little bit of perspective, Morocco is bigger than France. It's bigger than Spain. It's three times bigger than Portugal. It is huge.

Ted Cragg (12:27.063)
Yeah? Mm-hmm. Yeah, there you go.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (12:31.484)
So, you know, so it's there's there's quite a bit of drive from the north side to the southern part of Morocco. So just keep that in mind. Yeah. If you're going to do the desert around Christmas or in time, I always recommend the minimum five days. You know, if you add a couple more days, it'll give you an opportunity to to see Marrakesh as well. So.

Ted Cragg (12:38.317)
Hmm.

Ted Cragg (12:47.885)
Mm-hmm.

Ted Cragg (12:52.661)
Yeah. Right. And then we're talking about the holidays, which is particularly busy this year because the Africa Cup of Nations, which, again, football fans know that is soccer fans. But it's like the equivalent of the Euro tournament, right. In Europe or, I must have won Copa America, South America. You know, it's the Continental Nation Championship. And that's in Africa in Morocco this year.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (12:59.782)
Yes, yes, that's right.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (13:08.346)
Yes, yes.

Yes.

Yes. Yeah.

Yes, yes, yeah. So it is it is it's it's a massive deal and we're hosting it for 2025 and we're another we're hosting the event, I believe, 2029. Then we are hosting the World Cup in 2023 with Spain and Portugal. So you can just yeah, yeah, 20, yeah, 2030. Yeah. So it's going to be it's just you can just imagine when those years come, you know, it's going to be just a copy, paste of 2025 and even bigger.

Ted Cragg (13:20.277)
Yeah, so that's big deal, but it's going to be busy.

Ted Cragg (13:35.529)
in 2032, right? Yeah, something like that. 2030.

Ted Cragg (13:44.258)
Yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (13:48.028)
So just plan accordingly and plan ahead. And normally, this is a really good point, that normally January is a very quiet month, but this year it's going to be different. January 2026 is going to be very busy as well. So the extension of what we have in December is going to go all the way to January. And then it's going to go back to normal in February. But then normal is still very busy.

Ted Cragg (13:48.141)
Mm-hmm.

Ted Cragg (14:02.849)
Right.

Ted Cragg (14:12.587)
Yeah. Yeah, because just for perspective here, I've got the date. So the Cup of Africa, Cup of Nations starts December 21st, 25, and it goes all the way to January 18th, 2026. So, yeah, it's a pretty it's a big tournament. It's a long term. It's very much like the World Cup type thing.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (14:26.716)
Yes.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (14:30.576)
Yeah, yeah, it is, it is. because I, I've been to Morocco when, you know, during that time, but not Morocco hosting it. When Morocco is hosting it, it's a completely different beast. I mean, when Morocco is playing and I was there last time, you can just, everything is literally on lockdown. The streets are packed.

Ted Cragg (14:44.525)
Mmm.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (14:57.404)
It's hard to move from one area to another area. It's just busy, the celebration. It doesn't matter if we win or not. Celebration still goes on the streets. So it's a lot of fun, but also for the tourists, can sometimes be challenging.

Ted Cragg (14:57.581)
Mmm.

Ted Cragg (15:03.755)
you

Ted Cragg (15:15.201)
Yeah. yeah. And I wanted to talk, ask you about a couple other events. Well, one isn't so much, maybe an event, but obviously happens every year. Ramadan this year starts in February, right? Mid February, I think. Yeah. So of course runs for a month. So into March. So we've done that before. We've talked about here in the podcast, at least a couple episodes, of how it's a different time to travel in Morocco, but it's still.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (15:26.086)
February, yes, yes. Yeah.

Ted Cragg (15:41.129)
It's very interesting. It's you really get that cultural experience, right, of being there during Ramadan. So it's fun thing to do if you have that chance. It's just something to be aware of because things can change some of the schedules and just the pace of life changes a fair bit during Ramadan.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (15:56.806)
Yes, know, Ramadan nowadays, especially now, it's very different than Ramadan when I grew up, especially if we compare it in tourism. Back then, it was very quiet. know, there were still tourists. still remember tourists. know, the cafes, they're closed. They open. They start, you know, opening around 5 p.m. But nowadays, it's very different, literally almost

everywhere is open, hotels, the riads are everywhere they are open. Alcohol is not served, but everybody's open. It's a little bit different than regular days, but it's also an immersive experience. I remember back three years ago or so, had, I forgot the name.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (16:50.032)
Anyways, we had a family from New Zealand. They wanted to visit Morocco during Ramadan because they wanted to experience that. what we did is, I remember they were staying in riad fast because we picked them up from Tangier. They came from Spain. Then they had the breakfast, which is around sundown. And it was amazing. The food, the table was just, you know, it was just packed. You know, so it was incredible. Then we did...

Again, another iftar, is around, you know, it's served around dinner time, you know, outside Ramadan in a restaurant. And again, that experience was very unique, very beautiful, and they loved it. You know, there are places where, you know, it's going to be different and they may not be open during lunch and stuff, but there are other options and other places that are open during that time as well. So.

Ted Cragg (17:46.029)
Okay.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (17:47.056)
But it's a really unique experience and I highly, if you can, I highly recommend it because a lot of people they just, don't go, don't go and they are closed and this and that, but you know, I definitely recommend it. And I remember we did a couple of episodes. The first one, it was a solo episode and the one that we did a year or so ago with the Hiba, it was very informative and you know, it was really good.

Ted Cragg (17:56.524)
Hmm.

Ted Cragg (18:08.397)
All right.

Ted Cragg (18:12.109)
Yeah, yeah, that's good. Because you get sense of what it's like there and some of the logistics, right? Like you're talking about when things are open and what to expect. Yeah, so I do have the dates here. Ramadan 2026 starts the evening of Tuesday, February 17th till Thursday, March 19th.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (18:16.589)
Absolutely.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (18:20.304)
Yes.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (18:31.706)
Yes, and normally because it's a lunar year, it's sometimes the month is 29 days and 30 days max. And basically it goes backwards every year 11 days, if you would. So, yeah.

Ted Cragg (18:50.317)
Yeah. All right. So, yeah, I'll keep that in mind. And then I want to ask you another thing about the Rose Festival, which is in southern Morocco. I'll pull up my map here, but can you tell us a bit about what that's like?

Azdean Elmoustaquim (18:57.244)
Yes.

Yes, the Rose Festival, this is a very, very popular festival, especially with the locals, especially in the women community. It has a lot to do with beauty, fertility, and There's a lot of what you call women's cooperatives. They extract beauty products from the roses and it really is a big deal.

Ted Cragg (19:19.874)
Oh yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (19:30.532)
Every time we go into the southern part of Morocco, we make a stop. And I was very lucky to have stopped in different places. Everything you get there is very unique. It's very organic, but there's a difference. There's the rose that is purely Morocco, then there's one that is imported from, I believe, either Turkey or Iran, and the quality is not the same. They give you more,

Ted Cragg (19:43.083)
Yeah.

Ted Cragg (19:52.48)
Okay.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (19:59.92)
but the quality is not the same. So you really have to be very careful. And this is the good thing when you buy those products, and I have, not for me, but Khadija has, did in the past. So when you buy those products, you want to make sure you buy them through a cooperative. And those cooperatives, most of them are women's. They are very safe, legit, and the product you get is 100 % organic, and it's absolutely worth it.

Ted Cragg (20:18.093)
Mm.

Ted Cragg (20:27.67)
Okay.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (20:27.74)
So you go in and you'll see fields and fields of roads. It's just beautiful, beautiful. It's a very small town slash village, if you would. Yeah, this is what it looks like. And they have a parade. They have contestants. It's like a beauty pageant, if you would. So it's absolutely a must stop. And also, a lot of people, when they go to the southern part of Morocco, this is a really good place where you can do hiking.

Ted Cragg (20:36.897)
Yeah.

Ted Cragg (20:42.911)
Okay.

Ted Cragg (20:54.413)
yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (20:54.596)
And the hiking, it has different levels. So you can do hiking if you're just a beginner or a little bit in shape or if you're really, really into hiking, you can do some really good mountain hikings here.

Ted Cragg (21:10.605)
Yeah, so this is Kalaat M'Gouna? Yes. And how far drive would you say that is from Marrakech?

Azdean Elmoustaquim (21:15.472)
Kalaat M'Gouna, yes.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (21:23.289)
it's, it's, it's, I would say it's probably about, but seven and a half probably hours. You can see the distance. Yeah. Yeah.

Ted Cragg (21:28.917)
Okay. Yeah. Yeah, same thing. It's on the way to Merzouga, basically, right? You're over the mountains, past where it's at. Is it in the Dads Valley or close to it? I guess it's in it, yeah. You can see some of the green here on our map. Interesting.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (21:34.03)
Yes, yeah, yeah, yes.

It's close to it. Yeah, close to it. Yes. Yes. Yeah, right there. Yeah. Yeah, it's close to it. Yes. Because when you do that visit, you will spend the night in in in that valley right there. You see it? Yes. Yes. Yeah. So then.

Ted Cragg (21:50.018)
Yeah. And there's Rose Festival. I looked it up. They don't seem to have dates yet, but it's always in May sometime.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (21:58.906)
Yeah, it's always in May and it depends on the harvest. So if it changes, probably, you know, a few days, maybe a week or so. But it starts in the beginning of the summer.

Ted Cragg (22:02.016)
Okay.

Ted Cragg (22:05.665)
Right.

Ted Cragg (22:10.797)
But yeah, it kind of struck me as something different, you know, that we haven't talked about before. And if people are looking for something a little outside the rain kind of tourist sites, right, beat some of the crowds. I mean, it'd be busy enough during the festival, but not the usual kind of touristy crowds. It's more of a local kind of cultural thing to go to the festival and the parade. So yeah, and you get to see another part of the country too.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (22:33.24)
absolutely. You know, we did an episode, we did a podcast episode inside one of the cooperatives, probably going to publish it sometime this year. And you can see their product is incredible. And also it is shipped worldwide. So that's sometimes where we get a lot of people, they want to get connected to those cooperatives and we can get them connected or they can get the information through the podcast episode. So

Ted Cragg (22:40.485)
yeah.

Ted Cragg (22:50.765)
Hmm.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (23:03.256)
I highly recommend it.

Ted Cragg (23:05.153)
Yeah. Cool. Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that. Well, we've got a few more minutes here. Just talking about, yes, again, back to planning for the next few months. mean, you talked to me a little while ago about how prices increase as they do. But, you know, there's inflation and exchange rates fluctuating. So that's always another part of urgency. You know, if you if you really have a trip in mind and a place you want to stay, that kind of thing.

it might be better idea to book sooner than later because it could certainly be more expensive in a few short months.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (23:38.234)
Yes, I totally agree. You know, just to give you an idea, sometimes when we have a booking, you know, especially the private tours, the private tours, they cost a little bit more than the group tours. And we do split the payment. And, one thing that we have noticed in the last few months is that the dollar value in terms of exchange used to be around, you know,

$1 equals 11 dirhams or 10 dirhams, but now it's equal 8 dirhams. So that's quite a bit of gap. It's a lot. So when we make a commitment and say, Ted, your payment is going to be $2,000, first payment, second payment, and third payment, we're not going to come back and say, hey, because of the dollar exchange, your payment now is 2,300.

Ted Cragg (24:11.362)
Okay.

Ted Cragg (24:33.261)
Okay.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (24:33.402)
you know, since you already made the payment, we just keep it as it is. But for us, it's a loss, but we're not going to pass that loss to you because we are committed to you and that's where we said that the rate is going to be. And unfortunately, this never happened in the past. So it's new to all of us. So, you know, when you book early, this is one of the things that you avoid. That rate is guaranteed. The second thing is if

Ted Cragg (24:42.113)
Hmm.

Ted Cragg (24:45.869)
Yeah.

Ted Cragg (24:51.733)
Okay. Interesting.

Ted Cragg (24:58.827)
Yep.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (25:02.68)
If we are in September, so normally with the suppliers and the accommodations, we get their new rate for the new year around October and November. So, and those they will be affected January 1st, 2026. So when you book now, for example, in March, which we start seeing some bookings in March, April and May, June for next year, which is really, really incredible. Then.

the new rate does not apply to you. And also, when you look at in terms of the accommodations increase in terms of rate, it really varies from regular accommodations to luxury accommodations. it's for the most part, it's between 10 to 12 % increase. Sometimes it can go all the way to 15 % increase. So that's just by booking in advance, you're saving

Ted Cragg (25:33.761)
Yeah, that's right.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (26:00.796)
quite a bit. and also we've had this in the past, you know, we get bookings for, you know, December, 2025 and, and, and the rates are just, you know, they're really, really high and there's nothing we can do. It's, it's, you know, the, riad, the hotel, that's, that's the rate supply and demand. And it just, we have to pass that to the client. And so that's why in the regular seasons, I always recommend if you want to book December,

Ted Cragg (26:01.794)
Yep.

Ted Cragg (26:17.442)
Hmm.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (26:30.428)
start your homework and research in March. So by May, by June, you should make that booking complete. Just to be on the safe side, you'll have the best choices, the best options, the best rate and everything. But then when you wait for the last minute, the value that you get, it's really not much for what you're paying. And I'm being just, you

Ted Cragg (26:34.059)
Yeah.

Ted Cragg (26:52.427)
Yes, good point. You're paying more and you're you're kind of getting less.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (26:55.644)
Yes, 100 percent, 100 percent, yeah.

Ted Cragg (26:59.469)
Mm Yeah, it all comes back to planning ahead of time as best you can. mean, it's fun to do last minute trips and it's still possible as you say, is just less a choice, perhaps, and not quite the same value that you can count on. And the other thing, too, that you mentioning was with a lot of these new flights, direct flights, right, especially from North America to not just Casablanca, but Marrakesh, which does have quite an impressive airport. Well, that's great. It makes travel easier and there's more options. So therefore, there's going to be

Azdean Elmoustaquim (27:17.382)
Yes, yes, yes.

Ted Cragg (27:29.505)
you know, more demand is going to be busier and people just start to see things getting, yeah, much increased traffic over the next few months too.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (27:37.372)
Absolutely. know, to add to what you have said, Ted, we have direct flights from Canada to Casablanca. We have direct flights from New York to Casablanca, from Washington, D.C. to Casablanca, direct flights from Miami to Casablanca. And there will be some flights probably within the next few years from Dallas directly to Casablanca. And also we have one, it started about a year ago, from New York to Marrakesh, actually. And that's the only flight to Marrakesh.

Ted Cragg (28:06.528)
Okay.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (28:06.684)
And this is if you're flying from the US, so you have more reasons to fly directly to Morocco versus going through Europe. If you go into Europe, it's still good, but also a lot of people when they fly from Europe, it's much easier for them to get to Morocco. So why is this important? The reason why it's important because we need to know those dates or those times or departing city, arriving city, because that's really, really what's going to help us create that itinerary for you.

Ted Cragg (28:13.005)
Yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (28:34.684)
because you can say, hey, I'm staying for 10 days and we can create an itinerary for you for 10 days. And then you say, hey, you know what? I'm arriving in Casablanca, but we started the itinerary in Fes, so we have to create a completely new itinerary. that's why it's important, not specific dates at first, but just say, hey, I'm arriving in Casablanca, departing from Marrakesh, so we can build it that way. And then when you book your flight, we can just make those minor changes and updates. So yeah.

Ted Cragg (29:02.625)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, OK.

Yeah, well, it's good. It's a good summary here. It's good timing to think about, you know, travel planning and such for the next few months. It's exciting time. mean, it's funny to think that you and I were immersed in this all the time. We're talking about Morocco and stuff. But then, yeah, you just kind of see like more and more articles and I don't know, CNN and places like this. So odds and ends or, of course, supporting events and things happening in Morocco. Right. It's just more and more in the in the news and just kind of the popular culture, which is great to see. It's kind of funny, but it's neat.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (29:36.528)
absolutely. Absolutely. You know, it's that the US is still kind of behind in terms of Morocco compared to Europe and rightfully so because of the location, because of the media, because of so many things. But I think once that once the US catches up, it's going to be even busier. There's a lot of Americans that go to Morocco. It's just the mass media, if you were the people are still not up to date or they don't know Morocco, the real Morocco, if you would.

Ted Cragg (29:37.071)
Yeah.

Ted Cragg (29:44.14)
Yeah.

Ted Cragg (29:48.141)
Hmm.

Ted Cragg (30:05.599)
Mm. Mm-hmm.

Well, if you want to get some few glimpses of the real Morocco for everyone listening, but watching in particular now, everyone, if you've heard me a few times here in the show, you know that I very much about for audio podcasts like I do. I absolutely believe that podcast. You should listen to it, you know, when you're in your car, go for a walk and stuff like that. That's great. And have a conversation. But every once in while we have episodes here that really emphasize the visual because we've got some amazing video footage. So we've put out some of those the last

while and if you haven't if if you're listening again if you're watching this and you haven't checked it out the last few episodes you see with the tour guide there in Casablanca and you see some beautiful images of the mosque there as he gives a tour and then there's an episode at the camp in Merzouga and one of these amazing luxury desert camps and there's a food tour in Marrakesh too where you go into different stalls and around the souks right around the square we did one that was at the the Argan Oil

Azdean Elmoustaquim (31:04.294)
Yes.

Ted Cragg (31:08.323)
Co-operative over near Essaouira and you see the Argan and then also a bit earlier in this year we did one with the the Rug Co-operative as well and you see these amazing rugs right but you learn history about it and then you know of course you see the people there who are behind all this and get their stories and so it's nice to have the visual side of things too from time to time but if you're looking for more inspiration from Morocco then

Azdean Elmoustaquim (31:08.88)
Yes.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (31:16.133)
Yes.

Ted Cragg (31:29.793)
I mean that's where you'll find it in these beautiful videos. So you'll see it there on the YouTube channel Destination Morocco. Links are all in the show here. Yeah and I guess it's a good summary for now. I'm sure I'll be back before too long but it's an exciting time.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (31:41.756)
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. You know, I love it when you and I do episodes because they're really unique and it's incredible. you know, just I want to say something about those videos. We did them when we traveled back in 2023. You know, just had an idea. I wanted to do things different. And I know you and I have talked about this quite a bit.

Ted Cragg (31:48.194)
Yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (32:07.632)
We talked about other podcasts that we take inspirations from and we look up to. yeah, if you remember, we talked about the Earful podcast and I listened to, yes, the Earful podcast, Yes, yeah.

Ted Cragg (32:09.805)
Mm-hmm.

Ted Cragg (32:15.373)
Yeah, that's true.

Ted Cragg (32:19.349)
Yeah, you're for tower. Everyone listening, if you're curious about Paris, I like to plug that one too. A guy I met through podcasting, he talks about things to do in Paris, but it's a good example too. It mixes the audio and video.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (32:28.796)
Yeah, it was amazing. Absolutely. So we took that inspiration and said, hey, you know what? We can do this in Morocco with no experience, nothing. I'm not a camera person. I'm super shy. You know, it took me a year just to get in front of the mic to talk on the podcast. So you can just imagine how frightened that is. But then, you know, we did it and the team did an amazing job and we still have those videos.

So even when I watched them myself and I was like, I can't believe we've been there. can't believe we've seen this. can't believe we did this. So it's just it's it really is beyond incredible. And we did that, you know, that episode in Safran restaurant in Marrakesh. it was it was Ali, his sister. No, it was Matt, his sister, Ali, and then then then her husband, Eric, they are from Houston as well. And when I look at that video, I just it's just mind blowing to me.

Ted Cragg (33:05.773)
Hmm.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (33:24.38)
and how the restaurant management let us do everything we wanted to do at that restaurant. We set up the cameras, the mics, everything. And it was just incredible, but also super challenging because of, again, the audio. And it took us a long time to get the audio right. But visually, it is just, it's an amazing, amazing episode. and that's, yeah, it was just incredible. All the experiences.

Ted Cragg (33:48.909)
Yeah, yeah, that was a good one.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (33:54.128)
with Merzouga, with you know so many other episodes that are coming up visually you really have to see them I love the audio and I totally agree with you Ted but we're grateful for the because it showcases the beauty and diversity of Morocco whether you're in the south the north it's just incredible then yeah the episode with Khalil stands out because we talked to him for about two hours so I think we have

Ted Cragg (34:02.381)
Mm-hmm.

Ted Cragg (34:20.704)
Yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (34:21.468)
We divided them into two episodes, to be part one and part two. Then the other episode that stands out in Fes. my God, Fes was just beyond incredible. Then, know, Shawin, then Merzouga, then Dad's Valley, then, you know, the one with Sarah in Etibin Haddu. It's just, it's beyond. And yes, Chef Shawin, yes, with Hamid, and then we did one in Dad's Valley with Hammo.

Ted Cragg (34:29.205)
Hmm.

Ted Cragg (34:38.485)
Mm-hmm. And we did want to shift show in too. Yeah.

Ted Cragg (34:46.347)
And even Meknes know, Meknes is a neat place too. Yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (34:47.484)
Yes, oh Meknes, we were so lucky in Meknes yes. Oh my god, we had an amazing, amazing local guide, then Volubilis And I know we did the mixture of Meknes and Volubilis in one episode, but you're right. I remember I listened to it and when you go to Volubilis, rocks are just rocks. That's what they look like. But then when you have a local guide, it's a completely different experience. So yeah.

Ted Cragg (34:56.173)
Mm-hmm.

Ted Cragg (35:09.451)
Yeah, yeah. So yeah, all these ones are talking about they're all in video form. So that's just it. You get the visual. It's such a visually stunning country, you know, the colors and the variety and the landscape. So more inspiration for people to to go. mean, anytime is good, but I try to try to squeeze in your trip when maybe it's not quite so busy and then you'll you'll make the most of it for sure. Yeah.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (35:17.404)
Thank you, thank you.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (35:21.532)
Thank you.

Absolutely.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (35:30.064)
Yes, yeah,

Absolutely. Perfect.

Ted Cragg (35:34.613)
All right, well, we'll back again sometime soon and chat some more about Morocco, but it's been fun.

Azdean Elmoustaquim (35:40.966)
Thank you so much. Thank you. Have an amazing day.

Ted Cragg (35:43.725)
Cheers.