Hannah Jane Ormrod
Erasmus Barcelona- WeLoveBCN is the group we decided to go with for our Erasmus Morocco trip. They are an organisation set up to help Erasmus students make the most of their time abroad while doing it in an affordable manor. They offer a wide range of local trips and free/discounted entry to clubs in Barcelona. This is all separate to the Erasmus Network. Which offer a similar range of events but do not have the same level of trips abroad as well as locally in Spain.
The trip to Morocco is organised through WhatsApp by simply sending a message with your proposed dates and they’ll get back to you if they’re available. From there you book your flights and fill in a google form with your flight times. Thet then add you into a group chat with all those joining you on the trip and your driver for the five days where you can ask any questions you may have. They collect you from the airport and bring you to where you will be staying whilst in Marrakech. It is right off the main square which makes it the perfect location for exploring the city.
It is important to note that whilst we were traveling, we had the benefit of a member of our group being fluent in Arabic. This meant that we were a lot less at risk of being scammed. Imad was able to negotiate prices with stall owners, and for museum admittance he often got in for free or a discounted price for being Moroccan.
Tips and Tricks
We recommend getting a moroccan sim card when you arrive at the airport, in order to by this you will need €20 cash but it will do you the entire time you are there and avoids the extortionate roaming prices.
In terms of clothes, the women of our group wanted to be as respectable as possible without going out any buying a whole new wardrobe. We did this by avoiding wearing short skirts and lowcut tops. We also often covered up with a light shirt which additionally helped us keep the sun off. I would also recommend keeping to a light colour palette to stop overheating in the hot climate.
We chose to do quad-biking once we arrived at the Sahara desert which cost us an extra €40. This was incredibly worth it as we also got to relax in a hotel pool that had a breathtaking view of the Sahara for 2 hours included in this charge. All other activities are included in the set price such as the camel ride.
Be sure to look into food options before you go, we had a vegan in our group so it was important for us to check out the menus of places before heading out for the evening. I would recommend doing these even if you do not have someone with dietary restrictions as when you are looking for restaurants there are promoters on every corner shouting out to you trying to get you to eat at there restaurant and this can be quite overwhelming. When we got back to Bcn we definitely wanted to explore more cuisines.
Our take aways
We met some incredible people along the way. Our tour guide for our visit Ait Ben Haddou, Abdul was incredibly attentive while showing us his home village. Whilst showing us some of the techniques used in traditional Berber art he told us how he speaks a total of five languages. Yet cannot read or write in any of them. This is apparently quite common in remote areas such as here.
Morocco is an incredible country that we all want to travel back to. We had an amazing time and it was truly a life changing experience. The girls in our group all agreed that we would be hesitant to come back alone or without having a mixed group. We were lucky to not have any back experiences but we are aware of the privilege of having Imad, our friend who speaks fluent Arabic, and Hassan our driver with WeloveBCN. The Morocco Erasmus trip is truly an experience that gives you a great image of what Morocco is.
Sound like a trip for you?
You can find out more about the Morocco erasmus trip here
