There are few places in the world where I have felt entirely comfortable and safe as a solo traveler like Morocco. I found the people to be incredibly kind and welcoming, and in spite of my immigration ordeal (more of that later), I will return to Morocco in the future. While I had the best time in Morocco, there are a few practical points I wish I knew before arriving; I kept notes during the trip and sharing with you eighteen practical things to keep in mind if you are planning a trip to Morocco.

LOCAL CURRENCY. The currency is Dirham, and it is a closed currency meaning you cannot exchange it before arriving in Morocco or once you leave. I recommend exchanging just a small amount at a time, so you don't have loads of local currency on hand at the end of your trip. Once you get past security at the airport, most shops only accept Euros. The current rate is about 1 euro to 10.30 Dirhams. I found the most favorable currency to change was the Euro and most hotels took the Euro along with local currency

CASH VS CREDIT CARDS. I recommend having cash on hand as all the market vendors only accept cash, and even some hotels will only accept cash for payment. Most restaurants in Marrakech received Credit Cards compared to Fes. It is helpful to call your hotel to confirm payment methods before arriving. For those hotels that take Credit Cards, some have a minimum spend of about 150 Dirhams.

ACCESS TO CASH. If you only ever travel with Credit Cards - you will have to reconsider while there were sprinkles of ATMs around in Marrakech, very minimal in other parts. I paid for all of my tours and most of my transport before I arrived. I took a train from Fes to Marrakech and could not buy online.

LANGUAGE BARRIERS. Morocco is a dual-language country with most people speaking Arabic (and Berber) and a majority speaking French. While you will find English speakers, the further away you are from Marrakech, the harder that becomes. It does not hurt to know a few essential French words. The closer you get to Tangier, you will find some Spanish speakers as that part of the country was heavily influenced by Spain.

HOW TO DRESS. I don't tend to wear revealing clothing normally, but when I travel I go the extra mile to respect culture and religion of the Country and that impacts my dressing when outside my hotel. There were some tourists dressed more liberal than I would recommend, but I did not see anyone encounter issues. Rule of thumb, keep shoulder covered and wear clothes that are at least knee length. Leaave the swimsuits for your hotel pool or the beach clubs.

YOU CANNOT ESCAPE HECKLING/CAT CALLING. I may be in the minority here. When walking around the Medina, I think vendors use the cat calling as a way of getting your attention to try to make a sale. Politely decline with a simple “no thank you” or “non merci “and keep it moving. In Marrakech more so than other places - don't engage with a vendor unless you have a keen interest to purchase.

BARGAINING IS A NATIONAL SPORT In this part of the world, and even for a Nigerian who grew up with similar bargaining practices, it can still be overwhelming. The general rule is to slash the price in half. For example - my last day, I went to buy a mug, and the guy quoted be 250 Dirhams; I tried bargaining, but he did not budge, so I started to walk away. He ultimately sold it to me for 100 Dirhams, and I am sure he still made a profit on the sale.

TOUR OPERATORS AND VENDORS. Tour vendors will invariably lead you to a vendor they know or have a deal with to bring in customers; and you may very well get cheated. I am calling out one incident in particular that left a poor impression. We stopped to observe the Argan oil-making process at one of the cooperative en route our tour to Essaouria. After the oil making demonstration, we sampled products and had mint tea and snacks in the shop. The process was staged to encourage us to make purchases from the cooperative and our tour driver getting a bonus from the sale. I don't have a problem with that at all. However, I found the prices at the cooperative to be more than 2.5 times more than buying in Essaouira which I found to be poor taste. If your tour brings you to one of these spots, proceed with caution.

THE WEATHER. If you are traveling in the last quarter / first quarter of the year - make sure to pack some warm clothes options. I visited in October, and by the end of my ten days, I was pulling out a jumper over my outfits in the mornings and evenings.

THE CALL TO PRAYER. If you are staying in the Medina, keep in mind the call to prayer times. Depending on the time of the year you visit, the first call to prayer can be as early as 5:45 am, which is not ideal if you want to sleep in or you are a light sleeper. During my ten days in the country - the first call to prayer kicked off between 5:45am and 6:30am. Pack good earplugs and noise-canceling headphones.

CATS. They are everywhere in the Medina, even this non-Animal person was starting to get a soft spot for them by my last day. For those with allergies- please plan appropriately. I only had one very minor episode due to my very close proximity to one on my last full day in the city.

MAPS AND DIRECTIONS. I have concluded that Apple maps outside of London, and the States is rubbish. Apple has not perfected the art of navigating medinas. During my visit, the app will either stop working entirely or take me down a path that was completely unnecessary to get to my destination. Ultimately I relied on google and the folks at my accommodations for directions.

GETTING DIRECTIONS AND HELP FROM LOCALES. While some folks are generally being helpful when they offer to give you direction, others are not. In Marrakech, some guy claimed to be giving me instructions to the old Jewish quarter when, in fact, it was to a shop that compensated him for bringing in customers and where they wanted to scam me on spices.

TAXI AND CABS. This is not just for Morocco but any other city you visit in a developing country. Ask for the fare before you get into the Taxi. One evening on my way back from dinner, the taxi driver wanted to charge me 100 dirhams when my ride to the restaurant only cost me 50 dirhams in rush hour. I refused to pay that amount, and he asked me to take another cab, which I did at a significantly reduced rate. It is okay to bargain with a taxi driver before you get in. Also, it is not uncommon for drivers to want to pick up other passengers along the way. I always told them no, and if they proceeded, I told them I was only going to pay a portion of the rate. One way to avoid being scammed is to ask someone you trust how much it will cost to get to where you want to go.

PLACE JEMAA EL-FNA (THE CENTRAL SQUARE) AT NIGHT. While some posts I read told me to avoid this spot altogether. I did not have any issues walking around during the day. Be conscious of your environment and politely decline offers to sell you stuff. I think the best way to take it all in is to get a table on the panoramic rooftop of Le grand Balcon du cafe glacier; and people watched while enjoying a cup of coffee. The problem I had with this spot was stopping by at Night when it becomes a food market, and even for this Nigerian who is very used to heckling, it was too much for me. I found the vendors at day time to be less aggressive. The food vendors were more pushy and bold, so if that sort of thing overwhelms you then you might be better off avoiding it (especially at Night).

HAMMAN TREATMENTS. I got a hamman and spa treatment combo and while it ended up being a good experience; the Hamman part was not what I thought. I am working on a post and video with all the details you should know, so keep an eye out for that. Just remember that your privacy is invaded, and you should be okay with that if you want to get the treatment.

BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. I am cautious to mention this next bit because I think it could have happened anywhere so not something to discourage you from taking a trip. Somewhere on my train ride from Fez to Marrakech, my cell phone was stolen and the parties responsible must have been very skilled becuase I never left my carriage and did not even go to the bathroom once during thee seven hour train ride. That experience ruined my first few days in Marrackech. I shared the ordeal with the locales at my hotel and he shared a similar experience he had when he was also separated from his mobile, so moral of the story, watch your stuff and be extra aware of your surroundings so you don’t fall victim.

NAVIGATING THE MEDINAS. I explored the medinas several times on my own during the day and in the evening. You can expect the heckling and cat calling and it is very easy to get lost especially if your navigation app is not up to date. There are several tour operators that offer a tour of the Medina so if you don’t feel comfortable exploring on your own, consider hiring one of them. If you are more adventurous, then I think you can navigate on your own like I did; just take necessary precautions for your safety.