3 reasons to travel to Morocco with children
The Baby Dreamer family has been on a trip to Morocco, Taghazout, for the fourth time, but now with a little boy of almost 2 years.
If we're not just being honest, traveling with children is just a tad more unmanageable than when you were just yourself and your small hand luggage. But you also get so much back as a family when you experience the world and each other together... you grow. And yes, I have stood in a long line at the airport with an overgeared tired youngster and thought, "why am I doing this!" Exactly because you wouldn't have been without the experience, offset against the challenges. You probably have to start by accepting that the relaxation holidays just won't be the same.
Here you will find my three pros and cons of traveling to Morocco with the kid(s).
1. Inexpensive
Morocco is one of those places where you can cheaply take the whole family on a long trip without breaking the bank. You can eat at a restaurant and get away with 100 pennies for two eating adults. Yes, you don't have to cook yourself! For 14 days with flights, car hire, large apartment next to the beach and lunch, we have given DKK 10,000 (2 adults and a child under 2 years old). Where else can you do that?
2. Super happy with children Yes, you often hear that in Asia they are super nice and happy with children, but I can also agree with that in Morocco... at least in Agadir/Taghazout, as I don't know the other regions. The most surprising thing was that it was men who thought it was fun to play with our boy. They could make the most authentic animal sounds and thereby create an interaction with our boy, because animal sounds have no language barrier.
3. No time difference = 0 jet lag Need I say more? With a 4.5 hour flight and 0 hour time difference, you just get the most out of your 14 days with a small child. At the same time, you also avoid the whole turnaround when you return home. Yes, so it is recommended to fly downwards instead of east or west ;)
I would actually suggest a trip with a bigger time difference when the child is smaller and still not sleeping through due to breastfeeding etc. At least easier than a child who has finally settled into his 9 hours of continuous night sleep.
Bonus tip, if you are an active family, this type of holiday is especially good for you. Here you can practice water sports together regardless of level. It's a good way to have fun together, both adults and children.
Now we come to my 3 "against" reasons, which I honestly think are minor compared to the 3 good reasons.
1. Morocco belly! Shouldn't we just say it like this, we have not yet tried to be in Morocco without getting a round of "Morocco stomach". If you are afraid of bacteria, it can be a challenge. Especially when you have a curious little boy who has to tinker with everything. Lots of hand sanitizer and prevention with lactic acid bacteria is probably the only thing you can help yourself with on the way.
2. Car seats in cars Car seats are something you just have to be extra careful about. It's not something the Moroccans take too seriously. So don't count on the taxis having one in the car, it must be explicitly ordered when picking up and then you're not even sure that it fully meets the standards. If you rent a car, there are much better options for a proper car seat.
3. Trash and plastic It cuts my heart when I see so much trash and plastic floating around in nature. Not that it's a reason not to go, but it makes you sad. You hardly know where to start or end when doing a beach clean. And where do you throw it when the rubbish is collected?! Because that's the problem… no proper way to dispose of the trash. A good and educational activity with children could be to use their beach bucket to collect rubbish. They can easily get the time to go along with that ;)
However, there have been improvements since we visited the country 5 years ago. Then we saw garbage trucks unloading garbage over the rocks, down to the beach. Fortunately, there are good things about increased tourism and there is more energy for just that. The message of a cleaner planet is shared and spread, and if it is a need for the tourists, it is also taken into account in the area, which wants to keep its tourists. Plastic bags are no longer used in the Taghazout area, which is really good news!
I hope it has given you a little more courage to take your family by the hand and go. Out and share knowledge and get to know other communities.
Let your child experience the diversity of the world up close and far away. I wonder if that creates better citizens of the world who can look after each other and the planet.
If Morocco is not for you, you can also find some inspiration on some of my other blog posts such as Simple travel guide - road trip in Portugal with a 3 month old baby or
When dad goes on maternity leave - road trip in California with 8 month old baby