January 21, 2026 • 50 mins
In this cinematic episode of One More Thing Before You Go, Michael takes listeners on a vivid journey through Morocco — a land of color, rhythm, spice, and stories that stay with you long after you return home. Through personal reflections, cultural insights, and the emotional threads that tie travel to identity, this episode explores what happens when a place opens your eyes, your heart, and your sense of who you are.
From Marrakech’s bustling souks to the quiet poetry of the desert, from the artistry of Moroccan cuisine to the unexpected lessons found in its people and traditions, this conversation invites listeners to slow down, breathe in the moment, and rediscover the world with curiosity and wonder.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- What makes Morocco one of the most culturally rich destinations in the world
- How travel can shift your perspective and reconnect you to yourself
- The sensory and emotional power of Moroccan food, markets, and traditions
- Why certain places feel like mirrors — revealing who we are and who we’re becoming
- How storytelling transforms travel into meaning
- A warm, reflective, and immersive journey for anyone who loves culture, travel, and the stories that shape us.
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(00:00):
Hey, one more thing before yougo. Ask yourself, what if travel
wasn't about escape, but aboutreturning to yourself? What if the
places we visit aren'tdestinations, but mirrors, revealing
who we are, where we comefrom, and what we've gotten and learned
along the way, as well as whatwe've forgotten? Stay with me, because
(00:20):
today we're exploring Morocconot as tourists, but as storytellers.
And my guests is going to tellus a story about the magic of our
Moroccan journey. I'm yourhost, Michael Herst. Welcome to One
more thing before you go.Today we're stepping into a world
(00:46):
of color, culture, memory, andmeaning. Joining me is someone who
doesn't just guide travelersto Morocco, he guides them into themselves.
He's the founder, along withhis wife, of Destination Morocco,
host of the DestinationMorocco podcast. It's a great podcast.
You have to listen to it. Anda storyteller who believes travel
(01:09):
is less about where you go andmore about who you become once you're
there. Welcome to the show,Azdean Elmoustaquim
Thank you so much, Michael,for this amazing, amazing opportunity
to be on your incrediblepodcast. I'm very grateful.
Oh, I am grateful that you'rehere to share your wisdom and your
experience and your journeyinto how we can experience something
(01:31):
we see in the movies. Youknow, we've seen it on tv, you know,
and now we can kind ofexperience it just a little bit here
through our storytelling.
Absolutely.
I, you know, I know that yourdestination starts long before Morocco,
but tell me a little bit aboutyourself. Where'd you grow up?
(01:53):
I was born and raised inMarrakesh. My family hails from a
small village in the. InTluat. It's called Tluat. It's in
the outskirts of Waurzazet. Alot of people know because it is
one of their stop, especiallywhen they visited Morocco, going
to the city, southern part ofMorocco, and also it's known for
(02:13):
Africa, Hollywood, if youwould. So they're making. That's
where they film a lot of themovies that you see in Hollywood.
So, yes, very cool.
Your story begins, as I said,long before Destination Morocco.
You left your homeland, youlived abroad for decades, and then
you returned, not as atourist, but as someone kind of rediscovering
(02:35):
a part of yourself. Can youtake us to the moment that. That
brought you back to that. Whatdid returning to Morocco awaken in
you?
Well, I mean, when I lived inMorocco, I mean, as a young man in
my 20s and teens, I mean, itjust looked basic, simple, but Then
when I moved to the U.S. youknow, with years go by, I just, it
(02:57):
made me really, reallyappreciate what it offers, you know,
in terms of history, in termsof the culture, the art, architecture,
the, the people. So I, I fellin love with it again. And it's,
it's, it's a beautiful thing.So now I go back and forth. I am
based in the US And I travelback and forth. And I actually just
came back from Morocco, soit's just, it's amazing.
(03:21):
You know, I think that it's.Sometimes we forget what's in our
own backyard. You know, mywife and I and our kids grew up.
We don't live in Coloradoanymore. We moved from Colorado to
Arizona. But, you know, therewere so many things that were right
there that once we left, wekind of went, oh, I never did that,
(03:42):
or oh, I didn't visit there,or oh, I should have done that, or
I should have visited there.Because people say, oh, what was
this like? What was that like?And I had to embarrassingly say,
I don't know, I, I forgot togo, forgot to look at that. But,
you know, you take things forgranted sometimes. You know, I think
that when we do something likethat. You said that travel, travel's
(04:03):
true magic comes from like,connecting with people and not necessarily
places. When did you firstkind of realize that? Like, like
I just said, I, I had to leavebefore I realized the magic of what
was still there. Where I left.
You know, I actually realizedit when, when we started Destinations
Morocco after the, you know,our son was born. We want him to,
(04:25):
to know his roots and where hecame from. And even though we are
Moroccans, there's still a lotof things that we don't know about
Morocco. I mean, even the waythat we travel is different than
the way that we book traveltoday, than tourists travel, than,
you know, high end travel is.So in Morocco, we travel just like,
you know, family to family andvisiting, you know, friends and stuff.
(04:48):
But nowadays it's completelydifferent. So you really see Morocco.
There's people, people livingin Morocco, but they, they have not
really seen Morocco. So and,and, and when that happens, I started
doing, you know, homework andresearch, you know, for the company
and also for the podcast whenhe, you know, before we started it.
(05:08):
So it made me relearn, if youwould, everything that I needed about
Morocco and from Morocco. So,and it's still a learning process.
I still, I know thedestination, but there's always something
new to London. There's, youknow, a new place that opened the
New yard, a hotel, arestaurant, new experience. So the,
the learning process reallynever stops. Michael?
(05:32):
Yeah, I, I think that it, it,especially a culture, every society
grows in itself. Society isconstantly evolving. You know, as
I mentioned earlier, we movedfrom Colorado to Arizona. We've been
here for 20 years now. We wentback about, I think about five years
ago, six years ago, which,which you wouldn't think that we
(05:55):
would. That much change. Webarely recognized where I grew up,
where my wife grew up, therewas so much change. So many things
had evolved so quickly, and itjust was amazing that, that, both
positive and negative, youknow, from that perspective. And
I think, I think that's trueanywhere that we go. How did that
(06:16):
kind of realization shape thebirth of Destination Morocco, the
company that you started, youand your wife started?
Yes, it really changedliterally everything because, again,
Morocco, when we lived in it,or at least me, I really, like you
said, I've taken it forgranted. But coming to the US and
living in the us it made meappreciate it more. And also in terms
(06:40):
of change, you know, I've beenback and forth many, many times,
and last, I would say last 15or so years, when you see the change,
it's really, really slow. Yougo back to Marrakesh, there's not
much change, just a little bitof things that you can notice. But
the last two and a half years,the changes is happening super fast.
(07:02):
I just came back about twoweeks ago, and everything looks under
construction. Everybody'sgetting ready for the World cup in
2030. Now Morocco is hostingthe African cup of N Nations, and
they're doing an amazing job.But you can just see the preparation
in all the host cities.Marrakesh, Casablanca, and so forth.
So the change is happeningvery, very quick and very fast again
(07:26):
the same way. Some are goodand some are bad. So Marrakesh was
a small city, but then it hasexpanded quite a bit. And with that
expansion, it brings a littlebit of change into the culture, the
people living in Marrakesh andso forth and so forth.
So, yeah, I guess the questionremains, has Casablanca changed that
much from, you know, what weknow Casablanca as in the movies?
(07:51):
It really has. Yes, it has.So. And a lot of people, they know
Morocco because of the movie,and a lot of people, they go to Morocco,
especially to Casablanca, andthey want to go to Rick's Cafe Michael
and, you know, have, you know,a dinner or birthday or, or a celebration
or just, you know, a glass ofwine. And the inside, it's, it's.
(08:13):
It is beautiful. It'sdefinitely Worth the visit. So, yeah,
Casablanca definitely haschanged again, because Casablanca
is the economy hub of Moroccoand it is the largest city. So it's
comparing Casablanca to othercities. Casablanca is a little bit
advanced in that regard.
Yeah. Very cool. Was the onething that stands out about you and
(08:33):
your wife, if. Is it Kadah? Kadahi.
Khadijah.
Khadijah. Forgive me.
Yes.
About you and your wife,Khadijah, I know that your work is
deeply personal. You don'tjust offer tours. I like the fact
that you offer everything thatI've studied about it. You offer
relationships, which I thinkthat's important. Whenever we go
(08:56):
someplace, we don't want tofeel like we're an outsider. We don't
want to feel like, here weare, they can point you out, you
know, going, oh, well, there'sanother tourist. We want to feel
like we belong there. We wantto feel comfortable when we're there.
Absolutely. That is really,really important, and it makes a
difference. And that's one ofthe really good things about Morocco,
(09:18):
and it makes not just us, butthe whole country unique. It's actually
the people, the hospitality,the welcoming, you know, whether
sharing, you know, Moroccanmean tea or just, you know, breakfast
or anything. So thoserelationships are very important.
That's why, you know, thepeople that work with, whether it's
a hotel or gatheringexperience, we make sure that, you
(09:40):
know, they're good people. Wemake sure that they're good to others
and tourists. And you can seethat it really shows during their
experience. So that's like yousaid, Michael, it is very crucial,
very important.
Well, I appreciate that. And,you know, I'm a tea drinker, so,
you know, mint tea with theBerber family would be kind of cool
(10:00):
for me because I, I, I lovetea, number one. I also like the,
the relaxing atmosphere whenthere, there's not. It's not the,
it's not Starbucks. You know,the in and the out, the noise and
the.
The.
It is. Take time, relax, enjoyyour tea cooking. You do things like
cooking with Tanjin in localhomes, sleeping under the Sahara,
(10:23):
stars walking through artisanworkshops. Most tourists never see
from that perspective, I knowthat they get a cultural immersion
which is essential tounderstanding Morocco or any place
that we go to. I think I'm asociety and culture podcast. Everywhere
that we've ever gone, we'vetried to understand the culture.
(10:46):
Before we get there, we try tounderstand everything that we need
to do to understand thepeople, their cultures, to respect
that and to be able to kind ofimmerse ourselves within that, so
that we're all a family, thewhole world, we're all brothers and
sisters. So I like that aspectof it. Why do you think cultural
(11:10):
immersion is essential tounderstanding Morocco in particular?
Because of everything that youjust mentioned, Michael. Because
it makes the experience thatmuch better. Because, and that's
actually, that's really uniquebecause you brought up the tea and
the burger family. That'sactually the number one experience
(11:32):
and the request that we getfor a lot of people that are traveling
with Morocco, and that's thetrend that we actually have seen
in 20, 25. People, they wantto connect with locals, they want
to connect with, you know,with the Berber family, whether it's,
you know, cooking class,whether it's shopping, whether it's
just tea. So you have it.That's the right way. You're absolutely
(11:54):
right, Michael. And that's thebiggest difference in, you know,
immersing yourself in aculture, because you will enjoy it
more, you will create morememories, you will create friendships,
you know, that lasts longerbefore your trip. And that's the
beautiful part of it. And alsothe people that we work with, you
(12:15):
know, we work with women's coop, work with, you know, single parents
who work with, you know, a lotof travelers, when they go, they
bring donations with them. Youknow, whether we're in the village,
whether we're, you know, northside of Morocco, the southern part
of Morocco. So, and that'sreally what makes, you know, that
experience so much more thanit actually just a trip, like you
(12:36):
said, you know, it's a roadtrip or a vacation. It's very different.
Michael.
Well, and I, and I canappreciate that. I think that what
I appreciate about yourorganization, my wife and I, you
know, we travel. We haven'ttried to Morocco, but we, we do travel.
We, you know, we go to ourfavorite place at the moment is,
or actually it has been foryears, is Maui. And you know, we,
(12:58):
when we first went to Maui, wekind of get, we did that. We were
able to go to mom and popshops and we were able to go to family
owned businesses and familyowned restaurants, and we've always
kind of been that way anyway.But it allows us that now every time
we go back, they know us andthey treat us like family when we
(13:20):
go back, which is a benefit toanybody. And I appreciate the fact
that you guys have built likea network of guides and drivers and
artisans and families who opentheir doors to travelers. What does
it take to kind of build thattrust? I mean, how, how did you guys
build that trust, thoserelationships, it really.
(13:40):
Takes quite a bit of time.It's, it's years. You know, tourism
in Morocco is different thananywhere else. There's no really
a system, but the network ofpeople, the relationship throughout
the years, that's what reallygive you that credibility, that access.
(14:00):
You have access to theinaccessible, for example, to large
tour operators or bigcompanies, because you're there,
you're from there, you speaktheir language. And again, when we
talk about the language, thereare so many native languages that
are spoken in different partsof Morocco. And sometimes just you
speak to the person with theirnative tongue. That's a trust 100%,
(14:24):
you know, you get access towhatever they have. So it's not just
one thing, but it's multiplethings that you have to build throughout
the years. So. And you have tobe patient and they have to trust
you from that perspective.
It was interesting when I wasdoing some of the research. They
(14:44):
speak French there, too, incertain areas, which I'm not real,
real, real fluent in French,but I do speak French. And I think
that would give me an. I don'tknow if it would give me an adventageous
opportunity there.
Yes, well, I mean, French isvery common. We were a French colony
(15:05):
at some point. So Frenchlanguage is well spoken anywhere
you go in Morocco, especiallythe southern part, in the middle
part of Morocco, the northpart. Spanish is well spoken there.
But now English is the newtrend, if you would, in many different
ways, because now instead ofstudents learning English in high
(15:29):
school, now they're learningit in first grade, for example. So
that's a huge advantage. Andalso the US has donated 250 million
to the Moroccans. So theMoroccan system will implement English.
And that really made theFrench kind of mad. But it's good
in terms of tourism. Whenyou're traveling to Morocco, you
(15:52):
will be able to speak toanyone, because everybody, especially
in the tourism industry, aminimum of five languages are spoken.
If it's just a vendor in themarket or local guide or national
guide or tour leader. So interms of languages, they speak quite
a bit. So French is almost agiven because we all, most of us
(16:13):
grew up learning French inschool. Then, you know, yeah, English
and Spanish, you know,Italian, German. Yeah, for sure.
That's very cool. Actually, Ithink that, what, what a very proactive
approach the community hastaken in regard to being able to
connect with other people andto engage with people. And I think
that's a, that's a brilliantway of doing it. Because language,
(16:37):
language is sometimes abarrier when we Travel, and it puts
more people at ease when we gosomeplace. And at least we understand.
Absolutely.
From the perspective. So howlong have you guys been in business?
Is there something that. Whoseidea was it, by the way? Yours or
(16:57):
your wife's or. I mean, that'sa trick question, right?
It really was. It is a trickquestion, Michael. And here's the
funny part. I always tell thesame story. You know, as we age,
we get old, trouble becomes alittle bit more, you know, challenging.
(17:19):
And when our son was born, wewant him. We know he's born in the
U.S. he's American, but alsowe wanted him to know his roots when
he grows up. So it was veryimportant for us that he knows about
Morocco, and that's why wereally created the company. He's
10 years old now, and he wentto Morocco three or four times. He
(17:43):
speaks the language fluently,and he loves it. So when we go to
shows, he's there with me atthe booth. And he does a better job
than I do selling Morocco. Soit's natural to him, which is just
incredible to watch.
Do you think it's challengingfor those of us I don't have, My
kids are grown, but grandkidsor people with small kids, you think
(18:07):
it's a challenge for peoplewho have kids or. Let me try that
question again. In travelingto Morocco, can we travel as a family?
Is it easy or is it difficultfor those of us that have a family
that want to travel?
It really depends. Very goodquestion, Michael. It normally is
(18:28):
challenging with the family.That's what they really think. But
it's not. And it could be. Itcould be if you just plan the itinerary
for yourself, not includingthe kids. But the best way to plan
an itinerary with the kids,for a family with kids, they really
have to include the kids andthe activities for the kids, because
(18:50):
the kids may not be interestedin. In. In shopping. They may not
be interested in history. Theywant to do something that it's fun.
They want to go to theswimming pool. They just want to
stay at the Riad or the hoteland just chill and swim. So when
you build an itinerary for thekids, they will have an amazing time.
And the good side effect of itis that the parents and. And, you
(19:13):
know, and grandparents will behappy as well.
Right.
So. And also it can be split,you know, know, because it is a private
tour. So if. If the. If thekids want to do something, then the
parents or the grandparents,they want to do something else. We
can split them. So Some, youknow, like a local guide, will stay
with the kids, then the restwill do their activities and they'll
(19:35):
meet up again afterwards. So.But it's very important to include
the kids in the itinerary.
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, Ithink so too. Because, I mean, obviously
we, you know, my niece is.Especially my niece, one of my nieces,
she and her husband have smallchildren. And as they grew up, they
(19:55):
felt that they wanted toimmerse them in different cultures
and different societies. Sothey've traveled to Taiwan and to
Japan and to Australia anddifferent areas where the kids, even
at 6, 7, you know, 5, 6, 7, 8years old, they're learning that
(20:20):
there's different cultures andsocieties out and how to immerse
themselves in that and whatthey brought to us because, you know,
we have people that live here,we talked about this a little bit
ago, that have immigrated fromall over the world, and they bring
those cultures to, even tohere, to the United States. So it
gives us a betterunderstanding of how we as society
and culture havecommonalities. You know, we have
(20:45):
differences, but we havecommonalities and that different
traditions that may be abenefit to each one of us. So I can
appreciate that from there. Mywife and I love history. And, you
know, from a historicalperspective, if we travel to Morocco,
what kind of history can weexpect to kind of learn?
Oh, my goodness. You know, inMorocco, Morocco has thousands and
(21:09):
thousands of layers of historythat dates back before the Islam
came to Morocco. It dates backto the indigenous people of Morocco
that are consistent of Jewishpeople and just people just who didn't
have relations, just pagans,basically. You know, there were some
(21:32):
people worshiping the sun, themoon, the rocks. So that's what Morocco
was, you know, centuries ago.Then, you know, then Islam came and
everybody lived, you know, inharmony, peacefully. That. So it's
just so many, so many, so manythings to know and explore about
Morocco in regards to thehistory. So. And that's one thing
(21:58):
that a lot of people knowthat, you know, when you go to Morocco,
a lot of things that you see,even the food, the food is 85% Jewish.
You know, it's our culture,our history, it's very mingled. It's
mixed between the Berbers, theAmazigh and the Jewish people community.
(22:19):
So a lot of people, when theygo to Morocco, they are surprised
to find synagogues that are,you know, 1200 years old and they're
still in a very good shape.You'll see a synagogue in a village
that dates back, you know, tothe 8th century. So it's, that's
the type of history thatyou'll see in Morocco. You'll see
some of the old, some of thenew. And it's just fascinating and
(22:40):
just amazing. You know, youcan see, you know, the ardent culture
from different dynasties inMorocco, whether the Moravids, whether,
you know, the Sajin dynastythan the Alawid dynasty, which is
the current dynasty in Moroccothat has been have been in power
since the 17th century. Andit's funny because Muhammad III,
(23:02):
the Sultan Muhammad III, whichis the grand grand grandfather of
Muhammad VI, the current king,was, you know, Morocco was the first
country to recognize UnitedStates as an independent country
back in 1776, which is aboutone year after the independence.
So it's, in terms of history,it's just, it's, you have to go,
(23:22):
you have to see it. You willlove it.
Phenomenal. From there. Yeah.It, it's the one thing that we're,
well, my wife is she's goingto retire here in a few years and
once she retires, we're goingto do. We have many, many plans to
travel as much as we possiblycan because it seems like, you know,
time just is going fast andgoing too fast and we want to go
(23:46):
and experience more likeeverybody else. I think that it's
an opportunity in Morocco. Ithink it's an opportunity for us
to I've only seen it in themovies, I've only seen it in television
programs. But it's alwaysintrigued me to a point that I would
love to go there, nightlifeand things like that. Obviously,
I won't say how old I am, butyou can see the gray in my hair.
(24:11):
We're not real big on, youknow, parties and, you know, dance
clubs and that kind of stuff,obviously, for nightlife, for how
can I say this eloquently forolder individuals, we'll do it that
way. How does that play a factor?
(24:32):
That's a really good question.Okay, I'll talk about the nightlife
in terms of, you know, when Iwas in my 20s and what I have experienced
in Morocco in my 30s. Thereare clubs everywhere you go. And
normally this is unique, Ithink, to Morocco. Every hotel, they
have their own privatenightclub. But then there are some
(24:55):
that are just, you know,outside that you can go to that they're
specific, that's, you know,they open maybe around 10pm and all
the nightclubs in Moroccoclose at 5 in the morning. So you
can just imagine the partying.There's no alcohol. You know, the
alcohol keeps being serveduntil five in the morning. There's
no like in the us there's norestriction in terms of time. So
(25:19):
that's what the young reallypeople do in terms of, you know,
the nightlife. Now in for mein my, I am in my mid-50s, so when
I go to Morocco, I still wantto enjoy the nightlife, but I don't
want to do it until 5 in themorning, maybe 10. So we do, we do
a dinner and a show and thoseare fascinating. They're just incredible.
(25:42):
And again, they are part ofthe culture. So you can do a dinner
and show really, really niceimmersive experience as well. And
the show, you know, there's somany different shows. You talk in
30, 40, 50 different shows indifferent places. So you'll never
get bored. The food will beamazing, the show will be incredible.
So there's so many differentplaces that you can go and experience
(26:05):
that. And I think, you know,you know, in my age, I think those
are a little bit more fittedareas for me to be seen versus versus
a club or a nightclub thatit's just, you know, I look up you
and it's like, hey, uncle.
Five in the morning, I'm no 10o', clock, we're in bed now. That's,
(26:32):
that's cool. Your podcast, youhave a podcast. What inspired you
to start the podcast? You gotover 100 episode. It's become kind
of a gateway for people tokind of people, especially people
dreaming of going to, toMorocco from that, what kind of,
what surprises you the mostabout, about the podcast and, and,
and what can people learn?
(26:53):
That's a really good question.What inspired us to really start
the podcast is during thepandemic, we had the luxury of time
and I was doing some homeworkand just learn about business and
really dissecting the travelindustry in Morocco and how we can
make it better. What can wedo? What can we add to the table?
What can we delete or avoid interms of experiences? I was really
(27:18):
listening to Donald Miller'spodcast Business Made Simple. So
I got a lot of ideas from it.But also it gave me the idea or his
suggestion say, hey, if youdon't have a podcast, this is a good
time to start. So I looked atit in a way as, you know, you have
an Instagram account, you havea Facebook page, a LinkedIn page.
Podcast is just an additionalsocial media, if you would, or a
(27:43):
media. So we created thepodcast and the producer instead
is. He has been with me sincethen and he does an amazing, amazing
job. And I remember Vividly.When he. When we created the podcast,
he asked me, what do you wantto do? You want to make money? And
I said, no, I don't want tomake money off of the podcast, but
I want to create good contentfor people to enjoy. And hopefully
(28:05):
they can go. They can bookwith us. Yes, they can go. So what
surprised me the most, theseare real numbers. Probably 98% of
people who listen to thepodcast, they. They plan their own
trip because we really make itthat easy for them, because all the
information is right there.Just, you know, dedicate some time
(28:26):
to listen to the episodes. Youknow, we have, you know, cultural
episodes, what to do, what topack scams. And then that 2%, those
people, they want us to bookit for them from A to Z. They don't
want to do anything. Theyjust. They don't want to worry about
anything because it is acomplex destination and itinerary,
(28:47):
if you would, Michael. So webuild everything for them from scratch.
There's a process that wefollow until the itinerary is just
exactly what they want. Andwhat surprised me the Most is the
DMs, the messages that we getfrom people. Hey, thank you. The
scam episode really saved mefrom this happening to me. Whether
it's in the square or whether,you know, in those, you know, small
(29:10):
alleyways in Marrakesh orfast, and they were about to be scammed.
So, you know, just hittingthose DMS and those messages really,
really makes a difference, youknow, all over the world. I mean,
we get those messages, and itjust. It's heartwarming, really,
Michael, because it makes usfeel like we're doing something right
(29:31):
and we want to continue to doit. So the content. Sometimes when
we talk about scamsspecifically, there are some harsh
things that we say. We saythem out of love for Morocco because
we want things to improve interms of experiences and stuff like
that. We love Morocco. I getjealous. It hurts when somebody speaks
(29:52):
negatively about Morocco. Butat the same time, we need to bring
awareness to what you expectand. And so forth. So that's what
really surprised me the most.And then in. Recently, we. We realized
that the podcast now istaking, you know, it's. It's becoming
kind of separate entity or abusiness, if you would, Michael.
(30:13):
In the past, he was just, youknow, the. The umbrella is the tour
company now. It's like they'rebeing separated in a way.
All right. I have to say Iappreciate that as an individual
that teaches people how topodcast with a purpose and not necessarily
look at it. A monetaryperspective of it. Our compliments
(30:36):
to you for that. Because Ibelieve that you've created a podcast
with purpose, and in doing so,that it has now organically grown
into something that is abenefit to. To not only your company
and yourself, but a benefit tothose that are listening to it. And
that's, you know, that's.That's brilliant. So thank you for
(30:57):
taking that approach. Iappreciate that very much. You've
heard my conversation withDouglas Brewer about intentional
travel, travel that deepenscompassion and expands our understanding
of the world in general. Wespoke about that right before we
started. You know, that Ithink that we should immerse ourselves
(31:19):
in other societies andcultures to understand, because we
all belong to the same family.How do you think Morocco transforms
the people who visit it?
Oh, my God, 100%. Ittransforms them in the most beautiful
way, in the most magical way,because saying goodbyes in Morocco
(31:41):
is always the most difficultpart of their journey, of their trip,
of their experience, becauseof the connections that they have
made with the locals. Youknow, in Morocco, we're very fortunate
and we're very grateful. Wehave so many places and things to
do and see. But also whatmakes Morocco unique, really, is
its people. The people arejust beyond incredible, and they
(32:04):
really. You will feel theirwarmth, you will feel their hospitality.
So that's what really makesthat difference. Extremely unique
in that regard.
Michael, that's valuable whenwe travel. That's valuable. I think
it gives us an. It's morepersonal, and I think personal is
what we need when it comesespecially with travel, because we're
(32:26):
in a foreign land, a foreigncity, a foreign environment, and
anytime we go there, so wehave apprehension. You, you know,
you have anxiety, you know,and I know people aren't going to
admit to that, but everybodywill get a little anxiety. Am I going
to get lost? Am I going to beokay? Am I going to, you know, this
going to happen? That we cantravel anywhere. Paris, we can travel
(32:50):
London, we can travel Ireland,we can go to Scotland. No matter
Spain, no matter where you go,there's going to be scams. No matter
where you go, there's going tobe pickpockets come to the United
States. I was a cop. I canguarantee you. Especially we had
a whole Colorado Springs areais full of tourists. There's so many.
(33:11):
The Pikes Peak and Cave of theWinds and Cliff Dwellings and Air
Force Academy. The list goeson. And where. Where are the people
getting ripped off and peoplegetting scammed at Cave of the Winds,
at Cliff Dwellers and PikeSpeed and the cog railway and, you
know, ski. Ski resorts andanywhere we go. I think that that
(33:33):
happens. So, you know, Iappreciate the fact you're taking
a proactive approach in regardto educating people, that when you
travel someplace, you have tobe aware. You have to be aware of
your surroundings, be aware ofwhat's going on, enjoy yourself,
but also be aware, which Ithink is, you know, important. And
I've listened to thoseepisodes on your podcast, podcasts.
I think they're veryeducational and it's an opportunity
(33:55):
for people to get a betterunderstanding. I know that we just
talked about so many things.Morocco's offers both an escape and
enlightenment. And I. And Ithink that whether it be learning
history, learning about food,learning about the people, the culture,
(34:17):
anything along that area, evenfrom a spiritual perspective. Perspective.
What do you think travelersdiscover most about themselves when
they slow down and trulyconnect with that culture in Morocco?
Oh, my goodness, I love thatquestion. They really, when that
happens, you're right. Theydiscover so many things about themselves,
(34:40):
what they are made of. Andagain, travel makes you. It really
changes you in the mostpositive way. They become a little
bit more tolerant to thingsnot going the right way. They become
more understanding. Theybecome, you know, self awareness,
if you would. And then, youknow, we've had this so many times,
(35:02):
and I have to bring the sameexperience. I know we did a couple
from New Zealand, Rochelle andher husband, and we did the Berber
experience, and they went to acave, that family still lives in
a cave. And they had theMoroccan mentee with them. And she
said that experience reallychanged her life. When they went
(35:22):
back to New Zealand, that'ssomething that stood out throughout
the whole trip. And they havetraveled the world. So it's just
something very simple. And shewas like, I could not believe how
people seem so happy with nothaving so much. It just put things
in perspective for them. So itmakes them feel, I would say, a little
(35:43):
bit more, you know, relatable,if you would. So that's what Morocco
really does to you, especiallytraveling to. To a destination that
a lot of people, they're notcertain what to expect, what to see,
and they are afraid and have alot of concerns.
And I think that that's anopportunity for them to feel more
(36:04):
relaxed when they travel. Itgives them the, I think the confidence,
I think gives them theconfidence, which I appreciate what
role does from. If we travelto Morocco, whether it be through
your company or on our own,because obviously we know that you
have wonderful opportunitiesfor your company. We'll Talk about
(36:27):
that here in a little bit. Buteven if somebody travels there alone,
what kind of culturalimmersion is essential to help understand
the Moroccan? What. What wouldwe. What would you suggest that we
do before we go? Should we.Should we prepare ourselves? Should
(36:50):
we. Is there something we cando as an individual or a family or
husband and wife or boyfriend,girlfriend, or whatever the case
may be? Something that we cando, that we can prepare for before
we go?
That's a really, really goodquestion, Michael. I think anywhere
you're trying to go, I thinkyou need to do the same thing. Morocco
is definitely no different,but it's very unique and different
(37:13):
destination where I would say,you know, give it maybe a couple
of weeks, learn somethingabout the country. You know, I don't
want to sound biased, but wedo have, you know, the native Moroccan
language, Darija. We haveabout 102 videos, you know, just
a little bit of words that youlearned that can. That can help you.
And it's funny because we.Again, I just came back from Morocco
(37:35):
from a tour, and we had, youknow, there were about 30 people
in that tour. So, you know,navigating, walking through the narrow
streets in Fez, there's a lotof bicycles and, you know, motorcycles
coming behind you. And theysay, belik, belik, which means move
out the way, get out of theway. So everybody starts saying,
balik, balik. So now, youknow, when we came to Marrakesh and
(37:58):
we start saying balik,everybody started laughing because
they understood what thatmeant. So, you know, those little
words, just few of them willmake a huge difference. And again,
you know, the most famous isthe greeting. You know, in Morocco,
it's always good to say salam,which means peace. If somebody says
salam to you, just respondsalam back, and you're good. You
know, it's also good for you.You know, when traveling to Morocco,
(38:21):
when you pass by somebody justsay it first they look at you. It's
like they're really impressed.So there's like, oh, this probably
he lives here. He's, you know,probably just a tourist, but, you
know, this is where he livesand stuff like that. So what are
the best ways? You know, justlearn something about the country.
Watch whether it's music,local music, national music, you
(38:42):
know, sports team. You know,for example, Morocco is into soccer.
Watch, you know, learn alittle bit about their soccer team.
And the soccer team, by theway, is doing really good. You know,
maybe buy jersey. You know, ifI'm going to Argentina, I want to
buy, you know, a messagejersey. Or going to Brazil, you know,
one of those, you know, smallgestures that really go along the
(39:03):
way and they, you don't looklike you're, you're a tourist or
just visiting. Also, thebeautiful thing about Morocco, it's
a really, really melting pot.So for you to stand out, it's going
to be very challenging becauseyou'll see people from all over,
all type of walks of lives.It's a very diverse country. So that's
what I would do. And also, youknow, our podcast, there's so many.
(39:26):
So the information online isjust beyond incredible. Our podcast,
like you said, it's a one stopand you can get your homework done
right there and reach out tous if you have some questions, we
probably have some answers ordirect you to the right person. So
that's what I would say. Justdo things, little bit of research,
(39:48):
look at the weather, what theweather is going to be in terms,
what you need to pack, whetherit's summer, whether it's spring
or, or cold. You know, justlittle bit of homework, not too much.
So it's, it's going to goalong the way because you don't want
to overdo it again. That'sgoing to be overwhelming for you.
So that I, I think that's,that's the right way to do it.
Michael, I think what you hadsaid it best. We want to enjoy Morocco
(40:11):
like a native.
Absolutely. Yeah.
And I think no matter where wego, I think that's what we want to
do. The, the, the ultimateachievement is for them to. We're,
I have to laugh about this. Wewatch Emily in Paris. We have our,
we have our daughter, ouroldest daughter, her youngest daughter
(40:33):
moved back home with us. So weall love it. And when they did the
new season, it was reallyfunny because she spent five seasons
trying to immerse herself inFrance. Right. So this goes back
to enjoy it like a, like anative. She stepped out on the street
and these bicyclists almostran her over and she yelled at them
(40:56):
in French and the guy turnedaround and went, the French are so
rude. And she went, oh mygosh, you think I'm French? It's
like, yeah, I think we allwant to achieve that. It was funny.
It was funny. You mentionedsomething a little bit ago about
you're taking 30 people intoan environment, into the shops or
(41:22):
the stores and so forth.What's the most powerful transformation
that you've witnessed in atraveler taking that many people?
Did they still get thepersonal with that many people?
They still, because I was Veryfortunate to go with them. So there's,
you know, there's three of us.There's the national guy, there's
me, another gentleman that wecater to them. If they're having
(41:45):
breakfast, we look like thewaiters. If they're having lunch,
we look like the waiters inaddition to the waiters, because
we want to make sure thateverything is. Is. Is done the right
way. And they keep saying, no,sit down and eat. And I was like,
I used to wait on tables.It's. It. It feels not right. I have
to make sure everybody's good.So. And it's. And again, it's part
(42:06):
of the culture. It's part ofthe hospitality. When we have guests,
we tend to them ourselves.When you have them at your house,
you don't. You know, you don'tget somebody else to serve them.
It's you who does the serving.So. And again, I will go back to
your point, which is thatpersonal touch, that personal connection,
and that's what really make,you know, the trip really worth it,
(42:26):
the experience really worthit. And then when, again, it was
30 people, because there was.We have local guides, we have drivers,
and we have. I took. I calledthem paparazzi with me, so they got
me. When we go on tours thatway, we document the whole experience.
And there were some challengesduring the tour, but so many things
(42:47):
that stood out. One of thebiggest ones, they said, morocco
is colorblind, you know, andthat really resonated with me because
I remember, you know, when Ilived in Morocco, then when I came
to the U.S. it's verydifferent. And then the other thing
is, they said, everybody seemshappy to see us, and they welcome
(43:09):
us. And that's really, reallygenuine feeling and expression because
everybody is welcoming thetourists. And, you know, for the
second year in a row, Moroccohas been the number one destination
in Africa. This year, wealmost did 20 million visitors. Last
year, it was 17.4. So, youknow, when you look at the people,
(43:30):
the culture, the government,the king, everybody's doing their
best to accommodate thetourists, the travelers, and they're
doing an amazing, amazing job.And it really shows in the numbers,
and it shows in the popularityof the country. When we talk about
Morocco, for example, when wetalk in terms of Africa, it's very
(43:50):
popular. When I talk in termsof Europe, Austria, for example,
London, Germany, France, it isvery popular. A lot of those countries,
they know Morocco probablybetter than I do. But then when you
come to the U.S. the U.S. isstill a little bit behind, but they
are catching up. And they havebeen paying attention since, you
know, the World cup in Qatarin 2022. So now the World cup in
(44:12):
2026, it's going to be areally an amazing platform for Morocco,
for the exposure, for themarket. And so it's just, it's. Morocco
is becoming really, really hot destination.
For sure, which is a very goodthing. Very good. You talk about
personal. How can someone plana trip that feels personal but not
packaged?
(44:32):
Oh, that's a good question.When we build an itinerary, Michael,
I would say we used to buildthem in a way, they're really packed,
and when we look at them, youhave things to do in the morning,
you have things to do in theafternoon, then things to do in the,
in the evening. So what wehave realized that's just too much
to do, especially doing itaround Morocco, which is a lot of
(44:56):
driving. The itineraries thatwe build, we build them from scratch
with the client, whatever theywant to see and experience, and that's
how we build them. They'revery personalized. And then we tend
to leave at least the eveningoff in a way. And we can still include
a dinner experience, dinnerand a show, for example, experience,
(45:18):
or hammam and spa, massageexperience and stuff like that. But
the first half of the day, youknow, that's. Or the first half,
yeah, before lunch, that'swhere we do a lot of things. After
breakfast, we'll do a littlebit of history, a little bit of monuments
and attractions. And then inthe afternoon, after lunch, we'll
do something light. Then theycan, you know, go back to the Riyadh,
or if they want to take sometime just to be by themselves in
(45:41):
the Medina, they'll have thatas well. And again, we can arrange
a dinner experience for them.If they want to have it outside the
Riyadh or inside the Royale.So that way they're still doing quite
a bit of things, but it, itjust doesn't feel too busy. And they
are being from one experienceto another experience.
I think that's, you know, thathelps us. I think the relaxation
(46:04):
part of it, the confidencepart of it, the anxiety part of it
is taken away when, when youplan something more personal like
that. So we don't have toworry about what we're going to do,
how we're going to, to do it,where are we going to go, how to
communicate, where are wegoing to eat, you know, because that
food, Food. Food is important.It's. It's food in the bathroom.
(46:27):
Those two things, especiallythe older you.
Get I can relate.
Yeah. Well, let's, let's telleverybody how they can get in touch
with you and, you know, whatyou have to offer in regard to that
personal aspect of it and howthey can benefit with the culture
and the opportunity Moroccohas to offer.
The. The best way to reach outto us is through our website, destinations
(46:50):
morocco.com that's destinationis within S morocco.com and also
when you go to the website,just schedule a discovery call. Basically
it's a 30 minutes, noobligation. We answer all the questions
for you and then we can takeit from there. Anything else you
need and you need help with.So we do plan everything for you
(47:11):
from A to Z, from the momentyou get to Morocco until the moment
you depart, including airportarrivals, departures, accommodations,
experiences, local guides,national guides. So, you know, even
with the locals, you know,the, the Berber, the Amazigh experiences,
a Jewish culture tour, Jewishexperience. So anything that you
(47:33):
can think of, we definitelywill create it for you, like Marcus
said, so you can enjoy Moroccolike a local. And then we have from
there, you can see, you know,you can connect with us in, in our
social media platforms aswell. Thank you.
And I'll make sure that allthat is in the show notes and the
link is in the show notes sothat they can easily get in touch
(47:53):
with you. And it'll have thepodcast on there as well and some
of your social media,Instagram, LinkedIn, I think, and
Facebook and, you know,whatever you have available. So we'll
make sure that gets the there.This has been like, amazing as, as,
I mean, thank you very muchfor, for coming on the show. Thank
you very much for sharing yourwisdom and your words. I appreciate
that and your experiencesbecause I think that we can become
(48:17):
better travelers, betterculturally integrated into other,
other environments. So thank you.
Thank you so much again,Michael. I'm, I'm super grateful
for this, this opportunity.It's been a lot of fun. It's been
amazing. Thank you. Thank youso much.
Don't go away yet. This is onemore thing before we go. Absolutely.
Words of. Words of wisdom forsomeone listening right now, or watching
(48:41):
someone dreaming of Moroccobut unsure where to begin. What's
the first step of a meaningful journey?
I would say either listen toour podcast in where you get your
podcast, which is DestinationMorocco podcast podcast, or go to
our website destinationsmorocco.com and that's really, that's
a really good start. You'llget a lot of information. It's going
(49:03):
to help guide you to, youknow, the type of experience that
you want to have the type oftour that you want to have and then
get in touch with us and, youknow, we'll take care of the rest
for you.
Brilliant words of wisdom.Brilliant words of wisdom. Well,
as again, thank you very muchfor being part of of one more thing
before you go. It's been anincredible journey today. I appreciate
(49:24):
you what you bring and I lookforward to maybe another conversation
down the road. We should talk again.
I would love that. Thank youso much, Michael.
Today we have learned thatMorocco isn't just a destination,
it's a conversation. It's atapestry of history, hospitality,
and humanity. A place wherestories aren't told, they're lived.
(49:46):
Travel is a way of revealingthe truth, not just about the world,
but about ourselves. Itreminds us that connection is universal,
that culture is a gift, andthat the most meaningful journeys
are the ones that change us.Morocco is just one of those journeys.
And thanks to storytellerslike Azzedine, we are invited to
(50:06):
experience it not asoutsiders, but as honored guests.
That's a wrap for today'sepisode. I hope you found inspiration,
motivation, and a few newperspectives to take with you. If
you enjoyed this conversation,be sure to, like, subscribe and follow
us and stay connected. You canfind us on Apple, Spotify or your
favorite listening platformand you can head over to YouTube
(50:27):
and catch the full videoversion. Have a great day, have a
great week and thank you forbeing part of our community. So until
next time, I'm Michael Hurstand this is One more Thing before
you go.
Thanks for listening to thisepisode of One more thing before
you go. Check out our websiteat beforeyougopodcast.
Com.
You can find us as well assubscribe to the program and rate
(50:49):
us on your favorite podcastlistening platform.
Hey, one more thing before yougo. Ask yourself, what if travel
wasn't about escape, but aboutreturning to yourself? What if the
places we visit aren'tdestinations, but mirrors, revealing
who we are, where we comefrom, and what we've gotten and learned
along the way, as well as whatwe've forgotten? Stay with me, because
(00:20):
today we're exploring Morocconot as tourists, but as storytellers.
And my guests is going to tellus a story about the magic of our
Moroccan journey. I'm yourhost, Michael Herst. Welcome to One
more thing before you go.Today we're stepping into a world
(00:46):
of color, culture, memory, andmeaning. Joining me is someone who
doesn't just guide travelersto Morocco, he guides them into themselves.
He's the founder, along withhis wife, of Destination Morocco,
host of the DestinationMorocco podcast. It's a great podcast.
You have to listen to it. Anda storyteller who believes travel
(01:09):
is less about where you go andmore about who you become once you're
there. Welcome to the show,Azdean Elmoustaquim
Thank you so much, Michael,for this amazing, amazing opportunity
to be on your incrediblepodcast. I'm very grateful.
Oh, I am grateful that you'rehere to share your wisdom and your
experience and your journeyinto how we can experience something
(01:31):
we see in the movies. Youknow, we've seen it on tv, you know,
and now we can kind ofexperience it just a little bit here
through our storytelling.
Absolutely.
I, you know, I know that yourdestination starts long before Morocco,
but tell me a little bit aboutyourself. Where'd you grow up?
(01:53):
I was born and raised inMarrakesh. My family hails from a
small village in the. InTluat. It's called Tluat. It's in
the outskirts of Waurzazet. Alot of people know because it is
one of their stop, especiallywhen they visited Morocco, going
to the city, southern part ofMorocco, and also it's known for
(02:13):
Africa, Hollywood, if youwould. So they're making. That's
where they film a lot of themovies that you see in Hollywood.
So, yes, very cool.
Your story begins, as I said,long before Destination Morocco.
You left your homeland, youlived abroad for decades, and then
you returned, not as atourist, but as someone kind of rediscovering
(02:35):
a part of yourself. Can youtake us to the moment that. That
brought you back to that. Whatdid returning to Morocco awaken in
you?
Well, I mean, when I lived inMorocco, I mean, as a young man in
my 20s and teens, I mean, itjust looked basic, simple, but Then
when I moved to the U.S. youknow, with years go by, I just, it
(02:57):
made me really, reallyappreciate what it offers, you know,
in terms of history, in termsof the culture, the art, architecture,
the, the people. So I, I fellin love with it again. And it's,
it's, it's a beautiful thing.So now I go back and forth. I am
based in the US And I travelback and forth. And I actually just
came back from Morocco, soit's just, it's amazing.
(03:21):
You know, I think that it's.Sometimes we forget what's in our
own backyard. You know, mywife and I and our kids grew up.
We don't live in Coloradoanymore. We moved from Colorado to
Arizona. But, you know, therewere so many things that were right
there that once we left, wekind of went, oh, I never did that,
(03:42):
or oh, I didn't visit there,or oh, I should have done that, or
I should have visited there.Because people say, oh, what was
this like? What was that like?And I had to embarrassingly say,
I don't know, I, I forgot togo, forgot to look at that. But,
you know, you take things forgranted sometimes. You know, I think
that when we do something likethat. You said that travel, travel's
(04:03):
true magic comes from like,connecting with people and not necessarily
places. When did you firstkind of realize that? Like, like
I just said, I, I had to leavebefore I realized the magic of what
was still there. Where I left.
You know, I actually realizedit when, when we started Destinations
Morocco after the, you know,our son was born. We want him to,
(04:25):
to know his roots and where hecame from. And even though we are
Moroccans, there's still a lotof things that we don't know about
Morocco. I mean, even the waythat we travel is different than
the way that we book traveltoday, than tourists travel, than,
you know, high end travel is.So in Morocco, we travel just like,
you know, family to family andvisiting, you know, friends and stuff.
(04:48):
But nowadays it's completelydifferent. So you really see Morocco.
There's people, people livingin Morocco, but they, they have not
really seen Morocco. So and,and, and when that happens, I started
doing, you know, homework andresearch, you know, for the company
and also for the podcast whenhe, you know, before we started it.
(05:08):
So it made me relearn, if youwould, everything that I needed about
Morocco and from Morocco. So,and it's still a learning process.
I still, I know thedestination, but there's always something
new to London. There's, youknow, a new place that opened the
New yard, a hotel, arestaurant, new experience. So the,
the learning process reallynever stops. Michael?
(05:32):
Yeah, I, I think that it, it,especially a culture, every society
grows in itself. Society isconstantly evolving. You know, as
I mentioned earlier, we movedfrom Colorado to Arizona. We've been
here for 20 years now. We wentback about, I think about five years
ago, six years ago, which,which you wouldn't think that we
(05:55):
would. That much change. Webarely recognized where I grew up,
where my wife grew up, therewas so much change. So many things
had evolved so quickly, and itjust was amazing that, that, both
positive and negative, youknow, from that perspective. And
I think, I think that's trueanywhere that we go. How did that
(06:16):
kind of realization shape thebirth of Destination Morocco, the
company that you started, youand your wife started?
Yes, it really changedliterally everything because, again,
Morocco, when we lived in it,or at least me, I really, like you
said, I've taken it forgranted. But coming to the US and
living in the us it made meappreciate it more. And also in terms
(06:40):
of change, you know, I've beenback and forth many, many times,
and last, I would say last 15or so years, when you see the change,
it's really, really slow. Yougo back to Marrakesh, there's not
much change, just a little bitof things that you can notice. But
the last two and a half years,the changes is happening super fast.
(07:02):
I just came back about twoweeks ago, and everything looks under
construction. Everybody'sgetting ready for the World cup in
2030. Now Morocco is hostingthe African cup of N Nations, and
they're doing an amazing job.But you can just see the preparation
in all the host cities.Marrakesh, Casablanca, and so forth.
So the change is happeningvery, very quick and very fast again
(07:26):
the same way. Some are goodand some are bad. So Marrakesh was
a small city, but then it hasexpanded quite a bit. And with that
expansion, it brings a littlebit of change into the culture, the
people living in Marrakesh andso forth and so forth.
So, yeah, I guess the questionremains, has Casablanca changed that
much from, you know, what weknow Casablanca as in the movies?
(07:51):
It really has. Yes, it has.So. And a lot of people, they know
Morocco because of the movie,and a lot of people, they go to Morocco,
especially to Casablanca, andthey want to go to Rick's Cafe Michael
and, you know, have, you know,a dinner or birthday or, or a celebration
or just, you know, a glass ofwine. And the inside, it's, it's.
(08:13):
It is beautiful. It'sdefinitely Worth the visit. So, yeah,
Casablanca definitely haschanged again, because Casablanca
is the economy hub of Moroccoand it is the largest city. So it's
comparing Casablanca to othercities. Casablanca is a little bit
advanced in that regard.
Yeah. Very cool. Was the onething that stands out about you and
(08:33):
your wife, if. Is it Kadah? Kadahi.
Khadijah.
Khadijah. Forgive me.
Yes.
About you and your wife,Khadijah, I know that your work is
deeply personal. You don'tjust offer tours. I like the fact
that you offer everything thatI've studied about it. You offer
relationships, which I thinkthat's important. Whenever we go
(08:56):
someplace, we don't want tofeel like we're an outsider. We don't
want to feel like, here weare, they can point you out, you
know, going, oh, well, there'sanother tourist. We want to feel
like we belong there. We wantto feel comfortable when we're there.
Absolutely. That is really,really important, and it makes a
difference. And that's one ofthe really good things about Morocco,
(09:18):
and it makes not just us, butthe whole country unique. It's actually
the people, the hospitality,the welcoming, you know, whether
sharing, you know, Moroccanmean tea or just, you know, breakfast
or anything. So thoserelationships are very important.
That's why, you know, thepeople that work with, whether it's
a hotel or gatheringexperience, we make sure that, you
(09:40):
know, they're good people. Wemake sure that they're good to others
and tourists. And you can seethat it really shows during their
experience. So that's like yousaid, Michael, it is very crucial,
very important.
Well, I appreciate that. And,you know, I'm a tea drinker, so,
you know, mint tea with theBerber family would be kind of cool
(10:00):
for me because I, I, I lovetea, number one. I also like the,
the relaxing atmosphere whenthere, there's not. It's not the,
it's not Starbucks. You know,the in and the out, the noise and
the.
The.
It is. Take time, relax, enjoyyour tea cooking. You do things like
cooking with Tanjin in localhomes, sleeping under the Sahara,
(10:23):
stars walking through artisanworkshops. Most tourists never see
from that perspective, I knowthat they get a cultural immersion
which is essential tounderstanding Morocco or any place
that we go to. I think I'm asociety and culture podcast. Everywhere
that we've ever gone, we'vetried to understand the culture.
(10:46):
Before we get there, we try tounderstand everything that we need
to do to understand thepeople, their cultures, to respect
that and to be able to kind ofimmerse ourselves within that, so
that we're all a family, thewhole world, we're all brothers and
sisters. So I like that aspectof it. Why do you think cultural
(11:10):
immersion is essential tounderstanding Morocco in particular?
Because of everything that youjust mentioned, Michael. Because
it makes the experience thatmuch better. Because, and that's
actually, that's really uniquebecause you brought up the tea and
the burger family. That'sactually the number one experience
(11:32):
and the request that we getfor a lot of people that are traveling
with Morocco, and that's thetrend that we actually have seen
in 20, 25. People, they wantto connect with locals, they want
to connect with, you know,with the Berber family, whether it's,
you know, cooking class,whether it's shopping, whether it's
just tea. So you have it.That's the right way. You're absolutely
(11:54):
right, Michael. And that's thebiggest difference in, you know,
immersing yourself in aculture, because you will enjoy it
more, you will create morememories, you will create friendships,
you know, that lasts longerbefore your trip. And that's the
beautiful part of it. And alsothe people that we work with, you
(12:15):
know, we work with women's coop, work with, you know, single parents
who work with, you know, a lotof travelers, when they go, they
bring donations with them. Youknow, whether we're in the village,
whether we're, you know, northside of Morocco, the southern part
of Morocco. So, and that'sreally what makes, you know, that
experience so much more thanit actually just a trip, like you
(12:36):
said, you know, it's a roadtrip or a vacation. It's very different.
Michael.
Well, and I, and I canappreciate that. I think that what
I appreciate about yourorganization, my wife and I, you
know, we travel. We haven'ttried to Morocco, but we, we do travel.
We, you know, we go to ourfavorite place at the moment is,
or actually it has been foryears, is Maui. And you know, we,
(12:58):
when we first went to Maui, wekind of get, we did that. We were
able to go to mom and popshops and we were able to go to family
owned businesses and familyowned restaurants, and we've always
kind of been that way anyway.But it allows us that now every time
we go back, they know us andthey treat us like family when we
(13:20):
go back, which is a benefit toanybody. And I appreciate the fact
that you guys have built likea network of guides and drivers and
artisans and families who opentheir doors to travelers. What does
it take to kind of build thattrust? I mean, how, how did you guys
build that trust, thoserelationships, it really.
(13:40):
Takes quite a bit of time.It's, it's years. You know, tourism
in Morocco is different thananywhere else. There's no really
a system, but the network ofpeople, the relationship throughout
the years, that's what reallygive you that credibility, that access.
(14:00):
You have access to theinaccessible, for example, to large
tour operators or bigcompanies, because you're there,
you're from there, you speaktheir language. And again, when we
talk about the language, thereare so many native languages that
are spoken in different partsof Morocco. And sometimes just you
speak to the person with theirnative tongue. That's a trust 100%,
(14:24):
you know, you get access towhatever they have. So it's not just
one thing, but it's multiplethings that you have to build throughout
the years. So. And you have tobe patient and they have to trust
you from that perspective.
It was interesting when I wasdoing some of the research. They
(14:44):
speak French there, too, incertain areas, which I'm not real,
real, real fluent in French,but I do speak French. And I think
that would give me an. I don'tknow if it would give me an adventageous
opportunity there.
Yes, well, I mean, French isvery common. We were a French colony
(15:05):
at some point. So Frenchlanguage is well spoken anywhere
you go in Morocco, especiallythe southern part, in the middle
part of Morocco, the northpart. Spanish is well spoken there.
But now English is the newtrend, if you would, in many different
ways, because now instead ofstudents learning English in high
(15:29):
school, now they're learningit in first grade, for example. So
that's a huge advantage. Andalso the US has donated 250 million
to the Moroccans. So theMoroccan system will implement English.
And that really made theFrench kind of mad. But it's good
in terms of tourism. Whenyou're traveling to Morocco, you
(15:52):
will be able to speak toanyone, because everybody, especially
in the tourism industry, aminimum of five languages are spoken.
If it's just a vendor in themarket or local guide or national
guide or tour leader. So interms of languages, they speak quite
a bit. So French is almost agiven because we all, most of us
(16:13):
grew up learning French inschool. Then, you know, yeah, English
and Spanish, you know,Italian, German. Yeah, for sure.
That's very cool. Actually, Ithink that, what, what a very proactive
approach the community hastaken in regard to being able to
connect with other people andto engage with people. And I think
that's a, that's a brilliantway of doing it. Because language,
(16:37):
language is sometimes abarrier when we Travel, and it puts
more people at ease when we gosomeplace. And at least we understand.
Absolutely.
From the perspective. So howlong have you guys been in business?
Is there something that. Whoseidea was it, by the way? Yours or
(16:57):
your wife's or. I mean, that'sa trick question, right?
It really was. It is a trickquestion, Michael. And here's the
funny part. I always tell thesame story. You know, as we age,
we get old, trouble becomes alittle bit more, you know, challenging.
(17:19):
And when our son was born, wewant him. We know he's born in the
U.S. he's American, but alsowe wanted him to know his roots when
he grows up. So it was veryimportant for us that he knows about
Morocco, and that's why wereally created the company. He's
10 years old now, and he wentto Morocco three or four times. He
(17:43):
speaks the language fluently,and he loves it. So when we go to
shows, he's there with me atthe booth. And he does a better job
than I do selling Morocco. Soit's natural to him, which is just
incredible to watch.
Do you think it's challengingfor those of us I don't have, My
kids are grown, but grandkidsor people with small kids, you think
(18:07):
it's a challenge for peoplewho have kids or. Let me try that
question again. In travelingto Morocco, can we travel as a family?
Is it easy or is it difficultfor those of us that have a family
that want to travel?
It really depends. Very goodquestion, Michael. It normally is
(18:28):
challenging with the family.That's what they really think. But
it's not. And it could be. Itcould be if you just plan the itinerary
for yourself, not includingthe kids. But the best way to plan
an itinerary with the kids,for a family with kids, they really
have to include the kids andthe activities for the kids, because
(18:50):
the kids may not be interestedin. In. In shopping. They may not
be interested in history. Theywant to do something that it's fun.
They want to go to theswimming pool. They just want to
stay at the Riad or the hoteland just chill and swim. So when
you build an itinerary for thekids, they will have an amazing time.
And the good side effect of itis that the parents and. And, you
(19:13):
know, and grandparents will behappy as well.
Right.
So. And also it can be split,you know, know, because it is a private
tour. So if. If the. If thekids want to do something, then the
parents or the grandparents,they want to do something else. We
can split them. So Some, youknow, like a local guide, will stay
with the kids, then the restwill do their activities and they'll
(19:35):
meet up again afterwards. So.But it's very important to include
the kids in the itinerary.
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, Ithink so too. Because, I mean, obviously
we, you know, my niece is.Especially my niece, one of my nieces,
she and her husband have smallchildren. And as they grew up, they
(19:55):
felt that they wanted toimmerse them in different cultures
and different societies. Sothey've traveled to Taiwan and to
Japan and to Australia anddifferent areas where the kids, even
at 6, 7, you know, 5, 6, 7, 8years old, they're learning that
(20:20):
there's different cultures andsocieties out and how to immerse
themselves in that and whatthey brought to us because, you know,
we have people that live here,we talked about this a little bit
ago, that have immigrated fromall over the world, and they bring
those cultures to, even tohere, to the United States. So it
gives us a betterunderstanding of how we as society
and culture havecommonalities. You know, we have
(20:45):
differences, but we havecommonalities and that different
traditions that may be abenefit to each one of us. So I can
appreciate that from there. Mywife and I love history. And, you
know, from a historicalperspective, if we travel to Morocco,
what kind of history can weexpect to kind of learn?
Oh, my goodness. You know, inMorocco, Morocco has thousands and
(21:09):
thousands of layers of historythat dates back before the Islam
came to Morocco. It dates backto the indigenous people of Morocco
that are consistent of Jewishpeople and just people just who didn't
have relations, just pagans,basically. You know, there were some
(21:32):
people worshiping the sun, themoon, the rocks. So that's what Morocco
was, you know, centuries ago.Then, you know, then Islam came and
everybody lived, you know, inharmony, peacefully. That. So it's
just so many, so many, so manythings to know and explore about
Morocco in regards to thehistory. So. And that's one thing
(21:58):
that a lot of people knowthat, you know, when you go to Morocco,
a lot of things that you see,even the food, the food is 85% Jewish.
You know, it's our culture,our history, it's very mingled. It's
mixed between the Berbers, theAmazigh and the Jewish people community.
(22:19):
So a lot of people, when theygo to Morocco, they are surprised
to find synagogues that are,you know, 1200 years old and they're
still in a very good shape.You'll see a synagogue in a village
that dates back, you know, tothe 8th century. So it's, that's
the type of history thatyou'll see in Morocco. You'll see
some of the old, some of thenew. And it's just fascinating and
(22:40):
just amazing. You know, youcan see, you know, the ardent culture
from different dynasties inMorocco, whether the Moravids, whether,
you know, the Sajin dynastythan the Alawid dynasty, which is
the current dynasty in Moroccothat has been have been in power
since the 17th century. Andit's funny because Muhammad III,
(23:02):
the Sultan Muhammad III, whichis the grand grand grandfather of
Muhammad VI, the current king,was, you know, Morocco was the first
country to recognize UnitedStates as an independent country
back in 1776, which is aboutone year after the independence.
So it's, in terms of history,it's just, it's, you have to go,
(23:22):
you have to see it. You willlove it.
Phenomenal. From there. Yeah.It, it's the one thing that we're,
well, my wife is she's goingto retire here in a few years and
once she retires, we're goingto do. We have many, many plans to
travel as much as we possiblycan because it seems like, you know,
time just is going fast andgoing too fast and we want to go
(23:46):
and experience more likeeverybody else. I think that it's
an opportunity in Morocco. Ithink it's an opportunity for us
to I've only seen it in themovies, I've only seen it in television
programs. But it's alwaysintrigued me to a point that I would
love to go there, nightlifeand things like that. Obviously,
I won't say how old I am, butyou can see the gray in my hair.
(24:11):
We're not real big on, youknow, parties and, you know, dance
clubs and that kind of stuff,obviously, for nightlife, for how
can I say this eloquently forolder individuals, we'll do it that
way. How does that play a factor?
(24:32):
That's a really good question.Okay, I'll talk about the nightlife
in terms of, you know, when Iwas in my 20s and what I have experienced
in Morocco in my 30s. Thereare clubs everywhere you go. And
normally this is unique, Ithink, to Morocco. Every hotel, they
have their own privatenightclub. But then there are some
(24:55):
that are just, you know,outside that you can go to that they're
specific, that's, you know,they open maybe around 10pm and all
the nightclubs in Moroccoclose at 5 in the morning. So you
can just imagine the partying.There's no alcohol. You know, the
alcohol keeps being serveduntil five in the morning. There's
no like in the us there's norestriction in terms of time. So
(25:19):
that's what the young reallypeople do in terms of, you know,
the nightlife. Now in for mein my, I am in my mid-50s, so when
I go to Morocco, I still wantto enjoy the nightlife, but I don't
want to do it until 5 in themorning, maybe 10. So we do, we do
a dinner and a show and thoseare fascinating. They're just incredible.
(25:42):
And again, they are part ofthe culture. So you can do a dinner
and show really, really niceimmersive experience as well. And
the show, you know, there's somany different shows. You talk in
30, 40, 50 different shows indifferent places. So you'll never
get bored. The food will beamazing, the show will be incredible.
So there's so many differentplaces that you can go and experience
(26:05):
that. And I think, you know,you know, in my age, I think those
are a little bit more fittedareas for me to be seen versus versus
a club or a nightclub thatit's just, you know, I look up you
and it's like, hey, uncle.
Five in the morning, I'm no 10o', clock, we're in bed now. That's,
(26:32):
that's cool. Your podcast, youhave a podcast. What inspired you
to start the podcast? You gotover 100 episode. It's become kind
of a gateway for people tokind of people, especially people
dreaming of going to, toMorocco from that, what kind of,
what surprises you the mostabout, about the podcast and, and,
and what can people learn?
(26:53):
That's a really good question.What inspired us to really start
the podcast is during thepandemic, we had the luxury of time
and I was doing some homeworkand just learn about business and
really dissecting the travelindustry in Morocco and how we can
make it better. What can wedo? What can we add to the table?
What can we delete or avoid interms of experiences? I was really
(27:18):
listening to Donald Miller'spodcast Business Made Simple. So
I got a lot of ideas from it.But also it gave me the idea or his
suggestion say, hey, if youdon't have a podcast, this is a good
time to start. So I looked atit in a way as, you know, you have
an Instagram account, you havea Facebook page, a LinkedIn page.
Podcast is just an additionalsocial media, if you would, or a
(27:43):
media. So we created thepodcast and the producer instead
is. He has been with me sincethen and he does an amazing, amazing
job. And I remember Vividly.When he. When we created the podcast,
he asked me, what do you wantto do? You want to make money? And
I said, no, I don't want tomake money off of the podcast, but
I want to create good contentfor people to enjoy. And hopefully
(28:05):
they can go. They can bookwith us. Yes, they can go. So what
surprised me the most, theseare real numbers. Probably 98% of
people who listen to thepodcast, they. They plan their own
trip because we really make itthat easy for them, because all the
information is right there.Just, you know, dedicate some time
(28:26):
to listen to the episodes. Youknow, we have, you know, cultural
episodes, what to do, what topack scams. And then that 2%, those
people, they want us to bookit for them from A to Z. They don't
want to do anything. Theyjust. They don't want to worry about
anything because it is acomplex destination and itinerary,
(28:47):
if you would, Michael. So webuild everything for them from scratch.
There's a process that wefollow until the itinerary is just
exactly what they want. Andwhat surprised me the Most is the
DMs, the messages that we getfrom people. Hey, thank you. The
scam episode really saved mefrom this happening to me. Whether
it's in the square or whether,you know, in those, you know, small
(29:10):
alleyways in Marrakesh orfast, and they were about to be scammed.
So, you know, just hittingthose DMS and those messages really,
really makes a difference, youknow, all over the world. I mean,
we get those messages, and itjust. It's heartwarming, really,
Michael, because it makes usfeel like we're doing something right
(29:31):
and we want to continue to doit. So the content. Sometimes when
we talk about scamsspecifically, there are some harsh
things that we say. We saythem out of love for Morocco because
we want things to improve interms of experiences and stuff like
that. We love Morocco. I getjealous. It hurts when somebody speaks
(29:52):
negatively about Morocco. Butat the same time, we need to bring
awareness to what you expectand. And so forth. So that's what
really surprised me the most.And then in. Recently, we. We realized
that the podcast now istaking, you know, it's. It's becoming
kind of separate entity or abusiness, if you would, Michael.
(30:13):
In the past, he was just, youknow, the. The umbrella is the tour
company now. It's like they'rebeing separated in a way.
All right. I have to say Iappreciate that as an individual
that teaches people how topodcast with a purpose and not necessarily
look at it. A monetaryperspective of it. Our compliments
(30:36):
to you for that. Because Ibelieve that you've created a podcast
with purpose, and in doing so,that it has now organically grown
into something that is abenefit to. To not only your company
and yourself, but a benefit tothose that are listening to it. And
that's, you know, that's.That's brilliant. So thank you for
(30:57):
taking that approach. Iappreciate that very much. You've
heard my conversation withDouglas Brewer about intentional
travel, travel that deepenscompassion and expands our understanding
of the world in general. Wespoke about that right before we
started. You know, that Ithink that we should immerse ourselves
(31:19):
in other societies andcultures to understand, because we
all belong to the same family.How do you think Morocco transforms
the people who visit it?
Oh, my God, 100%. Ittransforms them in the most beautiful
way, in the most magical way,because saying goodbyes in Morocco
(31:41):
is always the most difficultpart of their journey, of their trip,
of their experience, becauseof the connections that they have
made with the locals. Youknow, in Morocco, we're very fortunate
and we're very grateful. Wehave so many places and things to
do and see. But also whatmakes Morocco unique, really, is
its people. The people arejust beyond incredible, and they
(32:04):
really. You will feel theirwarmth, you will feel their hospitality.
So that's what really makesthat difference. Extremely unique
in that regard.
Michael, that's valuable whenwe travel. That's valuable. I think
it gives us an. It's morepersonal, and I think personal is
what we need when it comesespecially with travel, because we're
(32:26):
in a foreign land, a foreigncity, a foreign environment, and
anytime we go there, so wehave apprehension. You, you know,
you have anxiety, you know,and I know people aren't going to
admit to that, but everybodywill get a little anxiety. Am I going
to get lost? Am I going to beokay? Am I going to, you know, this
going to happen? That we cantravel anywhere. Paris, we can travel
(32:50):
London, we can travel Ireland,we can go to Scotland. No matter
Spain, no matter where you go,there's going to be scams. No matter
where you go, there's going tobe pickpockets come to the United
States. I was a cop. I canguarantee you. Especially we had
a whole Colorado Springs areais full of tourists. There's so many.
(33:11):
The Pikes Peak and Cave of theWinds and Cliff Dwellings and Air
Force Academy. The list goeson. And where. Where are the people
getting ripped off and peoplegetting scammed at Cave of the Winds,
at Cliff Dwellers and PikeSpeed and the cog railway and, you
know, ski. Ski resorts andanywhere we go. I think that that
(33:33):
happens. So, you know, Iappreciate the fact you're taking
a proactive approach in regardto educating people, that when you
travel someplace, you have tobe aware. You have to be aware of
your surroundings, be aware ofwhat's going on, enjoy yourself,
but also be aware, which Ithink is, you know, important. And
I've listened to thoseepisodes on your podcast, podcasts.
I think they're veryeducational and it's an opportunity
(33:55):
for people to get a betterunderstanding. I know that we just
talked about so many things.Morocco's offers both an escape and
enlightenment. And I. And Ithink that whether it be learning
history, learning about food,learning about the people, the culture,
(34:17):
anything along that area, evenfrom a spiritual perspective. Perspective.
What do you think travelersdiscover most about themselves when
they slow down and trulyconnect with that culture in Morocco?
Oh, my goodness, I love thatquestion. They really, when that
happens, you're right. Theydiscover so many things about themselves,
(34:40):
what they are made of. Andagain, travel makes you. It really
changes you in the mostpositive way. They become a little
bit more tolerant to thingsnot going the right way. They become
more understanding. Theybecome, you know, self awareness,
if you would. And then, youknow, we've had this so many times,
(35:02):
and I have to bring the sameexperience. I know we did a couple
from New Zealand, Rochelle andher husband, and we did the Berber
experience, and they went to acave, that family still lives in
a cave. And they had theMoroccan mentee with them. And she
said that experience reallychanged her life. When they went
(35:22):
back to New Zealand, that'ssomething that stood out throughout
the whole trip. And they havetraveled the world. So it's just
something very simple. And shewas like, I could not believe how
people seem so happy with nothaving so much. It just put things
in perspective for them. So itmakes them feel, I would say, a little
(35:43):
bit more, you know, relatable,if you would. So that's what Morocco
really does to you, especiallytraveling to. To a destination that
a lot of people, they're notcertain what to expect, what to see,
and they are afraid and have alot of concerns.
And I think that that's anopportunity for them to feel more
(36:04):
relaxed when they travel. Itgives them the, I think the confidence,
I think gives them theconfidence, which I appreciate what
role does from. If we travelto Morocco, whether it be through
your company or on our own,because obviously we know that you
have wonderful opportunitiesfor your company. We'll Talk about
(36:27):
that here in a little bit. Buteven if somebody travels there alone,
what kind of culturalimmersion is essential to help understand
the Moroccan? What. What wouldwe. What would you suggest that we
do before we go? Should we.Should we prepare ourselves? Should
(36:50):
we. Is there something we cando as an individual or a family or
husband and wife or boyfriend,girlfriend, or whatever the case
may be? Something that we cando, that we can prepare for before
we go?
That's a really, really goodquestion, Michael. I think anywhere
you're trying to go, I thinkyou need to do the same thing. Morocco
is definitely no different,but it's very unique and different
(37:13):
destination where I would say,you know, give it maybe a couple
of weeks, learn somethingabout the country. You know, I don't
want to sound biased, but wedo have, you know, the native Moroccan
language, Darija. We haveabout 102 videos, you know, just
a little bit of words that youlearned that can. That can help you.
And it's funny because we.Again, I just came back from Morocco
(37:35):
from a tour, and we had, youknow, there were about 30 people
in that tour. So, you know,navigating, walking through the narrow
streets in Fez, there's a lotof bicycles and, you know, motorcycles
coming behind you. And theysay, belik, belik, which means move
out the way, get out of theway. So everybody starts saying,
balik, balik. So now, youknow, when we came to Marrakesh and
(37:58):
we start saying balik,everybody started laughing because
they understood what thatmeant. So, you know, those little
words, just few of them willmake a huge difference. And again,
you know, the most famous isthe greeting. You know, in Morocco,
it's always good to say salam,which means peace. If somebody says
salam to you, just respondsalam back, and you're good. You
know, it's also good for you.You know, when traveling to Morocco,
(38:21):
when you pass by somebody justsay it first they look at you. It's
like they're really impressed.So there's like, oh, this probably
he lives here. He's, you know,probably just a tourist, but, you
know, this is where he livesand stuff like that. So what are
the best ways? You know, justlearn something about the country.
Watch whether it's music,local music, national music, you
(38:42):
know, sports team. You know,for example, Morocco is into soccer.
Watch, you know, learn alittle bit about their soccer team.
And the soccer team, by theway, is doing really good. You know,
maybe buy jersey. You know, ifI'm going to Argentina, I want to
buy, you know, a messagejersey. Or going to Brazil, you know,
one of those, you know, smallgestures that really go along the
(39:03):
way and they, you don't looklike you're, you're a tourist or
just visiting. Also, thebeautiful thing about Morocco, it's
a really, really melting pot.So for you to stand out, it's going
to be very challenging becauseyou'll see people from all over,
all type of walks of lives.It's a very diverse country. So that's
what I would do. And also, youknow, our podcast, there's so many.
(39:26):
So the information online isjust beyond incredible. Our podcast,
like you said, it's a one stopand you can get your homework done
right there and reach out tous if you have some questions, we
probably have some answers ordirect you to the right person. So
that's what I would say. Justdo things, little bit of research,
(39:48):
look at the weather, what theweather is going to be in terms,
what you need to pack, whetherit's summer, whether it's spring
or, or cold. You know, justlittle bit of homework, not too much.
So it's, it's going to goalong the way because you don't want
to overdo it again. That'sgoing to be overwhelming for you.
So that I, I think that's,that's the right way to do it.
Michael, I think what you hadsaid it best. We want to enjoy Morocco
(40:11):
like a native.
Absolutely. Yeah.
And I think no matter where wego, I think that's what we want to
do. The, the, the ultimateachievement is for them to. We're,
I have to laugh about this. Wewatch Emily in Paris. We have our,
we have our daughter, ouroldest daughter, her youngest daughter
(40:33):
moved back home with us. So weall love it. And when they did the
new season, it was reallyfunny because she spent five seasons
trying to immerse herself inFrance. Right. So this goes back
to enjoy it like a, like anative. She stepped out on the street
and these bicyclists almostran her over and she yelled at them
(40:56):
in French and the guy turnedaround and went, the French are so
rude. And she went, oh mygosh, you think I'm French? It's
like, yeah, I think we allwant to achieve that. It was funny.
It was funny. You mentionedsomething a little bit ago about
you're taking 30 people intoan environment, into the shops or
(41:22):
the stores and so forth.What's the most powerful transformation
that you've witnessed in atraveler taking that many people?
Did they still get thepersonal with that many people?
They still, because I was Veryfortunate to go with them. So there's,
you know, there's three of us.There's the national guy, there's
me, another gentleman that wecater to them. If they're having
(41:45):
breakfast, we look like thewaiters. If they're having lunch,
we look like the waiters inaddition to the waiters, because
we want to make sure thateverything is. Is. Is done the right
way. And they keep saying, no,sit down and eat. And I was like,
I used to wait on tables.It's. It. It feels not right. I have
to make sure everybody's good.So. And it's. And again, it's part
(42:06):
of the culture. It's part ofthe hospitality. When we have guests,
we tend to them ourselves.When you have them at your house,
you don't. You know, you don'tget somebody else to serve them.
It's you who does the serving.So. And again, I will go back to
your point, which is thatpersonal touch, that personal connection,
and that's what really make,you know, the trip really worth it,
(42:26):
the experience really worthit. And then when, again, it was
30 people, because there was.We have local guides, we have drivers,
and we have. I took. I calledthem paparazzi with me, so they got
me. When we go on tours thatway, we document the whole experience.
And there were some challengesduring the tour, but so many things
(42:47):
that stood out. One of thebiggest ones, they said, morocco
is colorblind, you know, andthat really resonated with me because
I remember, you know, when Ilived in Morocco, then when I came
to the U.S. it's verydifferent. And then the other thing
is, they said, everybody seemshappy to see us, and they welcome
(43:09):
us. And that's really, reallygenuine feeling and expression because
everybody is welcoming thetourists. And, you know, for the
second year in a row, Moroccohas been the number one destination
in Africa. This year, wealmost did 20 million visitors. Last
year, it was 17.4. So, youknow, when you look at the people,
(43:30):
the culture, the government,the king, everybody's doing their
best to accommodate thetourists, the travelers, and they're
doing an amazing, amazing job.And it really shows in the numbers,
and it shows in the popularityof the country. When we talk about
Morocco, for example, when wetalk in terms of Africa, it's very
(43:50):
popular. When I talk in termsof Europe, Austria, for example,
London, Germany, France, it isvery popular. A lot of those countries,
they know Morocco probablybetter than I do. But then when you
come to the U.S. the U.S. isstill a little bit behind, but they
are catching up. And they havebeen paying attention since, you
know, the World cup in Qatarin 2022. So now the World cup in
(44:12):
2026, it's going to be areally an amazing platform for Morocco,
for the exposure, for themarket. And so it's just, it's. Morocco
is becoming really, really hot destination.
For sure, which is a very goodthing. Very good. You talk about
personal. How can someone plana trip that feels personal but not
packaged?
(44:32):
Oh, that's a good question.When we build an itinerary, Michael,
I would say we used to buildthem in a way, they're really packed,
and when we look at them, youhave things to do in the morning,
you have things to do in theafternoon, then things to do in the,
in the evening. So what wehave realized that's just too much
to do, especially doing itaround Morocco, which is a lot of
(44:56):
driving. The itineraries thatwe build, we build them from scratch
with the client, whatever theywant to see and experience, and that's
how we build them. They'revery personalized. And then we tend
to leave at least the eveningoff in a way. And we can still include
a dinner experience, dinnerand a show, for example, experience,
(45:18):
or hammam and spa, massageexperience and stuff like that. But
the first half of the day, youknow, that's. Or the first half,
yeah, before lunch, that'swhere we do a lot of things. After
breakfast, we'll do a littlebit of history, a little bit of monuments
and attractions. And then inthe afternoon, after lunch, we'll
do something light. Then theycan, you know, go back to the Riyadh,
or if they want to take sometime just to be by themselves in
(45:41):
the Medina, they'll have thatas well. And again, we can arrange
a dinner experience for them.If they want to have it outside the
Riyadh or inside the Royale.So that way they're still doing quite
a bit of things, but it, itjust doesn't feel too busy. And they
are being from one experienceto another experience.
I think that's, you know, thathelps us. I think the relaxation
(46:04):
part of it, the confidencepart of it, the anxiety part of it
is taken away when, when youplan something more personal like
that. So we don't have toworry about what we're going to do,
how we're going to, to do it,where are we going to go, how to
communicate, where are wegoing to eat, you know, because that
food, Food. Food is important.It's. It's food in the bathroom.
(46:27):
Those two things, especiallythe older you.
Get I can relate.
Yeah. Well, let's, let's telleverybody how they can get in touch
with you and, you know, whatyou have to offer in regard to that
personal aspect of it and howthey can benefit with the culture
and the opportunity Moroccohas to offer.
The. The best way to reach outto us is through our website, destinations
(46:50):
morocco.com that's destinationis within S morocco.com and also
when you go to the website,just schedule a discovery call. Basically
it's a 30 minutes, noobligation. We answer all the questions
for you and then we can takeit from there. Anything else you
need and you need help with.So we do plan everything for you
(47:11):
from A to Z, from the momentyou get to Morocco until the moment
you depart, including airportarrivals, departures, accommodations,
experiences, local guides,national guides. So, you know, even
with the locals, you know,the, the Berber, the Amazigh experiences,
a Jewish culture tour, Jewishexperience. So anything that you
(47:33):
can think of, we definitelywill create it for you, like Marcus
said, so you can enjoy Moroccolike a local. And then we have from
there, you can see, you know,you can connect with us in, in our
social media platforms aswell. Thank you.
And I'll make sure that allthat is in the show notes and the
link is in the show notes sothat they can easily get in touch
(47:53):
with you. And it'll have thepodcast on there as well and some
of your social media,Instagram, LinkedIn, I think, and
Facebook and, you know,whatever you have available. So we'll
make sure that gets the there.This has been like, amazing as, as,
I mean, thank you very muchfor, for coming on the show. Thank
you very much for sharing yourwisdom and your words. I appreciate
that and your experiencesbecause I think that we can become
(48:17):
better travelers, betterculturally integrated into other,
other environments. So thank you.
Thank you so much again,Michael. I'm, I'm super grateful
for this, this opportunity.It's been a lot of fun. It's been
amazing. Thank you. Thank youso much.
Don't go away yet. This is onemore thing before we go. Absolutely.
Words of. Words of wisdom forsomeone listening right now, or watching
(48:41):
someone dreaming of Moroccobut unsure where to begin. What's
the first step of a meaningful journey?
I would say either listen toour podcast in where you get your
podcast, which is DestinationMorocco podcast podcast, or go to
our website destinationsmorocco.com and that's really, that's
a really good start. You'llget a lot of information. It's going
(49:03):
to help guide you to, youknow, the type of experience that
you want to have the type oftour that you want to have and then
get in touch with us and, youknow, we'll take care of the rest
for you.
Brilliant words of wisdom.Brilliant words of wisdom. Well,
as again, thank you very muchfor being part of of one more thing
before you go. It's been anincredible journey today. I appreciate
(49:24):
you what you bring and I lookforward to maybe another conversation
down the road. We should talk again.
I would love that. Thank youso much, Michael.
Today we have learned thatMorocco isn't just a destination,
it's a conversation. It's atapestry of history, hospitality,
and humanity. A place wherestories aren't told, they're lived.
(49:46):
Travel is a way of revealingthe truth, not just about the world,
but about ourselves. Itreminds us that connection is universal,
that culture is a gift, andthat the most meaningful journeys
are the ones that change us.Morocco is just one of those journeys.
And thanks to storytellerslike Azzedine, we are invited to
(50:06):
experience it not asoutsiders, but as honored guests.
That's a wrap for today'sepisode. I hope you found inspiration,
motivation, and a few newperspectives to take with you. If
you enjoyed this conversation,be sure to, like, subscribe and follow
us and stay connected. You canfind us on Apple, Spotify or your
favorite listening platformand you can head over to YouTube
(50:27):
and catch the full videoversion. Have a great day, have a
great week and thank you forbeing part of our community. So until
next time, I'm Michael Hurstand this is One more Thing before
you go.
Thanks for listening to thisepisode of One more thing before
you go. Check out our websiteat beforeyougopodcast.
Com.
You can find us as well assubscribe to the program and rate
(50:49):
us on your favorite podcastlistening platform.
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