FAQ for the ‘rents

I have built a program that will hopefully balance all of this well. 🙂

This is an age group that I connect with – I have kids this age who, fortunately, were raised in a 3rd culture, so had the opportunity to learn so many things lots of their friends from “home” (Canada) never did or were able to. It is such an incredible and educating thing to learn abroad – some of the best life experiences and teachers of mine have been those outside my home and culture. 

As a Canadian who has lived my entire adult life abroad mostly, I connect with any young person to do the same – discover the world and discover themselves by traveling. Traveling in an environment that is safe yet empowering, and knowing I – the cool and yet quirky “aunt”-like adult – am here puts them (and YOU!) at ease…or I hope it does. 🙂

I have been hosting travellers to Morocco for more than a decade now – I love Morocco as my second home and know it and its culture and people well. The groups and families and couples that I have hosted over the years have thoroughly enjoyed themselves. And now it’s time for our young people to shine. 

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Here’s a brief snapshot overview of the 10 days:

DAY 1 – Arrive in Casablanca • Mosque + medina tour • Transfer to Marrakech
DAY 2 – Travel skills: SIMs, budgeting, Darija, safe travel • Souk tour
DAY 3 – Navigation scavenger hunt • Reflection circle on identity
DAY 4 – Atlas Mountains hike • Travel vs. tourism discussion
DAY 5 – Slow day: solo time • Listening workshop • Tea with host family
DAY 6 – Service project with local grassroots group • Group circle
DAY 7 – Museum visit • Sunset camel trek + dinner in the Agafay desert
DAY 8 – Day trip to Essaouira • “How I’ve Changed” workshop
DAY 9 – Cooking class • Souk challenge • Final celebration & creative shares
DAY 10 – Group breakfast • Transfer to Casablanca airport

 Themes woven throughout:

• Daily reflections + group circles
• Travel skills, cultural literacy, ethical connection
• A balance of challenge, rest, immersion, and growth

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We have protocols in place in case of emergency. To that end, it is mandatory for all of our travellers to have travel insurance for medical emergencies. Should anything happen, large or small, God forbid, you will always be notified first as we work with our local partners to remedy situations with ease and swiftness. We have local medics and doctors we collaborate with, as well as clinics and hospitals. Worry not, your young person will be in the best care possible here – and we do our absolute best to avoid these sorts of situations entirely.

Our local driver for our land transportation is experienced and very reputable and fully licensed to drive the vehicle we have for our travellers. Our guides are all licensed by the government of Morocco, and the riads/accommodations we stay in are legitimately registered with local authorities. 

Every day we have an orientation or workshop that preps us for the day’s activities, as well as checking in with each traveller to make sure they’re “good” and doing ok.

Also, 24/7 group communication is available to all our travellers – for us and for you. 

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VALUES & APPROACH

This kind of travel matters. Why? Because in the world we live in today, it’s more and more important that we see the world beyond ourselves and are tolerant of cultures and religions that are not our own. Learning to respect other cultures, even if they don’t make sense to us or they make us uncomfortable, being open-minded, and seeing things from a new perspective are vital to being in the world today. 

Traveling ethically is a must and it comes from respecting and learning about others first and foremost. This is something that is vital to NOMARI and at the very core of why we do this program – to learn about ourselves and other cultures.

Your young traveller will learn how to budget, exchange local currency, buy a local SIM card, learn some useful Moroccan Arabic, learn how to navigate the busy medina and its streets, and be flexible all while doing so. Learning is a huge part of what we do at NOMARI and being open-minded and adaptable are key.

We choose immersive travel instead of simply being tourists. Yes, we will do tourist things. But we will also communicate and interact with locals: at the markets, at the corner store, during a cooking class, in the village in the Atlas Mountains, while serving a local organization…this is immersive travel. This is what we teach at NOMARI.

It’s also important to take time to reflect and slow down so that the things we experience and learn every day can take root. That is why we make time for this and allow the travellers to interpret this in any way or medium they choose.

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COST + WHAT’S INCLUDED

Your investment for the program is €2000. This includes accommodations, all in-country transport, all meals, workshops, local guides, desert camel trek and evening dinner at camp, cooking class, and an Atlas Mountains experience with a local volunteering opportunity.

Extras that you will need to consider: flights to/from Casablanca, travel/medical insurance, spending money, and a single supplement fee should your young person want their own room.

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OUTCOMES & TAKEAWAYS

So after 10 days – what will your young person walk away with?

Your child is going to walk away with a confidence to navigate unfamiliar environments, begin to learn cross-cultural understanding, know practical travel skills and have a deeper sense of themselves. They will learn and build connections with peers and Moroccans throughout the trip. They will also walk away with a certificate of completion, which they can use on their CV that adds some great credibility.

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FAQ SECTION

Here are some questions you might be wanting to ask:

• Will they have Wi-Fi access? Yes! At their accommodations for sure and if they choose to get a Moroccan SIM card
• Can I contact them during the trip? Of course. The best times will be their early mornings or late evenings as our days are full.
• What if they get sick? We hope they won’t but if they get sick with minor things like stomach or digestive issues we will help resolve these and contact you as needed. Anything more severe, you will be the first to call and we will work with you and with our experts here to make the best decisions to move forward
• Will they be supervised the whole time? Mostly, yes. There will be times that they will be in small groups together and may not have myself or our Moroccan guide with them, but someone will always have access to us if they need to get in touch with us.
• Are there any direct flights from Canada to Morocco? Actually yes – from Montreal you can fly direct to Casablanca, where our trip starts. Air Canada and Royal Air Maroc both have these flights.
• Is Morocco safe? It really is. As a woman I travel here extensively alone and have never felt unsafe. This is even more so the case with a small group and by having our local Moroccan guide with us the whole time. 🙂 The crime rate is quite low compared to many cities throughout North American in fact!
• How physically demanding is the trip? Not so. Lots of walking, a light hike, and a camel ride. 🙂
• What if they have dietary needs? If not too severe, we will do our best to address these for meals. If it’s a severe restriction, we need to make sure we can accommodate them before you make the decision to come. 
• Will you be offering this trip again? OH yea! This is our first trip – our pilot – and we plan to offer it several times a year, depending on the young people and their schedules. Roughly we are looking at mid December, Easter break and possibly in the early summer (June/beg July)

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I’m excited to host your child in Morocco – it will be life-changing and something that they will remember forever!

Welcome to Morocco!

Tracey