Morocco 2027 tour is LIVE! + How not to exploit indigenous communities
Published 9 days agoย โขย 7 min read
Hi Reader,
I hope you are doing well wherever you are.
There is only one day left to snatch the last spots on our summer tours and get 250 EUR off if you book before the end of 15th of April. As a reminder, these are the tours:
Go book your spot! I look forward to meeting you in Barcelona! ๐คฉ
In other news, we have just published the second episode of our podcast, the kind that we started the podcast for in the first place, and I am sure you will find it interesting and and insightful.
Lastly, we are also sharing stories of our Swedish Arctic trip on Instagram. Follow the trip here to see what we were up to 2 weeks ago. PS The 2027 Swedish Arctic trip is already live and confirmed.
In this week's email ๐ฉ:
Our 2026 Morocco tours are live! Com join us next year (or this October, we have only 2 spots left, November is sold out)
The second episode of our podcast is now live and we are diving straight in to discuss the kinds of topics we started the podcast for, that darker side of tourism most travelers aren't aware of and which is exploitative to indigenous communities.
Our 2027 Morocco tours are live
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We have been running tours to Morocco since 2022 and it is one of our most popular destinations.
It's a stunning country and our itinerary is unique in that it spends a lot of time supporting female owned businesses and understanding how new laws and societal changes are shaping the role of women in the country.
Empowering women in travel is why we started our tours and, in Morocco, there are so many kick ass women shaping perceptions and carving their own paths...I always love meeting them.
If you have always wanted to visit Morocco, this is your sign to join us in 2027 - or in 2026, we have a couple of spots left on our October / November tours!
When
8th edition: 1 to 11 October, 2027
9th edition: 12 to 22 November, 2027
Who: Max 14 solo female travelers + our local kick-ass guide Mariam
What: 11 days / 10 nights in 4-5* hand-picked hotels.
This is a wonderful all round trip, but below is a list of highlights previous guests have loved about the tour and that make us different from other trips to Morocco.
Female focused and led
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We will be hosted by Mariam, our Moroccan guide, and meet with more than 15 local women working as guides, in leadership positions, as female activists, as mountain guides, as business owners...
You will go home with a diverse range of perspectives of what it's like to be a woman in Morocco today. Our tour is unlike any other in that it will connect us with Moroccan women from all walks of life so you can leave with a holistic view and not a narrow one.
5 UNESCO Sites
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We will visit 5 UNESCO world heritage sites including the medinas of Fez, Marrakech and Rabat, the Roman site of Volubilis and the village of Ait Ben Haddou, each with a local guide.
Morocco is all about history and heritage and we will spend time getting lost in the alleys and the ancient cities of this diverse country with an expert, this will also add an extra pair of eyes on the group to avoid street harassment and overwhelm in the labyrinthic alleyways.
Luxury, hand-picked accommodation
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We will stay at some of the best hotels in the country, including unique boutique hotels and a luxury desert camp inside the Sahara (and not on the edge).
Our hotel in Fes is fabulous and offers amazing views of the oldest medina in the world and modern rooms that will be a welcome break from the business of the country.
Our time in the Sahara desert will be one to remember, not least because of our choice of camp, surrounded by changing sand dunes and the most incredible sunset and sunrise views. This is also one of the very few camps that are inside the desert and not at the edge, near roads like almost all the camps, and has a pool. This means no traffic, no crowds (we will be the only ones) and the beauty and silence you can only feel in the Sahara.
In Casablanca and Marrakech, we will stay at sleek 4* hotels with all the amenities and a pool to relax after a day out and about.
2 days in the Sahara Desert
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Almost always the number 1 highlight of the trip, the Sahara is stunning and that's why we spend 2 nights at our luxury desert camp.
We will learn about life in the desert, eat nomad's pizza and go on a 4x4 adventure in the dunes, in addition to a camel ride to an isolated view point for sunset drinks.
Artis and crafts
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We will visit many artisan workshops, cooperatives and studios to learn more about the crafts that make Morocco famous, from leather to weaving, rose oil to argan oil, from metal to pottery and everything else in between.
You may need to pay a new suitcase just with everything you will buy!
PS My bedroom at home is Moroccan decorated with lamps I purchased on my first trip back in 2009.
Henna party
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We will end the trip in Marrakech with a farewell henna party with an artist and small business owner turned activist for a chat about being a businesswoman in Morocco, single motherhood and expectations.
Our second podcast episode is all about the topics we started the podcast for. The difficult conversations that question things travelers take for granted, like how tourism companies work, how excursions are priced, who benefits from your travel spent, where the money you spend on souvenirs goes, etc.
This episode discusses how tourists can be more respectful of indigenous culture and avoid falling in tourism traps that are exploitative of the local communities and indigenous people.
I am joined by the host of our Oaxaca tours who rematriated from the US to start a business giving back indigenous Zapotec people their voice in tourism.
She works with 80 micro businesses to welcome guests into their homes where they share their ancestral knowledge with visitors. You can learn about black clay, wood carving, mezcal making, cooking, temazcal, textile dying and weaving, pottery and more.
When she started, she realised that the way tourist visits were set up they did not take into account the indigenous people; They were not allowed to explain their craft, instead, the guide spoke for them, and nobody ever asked them if they were happy with the arrangement, the only opinion that mattered was that of guests. Feedback was collected from visitors (did they have a good experience or not) but not from the small business owners.
They were not paid a fair price for their time and for sharing their craft, they instead had to push for a sale to make an income, and then had to split the money with the tour company who brought the guests and give them up to 50% of the sale value.
This is an honest and unfiltered conversation which I hope will bring you perspective and lots of questions for the next company you book an excursion with.
Check out all the details of the podcast here, listen to the episode and start following us [Solo Female Travelers Podcast] on your favorite podcast platform so you don't miss an episode:
Interesting travel news and conversations in the group:
Social wellness is the next trend. We don't travel to reset and focus on individual wellness experiences but rather to connect with others. Read here.
Five countries with a growing tourism interest in 2026. The first one is Egypt, which is seeing a 20% growth in visitors this year. Meg is currently there with our first group of the year. We have 2 more tours in November and December and have already welcomed more than 100 guests. Egypt is definitively having a moment and there is no doubt it is an amazing country to get to know. Read here.
Simple anti theft device that keeps your bag safe. See here.
Ryanair and Easyjet will soon have to allow passengers to carry a slightly larger personal item free of charge onboard. Read here.
Ryanair's list of destinations is shrinking this year as the airline continues its fight with airports on the fees they charge. See the full list of routes being dropped here.
India now makes mandatory e-arrival card for all visitors. More here.
Iceland will pay you $50,000 and an all expenses paid trip to take bad photos. The campaign tries to prove you can't take a bad photo of Iceland. Apply here.
I hope you are well wherever you are and that you have a great rest of the week.
SFT Co-Founders
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Solo Female Travelersโ C/ Europa 18 5-2, Sitges, 08870
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