We take the safety of our guests very seriously—at least as seriously as we take our own safety (since we are accompanying you!), if not more.

We are so proud of our 2016 Morocco itinerary, as we spent 6 weeks combing this gorgeous countries for the most engaging, captivating, and safe itinerary. The world can appear to be a scary place these days, but here are some of the reasons we feel completely confident visiting Morocco with our guests this year:

• To set the stage, know that Morocco is just as touristed as Japan (as of 2013, over 10, million tourists a year).

• As of this writing (January 21, 2016), the U.S. State Department has NO travel warnings issued for Morocco (ironically enough, it DOES have travel warnings issues for the country I am writing this in, Mexico!)  Here is the current list of travel alerts: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html

• Update May 2016: The most current Terrorism Risk map from AON, the largest insurance broker in the world, rates Morocco as a medium risk—the same as France, which is the most touristed country in the world):: http://www.riskmap.aon.co.uk/terrorism_risk_map.aspx (Note: That link now requires a free log-in, with a key sent to your email. If you do not wish to log in yourself, here is the current graphic as of May 2016. You’ll see that Morocco is rated the same risk or lower than our other destinations, such as India, Nepal, Peru, Ecuador, and even Bali.)

• In November 2015, The Telegraph published a map of where the Foreign Office deemed it safe for Britons to travel (found here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/11707687/Mapped-Where-in-the-world-is-safe-for-Britons.html) Morocco was in the safe zone, in the company of the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe, amongst other countries and areas.

• The Global Peace Index consistently ranks Morocco safer than the United States of America: http://static.visionofhumanity.org/#page/indexes/global-peace-index/2016

• Not only are we traveling nowhere near the Western Sahara (where there has been territorial conflict), but we are also not visiting any heavily touristed areas or cities where attacks could be targeted (as in any country…. e.g. Paris in France, NYC in the U.S., etc).  We do not visit Marrakesh, Rabat, Casablanca, and even Tangier.  We stay in small cities such as Asilah and Chefchaouen and we spend 2 nights in the desert outside Merzouga. We do spend time in Fez, but we will explore the medina as a group, and we certainly won’t be in any nightclubs, casinos, or governmental buildings.

• This trip to Morocco may be the first time our guests have traveled to a Muslim country, but be assured that Morocco has zero tolerance for extremism within its borders. To quote this Reuters article from June 2015, “Morocco’s ‘comprehensive counterterrorism strategy that includes vigilant security measures, regional and international cooperation, and counter-radicalization policies’ ‘effectively mitigated the risk of terrorism, according to the US Department of State’s recent Country Reports on Terrorism.” (source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSnMKWSpvJja+1e4+MKW20150623)

• Also, it may be helpful for you to look at current travel forums about people’s recent experiences in Morocco, such as this Fodor’s forum or this Lonely Planet forum. 

• Instead, what we want our guests to be vigilant about is the petty crime that you see the whole world over, including your vacations across the U.S.  We advise our guests to not wear flashy jewelry, not to walk alone at night, to be aware of their surroundings, etc—the usual precautions you would even take in your home town.