Feb. 18, 2026

Morocco on Purpose: How Intentional Travel Builds Better Money Habits and a Richer Life

Morocco on Purpose: How Intentional Travel Builds Better Money Habits and a Richer Life
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Season 2

What if your next trip could sharpen your money habits and clarify what matters most? Morocco travel expert Azdean Elmoustaquim of Destinations Morocco shares how intentional travel cuts planning stress and increases the real “return” on your experience. We’ll cover scam-smart medina navigation, avoiding cookie-cutter tours, and building a custom itinerary that fits your pace, your family, and your values.

Ask Good Questions is broadcast live Wednesdays at 6PM ET on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com). Ask Good Questions is viewed on Talk 4 TV (www.talk4tv.com).

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WEBVTT

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The topics and opinions expressed in the following show are

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solely those of the hosts and their guests and not

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those of W FOURCY Radio. It's employees are affiliates. We

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make no recommendations or endorsements for radio show programs, services,

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or products mentioned on air or on our web. No

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liability explicitor implies shall be extended to W FOURCY Radio

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or it's employees are affiliates. Any questions or comments should

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be directed to those show hosts. Thank you for choosing

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W FOURCY Radio.

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Welcome to to Ask Good Questions Podcasts, broadcasting live every Wednesday,

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six pm Eastern Time on W four CY Radio at

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w four cy dot com. This week and every week,

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we will reach for a higher purpose in money and life,

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as well as a focus on health and wellnent. Now,

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let's join your hosts, Banita Bell Anderson as together we

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start with Asking Good Questions.

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Hey, welcome to the Ask Good Questions podcast and you

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may be asking why is there a picture of the

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world behind her? Well, today we are going to do

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something a little bit different. This is going to be

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more of a travel with purpose type of podcast. And

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so with that, I would like to invite as Dean

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to the podcast stage. This is as Dean al Musta

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Kim Kim, I was close.

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That was perfect. Welcome, Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

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This is an amazing.

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This is great to have you here with us. It's

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not something I would have ever thought to do. So

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I'm glad that you reached out to me. Let me

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tell you a little bit about as Dean. He was

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born and raised in the Imperial City of Marrakesh, Morocco. Actually,

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I have been there. I was on a thing called

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World Campus Afloat in nineteen seventy three when I was

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in college and had somebody saying, hey, lady wins some Hashish.

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But I loved and I loved the market and everything.

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So we're going to talk about why would you want

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to go to Morocco. But his family, you know, like

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I said, he grew up there and after finishing school,

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he moved to the United States. I want to after

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I'm done with this, I want to hear why you

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moved to the United States. And he settled in Houston.

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So after a few years, his wife Kadija and he

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took their joy for Morocco and their passion for sharing

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their homeland and started a company called Destinations Morocco and

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they love sharing and creating customized travel itineraries to give

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you the Moroccan experience you're looking for. So, I, you know,

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I loved travel, and for anyone who's going to be

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watching this who loves to travel, I think there's a

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great opportunity to maybe think about here's something that you

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may not have thought about and why you would want

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to do this. So, as Dan, is there anything you'd

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like to add to that little intro?

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Oh that was amazing. I really really appreciate that. Thank

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you for having me as a guest. Now you did,

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you did amazing. So Morocco is very different. It's really

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unique destination and you know with thousands of years of

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layers of history culture, so it's it's definitely getting a

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lot more popular nowadays, you know in the US and

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North America versus a decade or so ago. So it's

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it's the perfect time to go to Morocco right now.

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And I, you know, I was like, oh, I can

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use I have this map on one of my walls

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in my apartment, and I thought I can use my

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map as my background. And so if I do my finger,

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there's Maroca. That's it right there, right there, right across

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right across the Atlantic. Yes, And when I went to Morocco,

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I went from Florida and the ship, you know, I

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can't tell you how many days it took, but the

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Atlantic was very rough. But it was really a you know,

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throw you into the middle of everything. And the US

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Ambassador to Morocco Medicine, you know, was there on board

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with as well, and we had lessons and everything about

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Morocco and then they set four hundred and fifty students

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free in Morocco for a couple of days.

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Well, I U back then. You know, Morocco has changed

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quite a bit at that time. It's it's gonna sound

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a little strange, but not a lot of people wouldn't

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visit Morocco unless they are invited. So and this is

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one of those reasons, because you would invite it because

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Morocco was really close to the outsiders. So it's it's

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something has to come up from above that somebody will

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go to Morocco and visit. So and it is very

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common now for people to ask you if you want

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some hashish back then, so it's it's it's just part

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of the culture.

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Well there was some there. There was one stupid kid

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who tried to take some back on the ship. Oh wow,

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guess what he didn't continue with them. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway,

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but to talk about some amazing things today, I want

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to start with what you you talk about intentional travel,

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and with everything you know, the majority of what I'm

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doing is financial topics and health and wellness topics. Travel,

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I feel for people is a fantastic use of their

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money if they have saved and if they want to

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experience the world. When you say intentional travel, what does

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it look like in real life?

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You know, travel Morocco is really for everybody who wants

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to travel to Morocco. You know, different ages, different types

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of travel solo travelers, family travelers, group travelers. But one

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thing that we have noticed is, you know us as humans,

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the mature will become, the older will become. We start

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to think more than just I'm just going to go

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see a destination, whether it's Egypt, Kenia, Tanzania or elsewhere.

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So I want to travel with a purpose. I want

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to have a menion. I want to leave a legacy.

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I want to leave something behind when I'm not around.

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So and that's something that you know, we started doing

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in the recent years and we do groups and travelers

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they go to Morocco and they really change lives. You know,

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they make donations in several donations actually throughout the tour

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in Morocco, and you know, to to them, it could

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be one hundred dollars, it could be five hundred dollars

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to which is not a lot if you really look

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at it in a way, but then the impact of

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that money on those families or those villages that they visit,

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it is massive. It is just beyond incredible. So you

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know that travel with purpose has a lot to do

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actually in my personal opinion, with age. So and we

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have you know, travelers going globally, traveling everywhere, Burita and

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they're building hospitals, they're building schools for girls in Kenya, Tanzania.

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So it's just it changes everything, you know, just because

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of travel.

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Right, and you know, money is just a tool. And

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I feel like if you have done a good job,

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and if you have and you're saying I want to

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most people will say, oh, I want to travel, well,

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to me, it only makes sense to travel with purpose.

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So why do you think Morocco is such a powerful

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place for values based travel.

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Because Morocco it has you know, when you visit Morocco,

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some things will make you laugh, some things will make

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you cry, but at the end of the day, you

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will live with memories that will resonate with you. They'll

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stay with you for the rest of the of your life, basically,

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And Morocco is a little bit unique and different because

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what makes really Morocco different than unique is the people

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of Morocco. Especially in twenty twenty five, we did the

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study what our travelers want to see an experience in Morocco,

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and we realized the number one experience is they won't

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have a lunch with the Berber family in the mountains

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or in the cave or in the desert or nomads.

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So and you know, to us it's just like, well,

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what do you mean, I don't really see the value.

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But I remember Rochelle and her husband when they went

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to the north side of Morocco and they went to

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a cave that that family has lived there for twenty

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nine generations. And you know, she did the Hotel of

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Morocco and shows like that experience really really changed me.

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It touched me. And it can be something like that

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for some people, it can be the desert, it can

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be the nomads, it can be you know, a similar experience.

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So those are the number one things that we need.

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People want to experience because they want to be involved

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with the community. They can go and see the hotels everywhere,

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they can go and see the nice cities, architecture and

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all that stuff. But again they want to really really

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get in touch with the locals and the local community

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and have that impact on the community and Morocco. Again,

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it's unique in the way the hospitality. It's it's within us.

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It's everybody's hospital Everybody smiles. Everybody even if they want

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to scam you, they still smile. You know, but you

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know that's such true. But you know, you see when

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you go to the villages, you it's something in you

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that says you cannot just you know, these people you're

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probably are not going to see ever again. And some

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people will will will donate, you know, ten dollars, five dollars,

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twenty dollars, but collectively, that's a massive impact in terms

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of you know, traveling with purpose. The other thing is

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we need if you look at the numbers for Morocco

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twenty nineteen was the best here to date for Morocco

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in terms of tourism. After the pandemic, when Morocco reopened,

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we didn't have any more busy seasons. It became busy

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all year around. Then twenty twenty two World Cup happens,

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and Morocco, I mean they got the best marketing for free.

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I mean globally everybody was talking about Morocco, the team,

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they played well and so forth, so everybody started, look

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where is Morocco. They started really getting interested in visiting Morocco.

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That happened, and then in twenty twenty four we had

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seventeen point four million, for the first time in history,

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I think since the Pharaohs, Morocco became the number one

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destination instead of Egypt. Again, twenty twenty five we did

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nineteen point eight million, and again the number one destination

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in Africa. So it's just it is beyond the incredible.

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Then when you go, I promise you, Benita, you will,

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you will absolutely give some money, will absolutely donate it.

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Just it's part of the culture. You feel it in

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your heart, you really really do so, And I think

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again that's what what's really unique about Morocco. When you go,

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you see you're having a good time, you're having an

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amazing experience. But then you say, hey, you know what,

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I'm going to invest in dollars. I'm going to give

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twenty dollars whatever it is. And I've seen it time

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and again and it just it really makes a huge difference.

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But well, what's the first decision that a traveler would okay, say, okay,

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I'm going to I'm going to go. What would be

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the first decision that a traveler should make to hopefully

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simplify everything.

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Else, Well, they should listen to our podcast. Yeah, number one,

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the number one because all the information is in one place,

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and I don't want to, you know, sound like biased.

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But the podcast we have over a handed episode and

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we talk about the good, the bad, and ugly when

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it comes to traveling to Morocco, you know, warring scans,

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what you look for, what you expect, you know, safety, culture,

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everything you know each city with talk about it individually.

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So I think homework is definitely needed, but that if

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you need somebody to help you and guide you through

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all of it from A to Z, then you can

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reach out to us. But for the most part, a

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lot of the listeners they listen to our podcast, but

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they know they can do it on their own. So

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because we have all the content that we add, the hotels,

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all the experiences. So but that's small percentage. They absolutely

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reach out to us and we take care of them.

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How how is someoney gonna you know, I would think

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that they would have to be thinking about what are

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my interests and so how are they going to translate

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those interests into a cohesive itinerary. If they were talking

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to you, I would imagine that would be your first

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thing that you would do would be to ask them,

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what are you interested in?

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One hundred percent You're absolutely right about it. So when

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we ask those questions, then they'll they'll give us a

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list that would say, hey, you know, we can do this.

225
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For example in Marakesh, we can do the hot balloon.

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00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:02.559
Here in Markesh, we can do the cooking class, and

227
00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:05.240
will give them options that the desert Markesh, we can

228
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do it in fast you know, anything that they want

229
00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:10.360
we can. We can direct them. If something is it

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is doable and possible, then we'll say yes, or if

231
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it's not. For example, they don't have enough time in

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Morocco and they want to do the North side of Morocco,

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then the desert is completely out because it's not enough

234
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driving time to experience it. So and basically we just

235
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help them make a better decision and help them plan

236
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the tour.

237
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So well, probably what's in the back of everyone's mind

238
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is safety. So what's the most common misconceptions that you

239
00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:42.799
see about safety in moroc.

240
00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:47.639
Also many safety is the one number one concern for

241
00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:50.120
a lot of troubles. The number two is what to wear?

242
00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:52.120
How do we address I don't want to, you know,

243
00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:56.240
disrespect the culture, but to go back to your point, Bunita,

244
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safety is definitely the number one. We talked about it

245
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many minutes and different episodes, but there's a study that's

246
00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:06.600
been done by New United States. Morocco is just as

247
00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:09.759
safe as most of European countries. It is level one

248
00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:12.440
in safety if you can look it up, you know

249
00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:16.480
the website. So it is very, very safe. And what

250
00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:19.519
a lot of people don't know until they get to Morocco.

251
00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:23.720
We have a system we call it checkpoints. In less

252
00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:27.080
than a mile, there's a checkpoint next to another checkpoint,

253
00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:29.480
and you'll see the you know, the sprinters with the

254
00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:32.919
police with their sign and logos and the cops are there,

255
00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:35.720
so there's a checkpoint less than a mile away from

256
00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:39.360
each other. Then we have the civilian police, then we

257
00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:43.279
have the tourism police, and they're watching everything, they're aware

258
00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:46.159
of everything. This is within the city. Then let's say

259
00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:49.039
you going from let's say marchest to Casablanca, which is

260
00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:51.159
two and a half hour drive. Then you have about

261
00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:54.159
four or five checkpoints that you have to stop and

262
00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:57.360
they have to search and ask. So it is really

263
00:14:57.440 --> 00:14:59.919
really safe. And the funny thing last time, when I

264
00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:02.759
visited a couple of months ago, I noticed I went

265
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on you know, normally we going in summers, there's no school,

266
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but this time I went to November, so there was school.

267
00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:10.720
And I've seen the kids crossing the streets and going,

268
00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:13.399
you know, a mile or so two miles to their school,

269
00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:16.679
back and forth, and they have no concern. They just

270
00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:20.360
they felt very free, they felt very safe crossing. And

271
00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:23.519
I mean they're eight, nine, ten years old. So that's

272
00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:27.000
really a really good indicator that Morocco is really really

273
00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:30.919
safe for travelers. And again because in tourism, tourists in Morocco,

274
00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:34.960
it's pretty big. It is, it's a big deal. Yeah,

275
00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.720
it's the number one, number two income for Moroccans if

276
00:15:37.720 --> 00:15:41.120
you would, and every family, just to give you an idea, Benita,

277
00:15:41.320 --> 00:15:44.200
every household has at least one or two people that

278
00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:48.759
are working directly or indirectly in the tourism industry. So

279
00:15:49.080 --> 00:15:52.159
and yeah, so it's it's very very interesting.

280
00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:57.440
Yeah, well we joked a little bit about scams. Yes,

281
00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:01.080
what are the top like what would you say, are

282
00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:05.679
the top rules about, you know, being smart around what

283
00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:07.840
somebody may be telling you.

284
00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:10.720
You know, everything would happen with a smile. And there's

285
00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:14.919
some there. They're by the hundreds, you know. I'll give

286
00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:16.720
you an example. You can be at the ATM machine,

287
00:16:16.759 --> 00:16:19.279
just went in together line to get some cash, and

288
00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:21.200
somebody will be waiting for you and say hey. You know,

289
00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:23.039
they'll show your badge and say, hey, I work for

290
00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:25.200
the city. The city pays me. You do on need

291
00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:28.919
to pay me anything. I'm here to help. Anything you need,

292
00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:31.080
I'm here to help. Then you get your money and

293
00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:33.200
say yeah, I need to go here. Oh I'll go

294
00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:35.120
with you. Let's go, and then he follows you and

295
00:16:35.159 --> 00:16:37.840
he shows you and then at the end he'll say

296
00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:42.159
hey baby, because they expect to get paid. So, you know,

297
00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:46.279
scams normally there's no really harm to you physically, but

298
00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:48.639
it's just your wallet. It can be a few bucks,

299
00:16:49.080 --> 00:16:51.360
you can be ten, twenty bucks, maybe a hundred bucks.

300
00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:54.759
And then the dangerous one and the big ones. They

301
00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:58.320
tend to happen around you know, the Medina, which is

302
00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:01.799
the narrow streets, and they'll take you to to like

303
00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:05.160
a bazaar or something. You know, basically they'll be turning

304
00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:07.559
around and around and around until you really don't know

305
00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:10.880
where you're at. Then you'll find yourself at a bazaar.

306
00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:15.160
Then you know, the people that are working there will

307
00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.480
show the doors and to goet to feel like a

308
00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:20.680
dark and scary. Then they start laying carpets for you

309
00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:24.640
to look at, and you know, I guess you will.

310
00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:27.680
You'll buy, So that's you know, those are the bad ones.

311
00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:30.839
So yeah, there's so many that you know. Some of

312
00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:34.200
the common scams and I'll talk about mark cash in

313
00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:36.680
the square is the hand that at that you ladies,

314
00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:39.079
you'll see them with the needles. They will chase you

315
00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:41.640
once they spray your hand. And sometimes you can be

316
00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:45.160
with some you know, not healthy stuff they expect you

317
00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:47.920
to pay. For example, you look at you know, the

318
00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:51.000
snake charmers, the monkey charmers. You'll see them if you

319
00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:53.160
take picture. They'll expect you to you know, a dollar,

320
00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:56.240
two dollars and stuff like that. So it's up to you.

321
00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:57.960
You can be scammed with a smile or you know,

322
00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:00.480
they'll get it out of you. Anyways. They'll be than you,

323
00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:04.720
so you might as well just enjoy it and take

324
00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:06.319
pictures with the snake or the monkey.

325
00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:10.200
So yeah, well, what do you think is the best

326
00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:14.799
way to handle the high pressure sales taxics? Probably I

327
00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:17.559
would think, you know, just be prepared for it, right.

328
00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:20.920
Yeah, just be prepared. And I always say the aim,

329
00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:25.279
which is acknowledge, ignore and move on and pretend not

330
00:18:25.359 --> 00:18:27.960
to understand anything. Because they speak to you at the

331
00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:31.279
same time in six seven different languages until you respond,

332
00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:37.480
and once you respond, you've done whoa, So just doing

333
00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:42.720
is fun. They'll talk to you, you know, Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, Italian,

334
00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:47.480
and once you say something then it's like hey American, Hey,

335
00:18:47.559 --> 00:18:48.640
nice to see you, and.

336
00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:54.519
Yeah, yeah, so you probably tell American a mile away.

337
00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:57.480
They actually do, because it's funny because they say the

338
00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:00.519
same thing to me when I when I going with

339
00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:03.359
a friend or shopping and said, yeah, you're either from

340
00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:06.720
Canada or the United States. And I always ask Ponita,

341
00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:09.039
how did you know that? They say you're nicer than

342
00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:14.880
the other ones, the other Moroccos that come from Europe.

343
00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:24.559
Right, Well, what can you tell about the trustworthiness of

344
00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:28.240
a guide or a driver versus someone who's just going

345
00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:31.119
to waste your time? How can you find somebody that

346
00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:35.160
you feel like you can trust to take care of you.

347
00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:37.799
That's a really, really good question. It is very easy

348
00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:40.519
to find somebody if you hire somebody prior to you

349
00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:44.039
going to Morocco obviously going to do some homework, just

350
00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:45.839
don't do it on the spot. If you have to

351
00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:48.240
do it on the spot. For example, one of the

352
00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:52.839
biggest scams. Taxis are globally the same in Morocco. Nowadays

353
00:19:52.839 --> 00:19:55.759
they've changed the system. If you get to an airport

354
00:19:55.799 --> 00:19:58.680
cause Ablanca, Marakesh, there's a kiosk that it paid. They

355
00:19:58.680 --> 00:20:00.519
give you a voucher that you go to the first

356
00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:04.000
taxi line and given the devarser you tell them you

357
00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:06.559
know that you know the location you're going to and

358
00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:10.240
it's there's no money exchange. So if you're staying at

359
00:20:10.279 --> 00:20:12.599
a hotel or real then you ask the RealD or

360
00:20:12.599 --> 00:20:14.519
the hotel to get you a cab. See if you

361
00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:18.000
can become kind of friendly with him, you know, even

362
00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:20.119
if he if it costs you a little bit more,

363
00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:23.680
but you know he's going to be reliable. So just

364
00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:28.319
saying maybe maybe five dollars extra or something, and don't

365
00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:30.480
you know, always stick to the mirror and say, hey,

366
00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:32.680
I'll pay you over the mirror, you know, an additional

367
00:20:32.839 --> 00:20:36.519
five dollars. Most fares are two dollars three dollars anyways.

368
00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:40.119
So and then to him, he's he's making twice or

369
00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:43.640
three times as much as he would make regularly. So

370
00:20:43.720 --> 00:20:46.839
it's it's good for both parties. Everybody really wins. And

371
00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:50.759
then't have the trust and reliability aspect on your side.

372
00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:56.960
So yeah, for sure, Well for some worried about getting lost,

373
00:20:57.480 --> 00:20:59.640
you know, you know, like you were talking about the

374
00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:05.440
tea and getting lost, what simple strategies could somebody have

375
00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:08.119
in the back of their mind that might reduce, you know,

376
00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:09.839
because the last thing you want to do is be

377
00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:12.319
anxious about you know, when you're on your trip.

378
00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:16.200
Absolutely, it's really easy to get lost, especially in the

379
00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:18.519
fast in the Medina. First, just give the listeners of

380
00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:22.920
the viewers an idea that are over nine thousand streets

381
00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:26.400
in downtown in the Medina in fast So getting lost

382
00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:29.759
is it's it's definitely it's going to be yeah, very

383
00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:32.880
very easy. Marcash. You definitely can get lost in the

384
00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:38.799
Medina as well. But just don't panic. Look at a landmark,

385
00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:41.400
you know, a high tower or a mask or something

386
00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:44.319
and remember it, or a post office or a bank

387
00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:47.160
and remember the name. So if you get lost, asked,

388
00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:49.480
but hey, do you know where you know? For example,

389
00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:52.920
could to be a mask because it's it's it's a

390
00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:55.200
landmark and everybody knows it. In people, it's easy for

391
00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:57.319
them to direct you to it, or say, hey, what

392
00:21:57.440 --> 00:21:59.880
is the postal office? There's only one postal office in

393
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.680
the square and they can direct you to it, or hey,

394
00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:05.319
where is the police station, which is the largest in markets.

395
00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:09.440
It's in the square, Gamin. So we just make that

396
00:22:09.559 --> 00:22:12.519
you know in your mind with the landmark, say okay,

397
00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:15.200
I'm here, I'm in the square. I'm going to go around.

398
00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:17.519
If forget lost, I need to ask somebody to bring

399
00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:19.960
him back to the front or to you know, the

400
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:23.440
police station or something like that. Just be prepared. If

401
00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:26.200
you get lost, don't panic, and just make sure you

402
00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:29.680
stay in a crowded area, ask somebody, and when they leave,

403
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:31.720
just walk a little bit and ask somebody else and

404
00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:34.640
see if it's the same direction. So that why you're

405
00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:37.440
getting the right direction to get out of that, you know,

406
00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:39.400
unfamiliar area that you're in.

407
00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:44.000
Right, So let me take a pause here, how what

408
00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:47.680
what brought you to the United States? Was nineteen right?

409
00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:50.880
Yes, that is correct. You know it's so funny, Bunita.

410
00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:55.240
I mean, I lived in raised in Morocco and we

411
00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:57.839
have a neighbor who came to the US to study

412
00:22:57.920 --> 00:23:01.240
and who was coming back the US. And I just say, hey,

413
00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:03.000
you know, I just want to go and say goodbye

414
00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:05.640
and have a safe chip. And then he was like, hey,

415
00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:07.440
you know, I can send you the I twenty, which

416
00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:11.720
is a document from the university that facilitates the process

417
00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:14.400
with the visa process for me to come to the US.

418
00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:17.559
It was a laung shot. I have never dreamt that

419
00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:20.880
I would come to the US. I have never thought

420
00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:24.440
I qualify and I didn't qualify by any means, so

421
00:23:25.720 --> 00:23:27.519
you know, and I said, yeah, sure. Then two weeks

422
00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:29.599
later his mom came in and she was like, hey,

423
00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:32.200
you know, he my son called and he really wants

424
00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:36.599
to send you the paperwork and said sure. So that

425
00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:39.799
was the beginning of it. And throughout the process. You

426
00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:42.559
know that all the requirements, I didn't do anything. His

427
00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:46.759
family did everything for me, including the bank account and

428
00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:48.960
all that stuff. All I had to do is just

429
00:23:49.079 --> 00:23:51.759
study English, which I did on my own for like

430
00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:54.559
forty days, and I prepared for the Toful test, which

431
00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:58.160
is test of English as a Foreign language. So I

432
00:23:58.200 --> 00:24:01.359
did really well on the test, which helped me with

433
00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:06.240
the visa. So I remember that day. It was busy day.

434
00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:09.160
But then just to student get the visa to the

435
00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:11.160
United States that day, I was one of them, uh

436
00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:14.759
somebody else, I don't remember who they were, but it's

437
00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:16.720
just two of us. So it was just it's it's

438
00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:20.200
a privilege, it's it's beyond the incredible. So you're taking

439
00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:21.839
it back, you know, three decades.

440
00:24:22.920 --> 00:24:26.960
Yeah, that's awesome. What amazing people, what they did for you.

441
00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:30.960
That's so cool, absolutely absolutely yeah.

442
00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:34.359
Well the cool thing about it too is that look

443
00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:36.960
at look at the service that you're giving. Now, you know,

444
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:40.319
having been born and raised there and no knowing the country,

445
00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:46.200
knowing the customs, and the value you bring four people

446
00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:48.480
that want to go visit there, I think that's amazing

447
00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:54.079
than you. So what you know, like a reality is

448
00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:54.799
like a hotel.

449
00:24:55.640 --> 00:24:59.839
It's somewhat yes and no, but real we refer to the.

450
00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:02.319
Tell me more about it, like what is that? Oh?

451
00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:07.799
Absolutely absolutely. If you look at at the Moroccan culture

452
00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:12.279
or a family structure, back in nineteen hundred, they used

453
00:25:12.279 --> 00:25:15.880
to live in extended families. You'll see the grandparents with

454
00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:19.279
their you know, sons and daughters, with their husbands and

455
00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:22.799
wives and their kids and grandkids, and they lived in

456
00:25:22.839 --> 00:25:26.119
the houses. They're pretty big, depending on how big family.

457
00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:28.400
Some of them will have one level, some will have

458
00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:31.759
two or three levels, and they call them royalts. So

459
00:25:31.960 --> 00:25:35.799
and typically every RealD is different. There's no two that

460
00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:39.640
are equal because they are built by a family member.

461
00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:44.240
And normally inside the realt, when you go inside from

462
00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:47.079
the outside, it just looks like like a wall. There's nothing,

463
00:25:47.160 --> 00:25:50.480
no windows, nothing, It just to explain. Then once you

464
00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:54.319
open the door, it just looks like a beautiful, beautiful courtyard,

465
00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:56.640
you know. And some they'll have banana trees, some have

466
00:25:56.720 --> 00:25:59.720
palm trees, but nowadays they have changed them to some

467
00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:03.519
areas they'll have a small swimming pool, a few tables,

468
00:26:03.559 --> 00:26:06.519
around to have breakfast. Then some will have like a

469
00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:09.200
rooftop where you can also have breakfast, dinner, or just

470
00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:12.279
enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. So and those

471
00:26:12.559 --> 00:26:14.759
that's what the reality is called. So that's why when

472
00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:17.960
you travel to Morocco, especially in a small group or

473
00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:22.079
not big group, you can still stay in those realits

474
00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:26.839
and have that really really intimate experience because the hotel

475
00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:29.839
they almost feel the same anywhere you go. And also

476
00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:33.319
Morocco has over two hundred international brands just in case

477
00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:35.240
if you wanted to stay at a hotel.

478
00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:40.960
Well, but so the realt would most likely be run

479
00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:42.880
by a family most.

480
00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:45.480
Of the time. Yes, yes, the family owns it unless

481
00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:47.240
somebody like that.

482
00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:50.839
Would be the way to go in my in my absormation. Absolutely,

483
00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:57.359
So what are so let's talk about cost? What are

484
00:26:57.440 --> 00:27:01.279
a few hidden cost traps in more I can travel

485
00:27:01.319 --> 00:27:06.920
like transport or tips or shopping or tours. What should

486
00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:11.160
you plan for? How do you how do you approach that?

487
00:27:11.160 --> 00:27:13.839
That's a good question, really really good question. It just

488
00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:18.079
it depends if you're going by yourself. Again, do your homework,

489
00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:22.880
do your research about the accommodations. The transportation can be

490
00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:28.640
very tricky, you know, public transportation versus private. I because

491
00:27:28.640 --> 00:27:30.960
of my domain, I always go with the private because

492
00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:33.839
it costs more, but it actually costs you less in

493
00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:37.400
terms of time, so you're saving a lot of time.

494
00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:40.839
So then if you know a travel agent that can

495
00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:43.440
can help you, or a tour operator that can help you,

496
00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:47.880
somebody like us, then we do everything for you. You

497
00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:51.519
know how much to budget on your trip. The accommodation

498
00:27:51.720 --> 00:27:56.000
is going to be probably the first or the second

499
00:27:56.400 --> 00:28:01.160
biggest expense. If you choose to do transportation throughout, that's

500
00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:04.160
going to be a really a price as well. So

501
00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:06.960
those are the two that really can can add to

502
00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:10.440
your cost. The food is not really much in Morocco.

503
00:28:10.839 --> 00:28:13.880
It's it's really decent. It's a good, good quality of

504
00:28:13.960 --> 00:28:17.240
good price in terms of food. So those are the

505
00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:19.839
two things that I would say to watch out for

506
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.079
because your stay can can can be from probably ninety

507
00:28:24.119 --> 00:28:26.720
dollars to five hundreds or one thousand dollars per night

508
00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:29.240
or even more. So that's you know, you just don't

509
00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:31.839
what you want to be, so you can still be

510
00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:35.599
in you know, in a hundred dollars boom for a couple,

511
00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:39.240
which is much much better and good customer service versus

512
00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:42.319
staying out a five star hotel with you know, not

513
00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:44.440
really good service. You're just paying for the brand.

514
00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:50.480
So right, Yeah, well, you know a lot of times

515
00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:54.920
I love being spontaneous, but at the same time I

516
00:28:55.039 --> 00:29:01.079
like structure. How would you say balanced spontaneity with having structure.

517
00:29:03.160 --> 00:29:05.680
What are the things that are important to have structure

518
00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:07.480
with and what are the things that you think that

519
00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:09.160
you could be more spontaneous with.

520
00:29:10.119 --> 00:29:12.559
You know, if if you hire a tour company or

521
00:29:12.599 --> 00:29:18.079
somebody who helps you throughout, there should be some structure.

522
00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:20.559
I would say, especially you know in the morning, first

523
00:29:20.599 --> 00:29:23.519
half of the day, then the second half, then the night.

524
00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:27.119
Nighttime shouldn't be literally in a structure because you want

525
00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:30.799
to keep it open. Because even you're traveling, you're in

526
00:29:30.920 --> 00:29:33.799
John Morocco with your family, you still want to feel like, hey,

527
00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:35.920
you know, I want to do something on our own.

528
00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:37.880
I'm going to walk to the medina, I want to

529
00:29:37.920 --> 00:29:39.599
do this, I want to do that, or you know,

530
00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:41.799
we just we just want to have lunch here or

531
00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:45.240
dinner hair on our own, not you know, planned by

532
00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:48.160
you or booked by you or reserved by yourself. Yes,

533
00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:50.160
you can do that, but it's it's going to be

534
00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:52.799
half and half. You know, we don't plan everything from

535
00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:55.240
the moment, you know, the guest wakes up until they

536
00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:57.920
go to bed. But you know, we just we do

537
00:29:58.400 --> 00:29:59.920
some of it and then we keep a little bit

538
00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:02.839
open so they have the flexibility if they want to,

539
00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:06.079
you know, get some time off, just enjoy others company.

540
00:30:06.119 --> 00:30:09.279
They don't want to be bothered with us, with anybody else. Yeah,

541
00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:11.640
you can definitely do that, but it is absolutely the

542
00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:12.240
right way to go.

543
00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:17.000
Bunita, What what would what would a typical day look like?

544
00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:20.880
With with that having been said, what would a great

545
00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:23.400
day look like in Morocco?

546
00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:27.119
So many different ways. I'll give you an example. Let's say,

547
00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:30.400
let's hear mar Gosh. You know, breakfast is included in

548
00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:35.720
all your states. You'll have breakfast first. Then we'll have

549
00:30:35.799 --> 00:30:37.960
something planned for you. For example, we'll take you to

550
00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:42.039
the Behia Palace, will take you to to Marjorial Garden

551
00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:46.079
via self Garden, and then we can take you, you know,

552
00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:48.920
for lunch. And then after lunch you can just say, hey,

553
00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:50.920
you know, I just want to walk into the Medina

554
00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:53.480
and just do a little bit of shopping on my own. Uh,

555
00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:56.279
And then we'll, we'll, we'll, we'll set up a place

556
00:30:56.319 --> 00:30:59.119
to meet for example, then you go and do your thing.

557
00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:01.079
You came back with you up and we take you

558
00:31:01.160 --> 00:31:03.599
get some rest adria and say, hey, you know what

559
00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:05.839
today I want to do have mam experience or a

560
00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:08.039
massage that we can book it for you, or we'll

561
00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:12.240
take you to the spa. It takes forty five minutes

562
00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:15.640
for each experience, so probably two hours, and then we'll

563
00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:17.079
take you back to the Red and say, hey, you

564
00:31:17.079 --> 00:31:18.960
know what, I just want to have a dinner at

565
00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:20.640
the read I don't want to feel like going out,

566
00:31:20.759 --> 00:31:23.200
or you know what, can you book me dinner? I

567
00:31:23.240 --> 00:31:25.799
need a dinner reservation with the show, and I really

568
00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:29.000
feel like having some really authentic Moroket experience, and then

569
00:31:29.079 --> 00:31:30.839
we'll do that as well. So but you have the

570
00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:33.839
current driver available to you. We don't set a time

571
00:31:33.920 --> 00:31:35.680
and say hey, you know it's twelve hours or you

572
00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:38.279
know we charge you. You know, it's just open to you.

573
00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:41.720
You have it to use it anytime. So that way

574
00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:44.759
you're still feeling the itentery is there, but it can

575
00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:49.039
still make changes as you see the feature schedule.

576
00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:53.759
So right, okay, so let's talk about shopping a little bit.

577
00:31:54.319 --> 00:31:57.599
So we've been, we've talked, we've kind of screwed it

578
00:31:57.640 --> 00:32:00.519
around this a little bit. What what's the best advice

579
00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:06.359
for going shopping? And like the whole bargaining thing. What

580
00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:08.480
do you tell your what do you tell clients? What

581
00:32:08.519 --> 00:32:10.599
do you tell people about going and shopping?

582
00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:14.559
I always say go and shopping. You have to understand,

583
00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:17.039
it's part of the culture. It's like having a cup,

584
00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:19.599
you know, a cup of coffee with a friend. You know, I.

585
00:32:21.079 --> 00:32:23.200
Got a deal just for you. Yes.

586
00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:25.759
Yes, If they tell you ten dollars and you pay

587
00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:29.119
ten dollars, they are disappointed. They don't want you to

588
00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:33.799
pay ten dollars. They want you to go back and

589
00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:35.839
forth and to get back and forth and then pretend

590
00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:38.000
like you're mad and you're storming off the store and

591
00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:40.440
they have to beg you and come back. And you know,

592
00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:43.400
that's that's the experience that they want, and that's you know,

593
00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:45.759
it makes them feel like, you know, you know, the

594
00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:51.960
two dollars profit was worth it. You know what I'm saying, Yes,

595
00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:56.279
don't don't pay whatever price they give you. I used

596
00:32:56.319 --> 00:33:00.400
to say, you know, for me, no, I do trust me.

597
00:33:00.519 --> 00:33:04.640
Last time I went because the airline that I went

598
00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:06.839
with only allows one one luggage and I had to

599
00:33:06.839 --> 00:33:11.119
buy an extra luggage because I bought stuff. And I

600
00:33:11.160 --> 00:33:13.519
went to the guy and I had to negotiate and

601
00:33:14.680 --> 00:33:18.599
he gave me. He said seven hundred dreams and I said, no,

602
00:33:18.680 --> 00:33:21.200
I'll give you four hundred dreams. And this is honest,

603
00:33:21.279 --> 00:33:23.799
the truth. I was like, oh no, no, no, that's

604
00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:27.200
that's too low. I never sell anything like that. I said, look,

605
00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:30.000
you know you can say whatever, this is what I'm

606
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:32.000
going to pay you. Oh no, no, no, just pay

607
00:33:32.119 --> 00:33:34.400
an additional fifty dealer and I was like, no, this

608
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:36.799
is my price and he was like, no, I can

609
00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:38.920
I do it and said, okay, I'll just I just

610
00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:41.200
walked to the next guy and I was walking out

611
00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:47.039
and it's like, okay, we come back, come back. Yestly,

612
00:33:47.039 --> 00:33:49.559
it's just the same anywhere you really go. But again,

613
00:33:49.640 --> 00:33:52.440
it's funny. It's part of the culture. Don't be upset

614
00:33:52.480 --> 00:33:55.759
if you know they they seem like they're overcharging you,

615
00:33:56.279 --> 00:33:59.200
and just they do that to everybody, probably to their

616
00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:04.799
own siblings. So don't take it personal. Okay.

617
00:34:04.839 --> 00:34:10.920
So next little little piece I'm thinking about, like mixtages,

618
00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:16.280
kids teams, the parents. How how are you going to

619
00:34:16.320 --> 00:34:19.320
design a Morocco trip so that everyone is happy?

620
00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:20.960
You actually don't.

621
00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:27.239
You let the kids do whatever they want, because if

622
00:34:27.280 --> 00:34:31.840
they are not happy, good luck to you right now.

623
00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:34.679
On a serious note, you know we've had it before.

624
00:34:34.719 --> 00:34:38.639
It's multi gen, you know, family, and we always base

625
00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:41.679
it on the kids. I remember this very vividly with

626
00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:45.199
the family, the teenage because they wanted to go shopping,

627
00:34:45.199 --> 00:34:47.119
but the parents they wanted to go to the museum.

628
00:34:47.440 --> 00:34:49.519
So we were able to split them, have an additional

629
00:34:49.559 --> 00:34:52.480
car with a guide. Then the drivers stay with them

630
00:34:52.599 --> 00:34:54.760
with the kids. So the way they are protected and

631
00:34:54.800 --> 00:34:56.519
they have a dog supervision.

632
00:34:57.400 --> 00:35:01.079
So I would want a biker, Oh yeah, leave them

633
00:35:01.079 --> 00:35:03.440
in No, I can't imagine.

634
00:35:04.119 --> 00:35:06.239
So and they had really a really good time, and

635
00:35:06.280 --> 00:35:09.679
then the girl was very happy because you know the

636
00:35:09.719 --> 00:35:12.679
thing about Morocco. Once you go to the market, I

637
00:35:12.800 --> 00:35:15.840
swear to you, things they get stuck on your hand,

638
00:35:15.840 --> 00:35:18.000
they get stuck on your shoulder. You don't even look

639
00:35:18.039 --> 00:35:20.599
at things, and you end up buying stuff. You don't

640
00:35:20.599 --> 00:35:23.840
know how they got there. It's just you would absolutely

641
00:35:23.880 --> 00:35:26.119
buy things. It's just you cannot say no. I mean

642
00:35:26.159 --> 00:35:29.199
everything looks so enticing, and very pretty.

643
00:35:29.320 --> 00:35:33.800
So yeah, well, what would you say when I want

644
00:35:33.800 --> 00:35:36.719
you to see if you can think of a time

645
00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:40.920
when like an immersion moment where a traveler felt like

646
00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:44.400
a welcome guest instead of a tourist. Can you think

647
00:35:44.440 --> 00:35:46.719
of a time when somebody really felt like they were

648
00:35:46.719 --> 00:35:47.679
getting into it?

649
00:35:47.840 --> 00:35:50.719
Oh my gosh, yes, so many occasions. I remember so

650
00:35:50.719 --> 00:35:54.000
many travelers that we helped. It's so funny. I talked

651
00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:57.679
about this all the time. I remember Pablo and his

652
00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:02.119
wife Harmony. They they did five days with us. They

653
00:36:02.159 --> 00:36:04.960
stayed in Morocco for eighteen days. They did five days

654
00:36:04.960 --> 00:36:07.639
with us, I think or six something like that. We

655
00:36:07.719 --> 00:36:10.480
picked them up in fasts, they did the desert and

656
00:36:10.519 --> 00:36:13.039
then we dropped them off in Markesh. But then they

657
00:36:13.079 --> 00:36:16.760
were going to Sawara and do other stuff. But the

658
00:36:16.800 --> 00:36:19.519
funny thing we did, we did an episode with Pablo

659
00:36:19.559 --> 00:36:22.159
and you know, sometimes you know how this goes. You know,

660
00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:24.880
the episode airs for thirty minutes, but we talked behind

661
00:36:24.880 --> 00:36:27.679
the scenes for like two hours, and that's exactly what happened.

662
00:36:28.119 --> 00:36:31.519
And he said, this woman, I remember very vividly one

663
00:36:31.559 --> 00:36:33.519
thing he said, I wish I booked the whole tour

664
00:36:33.599 --> 00:36:36.519
with you, because in those five days we were able

665
00:36:36.599 --> 00:36:38.960
to see what we could not see in the other

666
00:36:39.039 --> 00:36:43.559
thirteen days. So and again going back to the time

667
00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:47.800
versus what you're paying. So, yes, when people are traveling

668
00:36:47.840 --> 00:36:50.079
to Morocco, there are money conscious. They don't want to

669
00:36:50.119 --> 00:36:52.119
overspend and all that stuff. But then again you look

670
00:36:52.159 --> 00:36:55.199
at what the cost. So Morocco is now Europe, it's

671
00:36:55.239 --> 00:36:59.440
not Francis, it's not Italy. It's a bucket list, you know, destination.

672
00:36:59.559 --> 00:37:01.239
So you go to it, you do it the right way,

673
00:37:01.280 --> 00:37:05.079
and you move on. That's it. So and that's the

674
00:37:05.159 --> 00:37:07.480
number one thing that he said. And I remember then

675
00:37:07.519 --> 00:37:11.199
the second part he said to me, and I will

676
00:37:11.239 --> 00:37:13.239
never forget it. He said that I felt like I

677
00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:16.960
was traveling with a friend, you know, because I remember

678
00:37:18.159 --> 00:37:21.920
it is it is priceless, because that's the whole intent.

679
00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:25.440
Because I cannot take the credit for it. But again

680
00:37:25.519 --> 00:37:29.320
it's we are hospitable people, and you know, people they

681
00:37:29.360 --> 00:37:31.840
can see it, whether you're genuine or not genuine, they

682
00:37:31.880 --> 00:37:34.760
can they can read you. So and with Pablo, it

683
00:37:34.840 --> 00:37:38.880
was very clear, very vivid. So and and this is

684
00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:41.480
for most people when they go to Moroco, that's the

685
00:37:41.559 --> 00:37:44.079
experience that they live with. That they have gone to

686
00:37:44.119 --> 00:37:47.000
Morocco and they were with friends or a family member

687
00:37:47.079 --> 00:37:49.679
versus just a tourist traveling throughout Morocco.

688
00:37:50.519 --> 00:37:54.920
Right, awesome, Well, you've hosted, you know, over one hundred

689
00:37:54.920 --> 00:37:59.360
podcast episodes and do you hear any patterns that in

690
00:37:59.599 --> 00:38:04.159
travel stories that you know? What do you what do

691
00:38:04.239 --> 00:38:08.079
you see as recurring themes from doing all these episodes

692
00:38:08.079 --> 00:38:09.039
that you've done about this?

693
00:38:09.599 --> 00:38:14.599
Uh? Well, his I always say price versus value, you know,

694
00:38:15.400 --> 00:38:18.119
we we start with the discovery call when people reach

695
00:38:18.159 --> 00:38:21.239
out to us, and we're very very grateful, and we

696
00:38:21.360 --> 00:38:23.840
help them make a decision if we are the right

697
00:38:23.840 --> 00:38:26.119
fit for them, But at the same time, we make

698
00:38:26.159 --> 00:38:28.199
a decision if they are the right fit for us.

699
00:38:28.280 --> 00:38:31.000
We don't say yes to everybody. That I'm being very

700
00:38:31.119 --> 00:38:38.000
very honest, because what you're paying for is something I

701
00:38:38.079 --> 00:38:40.199
know you will probably forget how much you paid for

702
00:38:40.239 --> 00:38:42.960
that tour in two months. But then when you're taking

703
00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:46.320
away is the experiences, the memories that stays with you

704
00:38:46.400 --> 00:38:49.360
for a lifetime. And I remember very clearly I asked

705
00:38:49.480 --> 00:38:52.519
this two specific questions to Max when she did an

706
00:38:52.519 --> 00:38:56.280
episode with us. She's from la and then to Rachel,

707
00:38:56.320 --> 00:39:00.239
she's from Dallas, and I remember throughout the you know,

708
00:39:00.280 --> 00:39:03.719
the process and building the itinerary. I remember Max she

709
00:39:03.800 --> 00:39:08.320
said this is expensive, and I remember Rachel saying the

710
00:39:08.320 --> 00:39:11.119
same thing. But then after everything is done, I asked

711
00:39:11.199 --> 00:39:13.679
them again, do you remember when before we travel tomorrow?

712
00:39:13.719 --> 00:39:16.719
And he said this is expensive? And it's like, yes,

713
00:39:16.800 --> 00:39:19.159
I remember that, and I said, how do you feel now?

714
00:39:19.280 --> 00:39:23.079
She was like it was worth every penny And again,

715
00:39:23.159 --> 00:39:26.800
that's that's really prices because we don't we're not at

716
00:39:26.960 --> 00:39:30.480
price buyers. We don't sell price from say hey we

717
00:39:30.559 --> 00:39:32.719
are cheaper than this, or cheaper that are the company,

718
00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:35.159
or to a company or agent or this. No, but

719
00:39:35.320 --> 00:39:37.320
we know what we do. Everything we do, we do

720
00:39:37.360 --> 00:39:41.280
it from the heart and the community that you're helping.

721
00:39:41.880 --> 00:39:43.760
You know, when you go to Morocco and you see

722
00:39:43.960 --> 00:39:47.480
those faces, those emotions, the joy that you put in

723
00:39:47.519 --> 00:39:50.639
those people, whether they are wid those single parents or

724
00:39:50.679 --> 00:39:53.320
those women's co op that you're helping with the donations

725
00:39:53.320 --> 00:39:56.159
that you know you're giving away to, you know, people

726
00:39:56.159 --> 00:39:59.000
that are being infected by the earthquake or by the

727
00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:02.119
floods or whatever the cause and reason. You're like, you

728
00:40:02.119 --> 00:40:04.519
know what this is, this is a really really good investment.

729
00:40:04.880 --> 00:40:08.199
You know, four thousand, three thousand, five thousand doesn't seem

730
00:40:08.920 --> 00:40:13.280
important anymore so, and that's that's basically what we do.

731
00:40:13.440 --> 00:40:16.599
So you know, when when we build an itinerary, we

732
00:40:16.679 --> 00:40:19.760
don't I honestly have no idea what the cost is

733
00:40:19.840 --> 00:40:23.239
going to be because I'm focusing on the experiences because

734
00:40:23.239 --> 00:40:25.239
that's exactly what you want. You want to feel this,

735
00:40:25.280 --> 00:40:27.840
you want to experience this. But then the cost on

736
00:40:27.960 --> 00:40:30.920
the price comes later. Then it's like, okay, well here's

737
00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:32.840
here's here's what the cost is. But then this is

738
00:40:32.840 --> 00:40:35.039
what you're going to see and what you're going to experience.

739
00:40:35.280 --> 00:40:37.920
So and it's it's been, it's been incredible.

740
00:40:38.400 --> 00:40:44.239
So well, that sounds awesome. I'm thinking let's let's tie

741
00:40:44.320 --> 00:40:47.000
up a little bit of the financial aspect of this,

742
00:40:49.159 --> 00:40:53.239
getting back to the whole idea of intentional travel. How

743
00:40:53.280 --> 00:40:56.320
do you feel like that can stres you know, strengthen

744
00:40:56.639 --> 00:40:59.800
like your money muscles, if you want to call it that,

745
00:41:00.719 --> 00:41:04.639
like clarity, like clarity around what you're going to spend,

746
00:41:04.800 --> 00:41:09.480
restraint and spending that's aligned with your values. I'm just

747
00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:14.559
thinking most people like to feel good about what they're spending. Yes,

748
00:41:14.920 --> 00:41:18.440
And I think really maybe part of the answer is

749
00:41:20.199 --> 00:41:26.239
the value people don't they put don't the experience creates

750
00:41:26.280 --> 00:41:29.239
the value that that comes out of the whole thing.

751
00:41:29.480 --> 00:41:35.960
Oh, absolutely one. So you know, when we talk about donation,

752
00:41:36.599 --> 00:41:39.400
it can be you know, used clothes, it can be

753
00:41:39.719 --> 00:41:43.880
you know, school supplies, it can be anything that people

754
00:41:44.039 --> 00:41:46.920
would normally disregard here in the US. And you know,

755
00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:51.760
the last tre we did, we had you know, the group,

756
00:41:51.920 --> 00:41:54.760
we had twenty one you know travelers and the stubs

757
00:41:54.800 --> 00:41:56.880
they made, I mean it was just for me. It

758
00:41:56.920 --> 00:41:59.559
was just mind blowing. And we did the same thing.

759
00:41:59.599 --> 00:42:01.599
But we just don't talk about it because I I

760
00:42:01.800 --> 00:42:04.119
you know, we all come from villages and we all

761
00:42:04.159 --> 00:42:06.440
have families and neighbors and all that stuff to help

762
00:42:06.480 --> 00:42:08.960
them support when we can, and it's just an amazing,

763
00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:13.800
amazing opportunity. And again when when people do budget for

764
00:42:13.840 --> 00:42:18.199
this and it's not really big budget. Again, I'll give

765
00:42:18.239 --> 00:42:22.079
you just an example. During the earthquake a few years ago,

766
00:42:23.039 --> 00:42:26.119
we set up some families in my village. We put

767
00:42:26.119 --> 00:42:29.280
them on on on a peril. We did a campaign

768
00:42:29.360 --> 00:42:30.920
and a lot of people helped, you know, some of

769
00:42:30.920 --> 00:42:33.679
the travelers that when with us, they they helped some

770
00:42:33.719 --> 00:42:36.960
of the listeners to the podcast helped. So we collected

771
00:42:36.960 --> 00:42:40.320
some money and we were able to support ten families,

772
00:42:40.599 --> 00:42:43.000
you know, for a few months. And you know, it's

773
00:42:43.079 --> 00:42:45.480
it's the grandma that you know, she cannot work, she's

774
00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:47.840
too old to work, but she has two grandkids that

775
00:42:47.920 --> 00:42:49.480
they need to go to school. They need this, and

776
00:42:49.519 --> 00:42:51.760
they need that. So we were able to do that

777
00:42:51.800 --> 00:42:55.079
for two months, you know, supporting that many families, it

778
00:42:55.159 --> 00:42:58.039
is beyond the incredible. But then again it's it's really

779
00:42:58.079 --> 00:43:00.559
not a lot of money. You know, in the village's

780
00:43:00.880 --> 00:43:04.159
one hundred dollars, one hundred and fifty dollars. It's a

781
00:43:04.320 --> 00:43:07.760
lot of money. So yeah, so if you look at

782
00:43:07.760 --> 00:43:10.159
it for me, you know, I'm in Houston, I want

783
00:43:10.159 --> 00:43:12.440
to go for a drink. It's the weeknd. Me and

784
00:43:12.480 --> 00:43:14.400
my friend. It's probably gonna cost me the same thing,

785
00:43:14.920 --> 00:43:16.519
but we don't look at it that way. But then

786
00:43:16.639 --> 00:43:20.360
you know, even you know, buying Starbucks, you know, costed

787
00:43:20.559 --> 00:43:23.079
in bucks, but then collectively a month, that's the same thing.

788
00:43:23.599 --> 00:43:27.559
So the money goes really, really really long way. And

789
00:43:27.599 --> 00:43:31.559
then you know the funny thing when people travel with purpose,

790
00:43:31.679 --> 00:43:34.480
they want to come back because they have invested. I

791
00:43:34.519 --> 00:43:38.280
remember the group that I went with in Morocco, they

792
00:43:38.320 --> 00:43:42.280
did something in Kenya. You know, I think it was

793
00:43:42.320 --> 00:43:47.599
a school for girls. So the project, you know, the city,

794
00:43:47.679 --> 00:43:51.000
the mayor, they finished it, so they needed them to

795
00:43:51.039 --> 00:43:53.679
go back to Kenya so they can you know, thank

796
00:43:53.719 --> 00:43:56.239
them and say, hey, you know your investment has you know,

797
00:43:56.679 --> 00:43:57.280
which is.

798
00:43:57.159 --> 00:43:59.719
Over on the other side of the continent.

799
00:44:00.039 --> 00:44:03.440
Absolutely, and it's just trust me. And once you once

800
00:44:03.480 --> 00:44:06.599
you start traveling this way and again, these things they

801
00:44:06.599 --> 00:44:08.760
come with age. You know, in my twin is I

802
00:44:08.760 --> 00:44:11.320
didn't think this is I would never do this, I

803
00:44:11.320 --> 00:44:14.800
would never give something. I never travel with a local god.

804
00:44:14.880 --> 00:44:17.199
But then you got to a certain age and I

805
00:44:17.239 --> 00:44:19.199
experienced items like you know what, this is the right

806
00:44:19.199 --> 00:44:22.599
way to travel. So you know, it's just it makes

807
00:44:22.599 --> 00:44:25.159
a huge difference. And once you donate, once you help,

808
00:44:25.639 --> 00:44:27.679
you know, it stays with you anywhere you go. You

809
00:44:27.719 --> 00:44:29.960
go to Vietnam, you go to Thailand, you go to India,

810
00:44:29.960 --> 00:44:32.400
you go to Bangalades. Will help. It doesn't matter how

811
00:44:32.440 --> 00:44:35.679
small that help is. It becomes part of you. It's

812
00:44:35.840 --> 00:44:38.840
it becomes part of your DNA. So and it's it's

813
00:44:38.920 --> 00:44:39.639
just incredible.

814
00:44:39.920 --> 00:44:42.599
But I would agree, I would say that, you know,

815
00:44:42.679 --> 00:44:45.880
for me, I on the trips that I'm planning now,

816
00:44:46.440 --> 00:44:48.960
Like right now we're not planning any trips because we're

817
00:44:49.000 --> 00:44:53.440
doing service in Hawaii, but I am wanting to Yes,

818
00:44:53.719 --> 00:44:55.800
there is something. I'm just like, I don't want to

819
00:44:55.840 --> 00:44:58.079
just go sit. I want to go help.

820
00:44:58.519 --> 00:44:58.719
Yeah.

821
00:44:59.159 --> 00:45:01.079
So I think that that is something that a lot

822
00:45:01.079 --> 00:45:02.679
of people are saying yes.

823
00:45:02.440 --> 00:45:05.519
And it's so funny. I thought of a story a

824
00:45:05.559 --> 00:45:07.639
few years ago I did. I did a podcast with

825
00:45:08.119 --> 00:45:13.400
Nancy Grand Nancy Grant, she's Canadian, and she she went

826
00:45:13.440 --> 00:45:15.880
to Morocco, and you know, she was like, hey, I

827
00:45:15.880 --> 00:45:19.360
want to come on. Actually invited her. She wanted to

828
00:45:19.360 --> 00:45:22.079
come to the podcast and talk about her experience. She

829
00:45:22.119 --> 00:45:24.119
went with a different company to Morocco, but she had

830
00:45:24.119 --> 00:45:27.119
an amazing, amazing time. So we talked, you know about

831
00:45:27.119 --> 00:45:30.840
that experience. And then the earthquake happened, you know, in

832
00:45:31.159 --> 00:45:34.559
twenty September twenty twenty three. She was in Canada and

833
00:45:34.599 --> 00:45:37.320
we were you know, in contact. It was just it

834
00:45:37.360 --> 00:45:40.440
was just really, really, really bad, and she was like,

835
00:45:40.480 --> 00:45:42.800
you know, I want to do something. I feel that

836
00:45:42.840 --> 00:45:44.519
I want to do something, but I don't know what

837
00:45:44.559 --> 00:45:47.239
to do. So she really quit her job, she moved

838
00:45:47.239 --> 00:45:50.039
to Morocco and she lived in Morocco and she was

839
00:45:50.159 --> 00:45:54.599
just donating her time to one of the associations, you know,

840
00:45:54.639 --> 00:45:58.519
with the girls and schools in the House area, which

841
00:45:58.559 --> 00:46:00.239
is in the outskirts of Markesh, which is one of

842
00:46:00.320 --> 00:46:03.559
the worst areas hit by the earthquake and it's still

843
00:46:03.760 --> 00:46:06.519
suffering because of it. The recovery is very slow in

844
00:46:06.519 --> 00:46:09.920
that region. So, you know, years we're back and forth,

845
00:46:09.960 --> 00:46:11.639
and every time I go to Morocco, we get to meet,

846
00:46:11.719 --> 00:46:15.280
have dinner or have lunch, and we talk, probably in

847
00:46:15.360 --> 00:46:19.320
terms of collaborating at some point. So and this time,

848
00:46:19.480 --> 00:46:21.440
when the group of the travelers say, hey, you know

849
00:46:21.480 --> 00:46:24.360
we're coming to Morocco. We have donations and we need

850
00:46:24.480 --> 00:46:29.239
some red parable places or people to donate to. I

851
00:46:29.280 --> 00:46:31.679
reached out to her. She was like, absolutely, I would

852
00:46:31.719 --> 00:46:34.719
love that, and she was very creatious, super super nice.

853
00:46:35.599 --> 00:46:38.880
When we met, it was December time, but school was

854
00:46:38.960 --> 00:46:43.280
out because of the holiday season. However, we met briefly.

855
00:46:44.199 --> 00:46:47.960
She got all the gifts, and then you know, the

856
00:46:48.039 --> 00:46:50.079
group of the travels they came back to the Ys

857
00:46:50.159 --> 00:46:53.000
and most of them from the Caribbeans. I came back

858
00:46:53.039 --> 00:46:57.079
here and then she sent me, you know, a letter

859
00:46:57.159 --> 00:47:00.719
with I mean thank you letter with I mean it's

860
00:47:00.760 --> 00:47:04.239
just amazing with the girls, just the joy, the happiness

861
00:47:04.239 --> 00:47:06.360
and with that they feel. You know, the two hundred

862
00:47:06.400 --> 00:47:10.159
and eighty girls in that school and it's cold time,

863
00:47:10.239 --> 00:47:12.800
they need blankets and all kind of stuff, and just

864
00:47:12.840 --> 00:47:16.000
to see that impact. And she's like, hey, now I'm

865
00:47:16.000 --> 00:47:19.159
working full time at the association and so forth and

866
00:47:19.199 --> 00:47:23.480
so forth. So they're very grateful for all the help

867
00:47:23.519 --> 00:47:26.559
that they can get. And it goes both ways. You know,

868
00:47:26.679 --> 00:47:30.039
all those people they saw the picture, they saw the impact,

869
00:47:30.039 --> 00:47:31.840
they saw the girls that they had happened. They felt

870
00:47:31.840 --> 00:47:33.719
really good and say, hey, you know what, we definitely

871
00:47:33.760 --> 00:47:36.280
want to come back in twenty twenty seven and do

872
00:47:36.360 --> 00:47:39.039
the same thing again. So it becomes kind of addicted

873
00:47:39.079 --> 00:47:41.199
in a way in Bonita. So once you do it,

874
00:47:41.199 --> 00:47:43.960
it just becomes part of your culture of you. So

875
00:47:44.679 --> 00:47:45.760
it's just incredible.

876
00:47:48.760 --> 00:47:51.639
Well, as Dean, with that, we're going to have to quit.

877
00:47:51.960 --> 00:47:54.079
We are just about it mine.

878
00:47:54.880 --> 00:47:55.679
Thank you, thank you.

879
00:47:56.639 --> 00:47:59.400
As usual, there will be information about how to get

880
00:47:59.400 --> 00:48:02.079
in touch with you on my website, on the on

881
00:48:02.119 --> 00:48:07.280
the podcast website, and so thank you so much for

882
00:48:07.320 --> 00:48:09.960
being with us today. It's just you know, I hope

883
00:48:09.960 --> 00:48:13.079
this has opened up and you know, like in large

884
00:48:13.320 --> 00:48:17.239
people's ideas of what they can go and do and

885
00:48:17.360 --> 00:48:18.280
out there in the world.

886
00:48:18.559 --> 00:48:21.360
Absolutely. Absolutely, And again, Bunita, thank you so much for

887
00:48:21.440 --> 00:48:25.119
being very patient with me, and I'm very very grateful

888
00:48:25.119 --> 00:48:27.760
for this opportunity to be on your podcast. You know,

889
00:48:27.920 --> 00:48:30.400
you know, back where I come from, we don't say Hawaii,

890
00:48:30.440 --> 00:48:32.199
we say Heaven. You did Heaven.

891
00:48:34.679 --> 00:48:36.840
Well, there's there's a lot of work to do here

892
00:48:36.880 --> 00:48:39.639
in Heaven as well. You know, people have said you're

893
00:48:39.679 --> 00:48:44.719
on vacation. No, it's a lot of work too. There's

894
00:48:44.760 --> 00:48:50.039
there's there's need everywhere. So anyway, so with that, we

895
00:48:50.119 --> 00:48:53.199
need to say goodbye for now, and thank you so

896
00:48:53.320 --> 00:48:56.320
much for joining us, and thank you so much everyone

897
00:48:56.400 --> 00:48:59.920
for joining the Ask Good Questions Podcast. See you next time.

898
00:49:03.119 --> 00:49:07.239
Today's episode is over. But when did Ask Good Questions again? Didn't?

899
00:49:07.239 --> 00:49:11.039
We don't miss out as we broadcast live every Wednesday,

900
00:49:11.119 --> 00:49:14.840
six pm Eastern Time on W four CY Radio at

901
00:49:15.039 --> 00:49:19.239
W fourcy dot com. Joined Nina Bellmerson next week for

902
00:49:19.440 --> 00:49:25.079
more conversations with experts on finances, retirement, behavioral finance issues,

903
00:49:25.159 --> 00:49:29.800
health and wellness, and more until then remember to ask

904
00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:34.880
good questions.