#wandersouls

I’ve just returned from a trip to Morocco and after sharing some photos with relatives and friends, they mentioned my travels to theirs and within a few days I got emails asking - How do you do this? How do you travel? Do you book with an agency? Do you travel with a team? And the answer to the last two is: No. I don’t use travel agencies or any third parties for that matter, it’s all DIY. I’m a budget traveller and found over the years that DIY is not just the least costly way of traveling, you also gain tonnes of skills, experience and bottom line: value.

To give you a few examples, for the US trip I used tools like Skyscanner to compare prices and stay tuned to the latest flight developments before picking the best offer for me and booking it directly with the airline. The accommodation was then decided by spending about a week of intense searching. Yes you need to invest some reasonable time if you wanna have a good time AND a saving. The good news is everything is so easy accessible. Back in the days, like 15 years ago, I had to call up places, compare over the phone etc. Nowadays the internet makes it almost effortless. I checked Booking.com, Hotel.com, Expedia, AirBnB - you name it. For the US, AirBnB worked out best for me - I felt, I got the best value for my money. Mind you, I stayed in the US for 6 weeks. If you’re only having short stops, then you might find other options work better. We stayed one night in LA for example and I had booked directly with the Hotel. The Hotel as it turned out wasn’t the bees knees in terms of quality but you learn, move on and leave a TripAdvisor review. Speaking of which, TripAdvisor is my little golden tool. I trust it, I rely on it, I can read in between the lines and think it’s such a help in getting a first impression. Then we headed to Alaska where we stayed in another hotel, booked through Booking.com - my first time using them. I emailed the hotel after the initial booking to see if they can see it on their system and they did and even better they offered me an even better deal, changed it there and then and voila, money saved again. SouthCali was then spent in an AirBnB accommodation which was a great experience too.

As for Morocco, I knew that some airlines offer really cheap flights to Marrakech and Agadir and shortly after Christmas when most people are financially totally broke, the airlines throw out these really great offers to get the critical sales on their side and that’s how I booked my flight to Morocco. Be prepared, save up, and make a saving. Next thing - where to stay. I checked the above mentioned providers what they had to offer, compared and double checked reviews which lead me to the decision to stay in a Riad rather than a Hotel or private accommodation (like AirBnB). We had an excellent stay, excellent hospitality, helpful, attentive staff and making our first visit to Morocco a delightful experience. Riads in Morocco are known to be charming, comfortable and offer much that is available at the larger out of town hotels but with much better "connection" to true Marrakech where you can watch the sunset playing on the distant mountains during the call to prayer on their lovely roof-terrace overlooking the roofs of Marrakech. The Riad I stayed in was beautiful with all the Moroccan architecture you see in magazines, set in the middle of the medina, therefore restaurants were everywhere, walkable to souks, a few steps away from the Museum, Mosques and Djemaa El-Fna etc. The only thing I learned and wasn’t aware of, the phone lines in Morocco aren’t always working so if you’re staying for only a few days, your best bet is to pay the Riad or Hotel in cash. Credit or Debit Cards can get messy when the lines aren’t working and the ATMs restrict you to 2000 dirhams a day. I travelled south of Marrakech, down to Essaouira and used a private excursion. The Riad offered this so check them out before searching online but either way, compare, compare, compare. I got a good deal through the Riad and loved the private one. You can also travel by public bus and train and make more savings but there comes a point where you have to weigh up your options, what’s a real saving or what’s not or what’s just an ok compromise. The private version allowed me to hop in and out of the car wherever and whenever I wanted to, to take photos, to take a break, to hike etc. KNOW what you want to do before you decide how to travel, be spontaneous and totally soak up the adventure, DIY traveling always is.

Speaking of DIY, by cutting out the middle person, you save, save, save. Everyone wants to get paid for their services so no matter how good some offers sound, if it involves a middle person, be assured YOU will pay. Also by booking without the middle person, should any problems arise with the airline, accommodation etc. you can address it directly and get it resolved much faster. I’ve witnessed people having heated discussions with hotel managers over “it is paid” - “it is not paid” when really the middle person got paid and messed up the rest which left YOU, the foreign traveller, very vulnerable and the hotel out of money. Some big hotels might get by but if you do budget travel, it’s more likely you spend some time in a small independent place that relies on getting paid. So to have a win-win situation for YOU, the person who worked hard all year to go traveling, YOU, the person who wants to have a good time - look after YOUrself because if you don’t, no one will. At all times, make sure you travel with insurance. Don’t see it as a burden, see it like packing the right shoes for hiking, the right amount of cash to bring, your passport to be valid...you get my drift. Insurance is everything AND it totally gives you peace of mind which is priceless. I used to sign up with single insurances as I went on trips but learned that you save quite a bit by having an annual one. Also make sure the insurance cover isn’t too basic. The hassle if something does happen (which no one wants but some things can’t be predicted) and you’re out of pocket, stressed and anxious, is just not worth it. 

Something I also started doing, which I’ve never done before but it made sense for me, register with your country’s Department of Foreign Affairs. Ours offers this service (Citizen Registration) and when you register, it means that they have a record of your details which will allow them to contact you, and provide assistance, if necessary and possible, if there is an unforeseen crisis such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or if you have a family emergency while you are overseas. You just never know. Peace of mind, as said, is priceless.