Dear Friends

ON ARRIVAL:

• Visa
  For the citizens of the USA and Canada Moroccan visa is not required.
• Who will meet me when I arrive on my own?
  You will be met by a MELITOUR representative. Please look for a MELITOUR sign.
• If my flight is late or changed by the air lines and therefore, I cannot arrive at the time given to you earlier ,how will I get to my hotel?
  Yes, sometimes the air lines have long hours of delays. In that case, MELITOUR representative follow your flight from the internet and most likely will know when your flight is arriving. However, should there be a problem in meeting the MELITOUR representative, please take a taxi to  HOTEL KENZI BASMA 35,Avenue Moulay Hassan1er CASABLANCA. Please keep the arrival info page in this TOUR HAND BOOK in your travel documents.
• Should I change money at the Air port?
  Yes, please  take your time to change money at the air port. The exchange rate is same in the city.

AT THE HOTELS

• Is there hair dryer in the rooms?
  Though we will be staying at wonderful 4 -5 * hotels, only few hotels have hair dryers. If you need  a hair dryer make sure you bring one with you.
• Do we need slippers?
  There are no slippers available in the rooms, and generally they do not have carpets on the floors. you might want to pack a small slipper
• Is there an elevator?
  Yes, when our rooms are not at  the garden level, there are elevators.
• Is there Laundry Service?
  We do not stay at the hotels long enough for their Laundry service give us service. But the air is so dry, if you wash , your laundry will be ready to go the next day. Or come prepared.
• A SMALL WARNING!!
  At the hotels the balcony doors can not be open from outside. so if you walk out to your balcony and close the door, you will not be able to get back to your room.

MONEY

• 1US$ = 7.5 DIRHEMS ( subject to change)
• In Morocco every thing is quoted in Moroccan currency DIRHEM. You need to pay in Dirhems.
• Do not bother taking your personal checks or traveler's checks with you. They will not work in Morocco
• ATM s are available in every city. You can get maximum approximately US$200 worth a day ( 2000 DIRHEMS)
• It is best to change half of what you are planning to spend in the beginning of the tour at a bank in Casablance.
  The hotel exchange rates are not good. The working  hours of the banks might not be right for our tour schedule.
• Very few places will accept VISA or MASTERCARD. less places accept American Express.

1.  The suggestion from those who have taken this trip before is that you would spend around US$500 – US$1000 depending on how much you can resist the excellent shopping opportunities.  
2. Change at least $500 at the air port on arrival or at the bank near the hotel in Casablanca between 09 – 10 AM on first day of the tour on Monday.
3. There are ATMs available almost in every place we go.
4. However, we will not take group time for ATMs
5. Few places accept credit cards ( VISA). Sometimes there is a 10% charge.
6. Small denominations ( 1DRH, 5 DRH and 10 Dirhem is used a lot for bathrooms and small purchases. In Morocco some people ask to be paid mostly single digit Dirhems when they or their donkeys etc…are photographed. Collect your change and keep it in a coin purse
7. Carrying your valuables  - Passport, Money, Credit Card, Air line ticket- under your clothing is important though In Morocco you will feel very safe, it is simply a good precaution.
8. *** 6 out of 10 people have this experience with their credit cards and ATM cards. Please note this reminder very carefully. The US and CANADIAN banks are very protective of their clients. So you have to tell them where you will be using your cards. Other wise they block the card until you make an international phone call.

1. Bring a swimming suit. Few hotels offer excellent swimming pools ( Water might be cold in January)
2. Things dry very fast once we leave the ocean side in Casablanca and Assuara so you do not need to bring too many garments. The lighter you travel initially the more you will appreciate this note at the end of our tour.
3. If you are expecting Morocco to be warm, you will be right only during lunch time. When we are ready to leave the hotels in the morning and in the afternoons you will be happy to have your arms covered with a light jacket or a short sleeved blouse.
4. For the desert evenings you might want some thing more than a light jacket.
   Silk underwear works well.
5. Shorts are not appropriate in this culture.
6.  Expect some cold days especially when we are traveling in the High Atlas Mountains. We might encounter snow.

1. On MELITOUR tours we take responsibility of not treating the children of the countries we visit in any way different that we like to treat our own children or grand children. We do not want the local children to take gifts of any kind from the strangers. So please do not give pens, pencils, candy, balloon…..
2. We will however, offer our generosity to families , and/or schools that we visit.
3. We prefer giving to the locals what is purchased at the local markets.
   For example, for visit with a nomad family in a tent, the group will help to decide what to get as a gift – food, toothbrushes-medical supplies etc.
4. Bring only your family pictures to share with the others.
5. The tour will be a much appreciated one if every one honors the absolute need for punctuality.
6. We suggest rotation on the bus. However, if some one needs to sit forward, this will be  accommodated.
7.  To make check in at the hotels faster and more efficient, please stay together in the lobby as a group until further instructions are given.
8. After check in at the hotels, the guide will be at the desk for 15 minutes. Please report if there is some thing you want to be done with your room. Complaining about the room later does not do any body good.
9. On this tour we have carefully allowed as much “free time” as is possible. Given the itinerary and the number of days on the tour, The only “free time” will be in the desert, Marrakesh and Assiouera, and couple of hours in Fes.
10. If any one wants more time on their own , we suggest staying additional days after the tour or returning to your favorite city on your own.
11. No beverages – no water are provided by the tour for the meals but every day we will have a big bottle of water for each person on the bus included in our group price.
12. “Too much food! “is generally the comment we get from the tour members who are sad about the amount of food we are served and not fully consumed. Unfortunately, the culture of Morocco has a way and amount of serving food. Though we have tried it can not be less than what it is.

1. Bring and extra baggage tag
2. Bring an extra suit case or a duffle bag even if you think you won’t use it. Morocco makes Christmas shopping very easy.
3. Strapping tape and bubble wrap will be nice for pottery lovers
4. Each room mate decide on a different guide book so each room has at least 2 guide books
5. Maps of Morocco are available to purchase in Casablanca
6. Have a way of identifying your bag with a ribbon or other wise. It helps finding your bag among many others which look the same
7. Have an overnight bag as you will need to leave your big luggage at the hotel for our trip to the desert.
8. Scraps of material might be excellent gift for a 14 year old Ayse - the doll maker. thread and wool scraps are welcome too.

1. MELITOUR pays for all the tips at the hotels and at the restaurants where we have group meal
2. In Morocco every body asks for bahshish ( tip). When you take pictures of the people, when you look at them, when you pass by them it seems like there is always and constant request for  bahshish . If you give them 1-2 dirhems they will be happy. 1 Dirhem ( less the a dime) please make sure you have change for these moments.
3. However, in Morocco, the expectation of the guide and the driver is that each tour member to pay a little gratuity to the driver and the local guide for even the smallest extras that they might have given to you. Please calculate minimum US$ 40 per person for guide. US$ 20 per person for the driver to be paid to them individually at the end of the tour.
4. Bathrooms cost 1 Dirhem in most places.

1. Using a 2 gigabyte card will probably will take all of your pictures. If you are planning to take more pictures than your card can hold please bring an empty DVD or CD  for transferring your pictures. Meli will be able to down load the pictures for you.
2. You can bring a jump drive with high capacity. You pictures can be down loaded to your jump drive easily
3. You have to take permission from the people before you take their pictures. Some times they might not like to be photographed.
4. High ISO cameras do better in in-doors. Learn about adjusting your cameras for indoor photography with out using flash.
5. Extra batteries or chargers are very important. The electricity is 240 Watts and you need European adopter for your plugs.

WHAT TO PACK/BRING

• Bring a small night bag. when we go to the desert, we will need to leave our suitcases at the Hotel.
• Bring a lot of  film or cards for your camera. Neither one is easily available.
• Bring an empty suit case if you are planning to shop. DHL is available but very expensive
• Bring old clothes that you might want to give to the poor. It will be very much appreciated.
• Scarf for the desert. If it blows as it often does, cleaning the desert sand  from your hair takes a week.
• We will have long bus rides. Comfortable shoes.  If you feel more comfortable in sandals, do not hesitate to bring them,
• At some of the hotels , we will have chance to go swimming. Bring a swimming suit .
• Some snacks for long bus rides
• If you are a tea drinker  bring your own tea bags and water heater ( 240 V) as the most commonly served tea in Morocco is Mint Tea.

WHY ARE NOT ALL THE  MEALS INCLUDED
We will have most of our dinners at local restaurants where available. All the breakfasts are included. Some of the meals will be at the hotels since those hotels have the best food in town. Some of the meals are left out intentionally to allow the tour members the time on their own , experience or to choose what they want to eat. If not mentioned as at the hotel, the meals will be at a wonderful local restaurant:
 

MEAL CHART

BARGAINING
No matter how well you bargain, it seems like the shop keepers always win. Generally, they go down to 1/3rd of what they have offered at the first offer. If you  leave the shop, then they quickly come down to your price. In many cases , they will  even run behind you. If you get nerveous about bargaining, please think of it as  the part of the culture and try to accept it. Otherwise it might become very difficult.

WHERE TO BUY - WHAT TO BUY
Kilims, carpets, hand woven material, leather shoes, leather pillows, copper and brass light fixtures, jewelry, mirrors, tiles, ceramics, paintings, dresses and antiques. Every souk has almost all of these and more. My preferences are Marrakesh and  Essaouira, Essaouira  souk has the nicest collection of every thing you can see any where else in Morocco in a more queit atmosphere. The market in Erfoud also has some nice little treasures. The shop in Er Rissani - Sahara has the biggest collection of woven pieces. More and more people advise me to emphasize how good their goods are.

Comment by Anita Mayer : "My wonderful copper kettle and stand arrived last week!  It was in a wooden box wrapped in a cloth like material...inside each piece was taped with a sponge type of fabric, brown paper and miles of heavy tape!  All in excellent condition and delivered to my door.  I am truly impressed with their service and you can certainly tell future participants that shipping is not a problem." "anita-mayer" <anita-mayer@comcast.net>

The best souk is in Marakesh. You will be on your own for shopping in Marakesh souk. The prices seem a little more reasonable & and the variety is almost endless.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

• The cellular system works very well in Morocco. Meli's phone will be on all the time. she can be reached at +90 532 345 9987
  at all times
• Please check the HOTEL page in this tour hand book. all the hotels have phone and fax numbers. Message should be left in the name of MELITOUR. you will immediately be given the information.

POWER
240 Wolt like rest of Europe. you will need a round plug. If you need to plug any thing, bring an adopter with you.

BATHROOMS
The 99% of the bathrooms are immaculate, clean and there is toilet paper. You do not have to haul rolls of paper.

VEGETERIANS
Please do not expect too much of a variety. However, the taste of the vegetables available is wonderful. You can have lots of tomato salad,
kuskus, omelets and wonderful soups. They serve very tasty chicken. Several times on the tour we will be able to have very fresh fish.

CLIMATE