School Trip to Morocco

*...every woman..."

I feel sorry for the teachers who have to do this stuff. I know it's a "free trip" to somewhere interesting, but I'd personally give "interesting" a miss if it means supervising a load of Year 8s. I'd rather be at home with my own children.

I would have said no to this trip, though I'd have said no to Iceland as well due to the cost. Given an unlimited budget and a choice, I'd have said yes to Iceland and no to Morocco.

I also went on a sixth form trip to Morocco in around 97/98. We had a great time until we camped in the desert and were robbed in the middle of the night. The blonde girls in our group were also massively harassed when in busy places. I’m sure it has changed in 25 years however I wouldn’t be sending a group of year 8s there.

Iranian women might have to wear a headscarf, but young women are super fashion conscious and skinny jeans are de rigeur there, doing with cosmetic surgery. Just about they woman had a nose job. I lost count of the number I saw with the post-op plaster on their noses.

It's an amazing country, it is safe - there's some hassle to buy things in the markets which I think is the worst, but you learn to set your boundaries and stick to it.

It's an awesome place for a geography trip and is very westernised compared to other countries that people are mentioning in this thread (FFS, it's nothing like Iran).

Actually the day we went was the one day the boat didn't go to Tangier. We ended up in M'diq. We weren't on an organised tour which was why we got so much hassle at the port. We eventually teamed up with a Swedish guy travelling on his own who had lived there years ago and got a taxi into the town.

No belly dancing, only constant hassle to buy carpets.

I wore a long skirt and had my head and arms covered but despite being with my ex-H still got hassled.

I'm sure there are some lovely parts to Morocco but there are just so many other places in the world I would rather go. I certainly would not take a mixed sex party of Y8s there.

My ds' school is doing a cricket trip to South Africa at a cost of £2800.

I said no as feel too far away from home and just not comfortable. Everyone else seems to be going and I feel like the bad guy.

He's going on the ski trip (but some are doing both).

I think you need to just go with your gut reaction on this type of thing.

I have a handful of female friends who've been on holiday to Marrakesh, separately, and their reviews on it vary from "it was awful, we were just getting sexually harassed constantly", and "the sexual harassment was constant, but it didn't bother me that much".

Definitely wouldn’t be my first choice for a school trip for girls.

I went with a girlfriend and we were followed, hassled and flashed at. The worst part was feeling something strange on the back of my hand and looking down to see a penis being rubbed on me by a grinning man. 🤮

the news on Iran right now

Did you know that loads of Moroccon women are westernised and walk around in jeans and t-shirts? I met them. Not like in Iran then..... I salute those women demonstrating for their freedom.

I’ve been to Morocco, never again, mugged at knifepoint to my throat in Rabat ( middle of the day by a major museum), sexually groped ( hand up my skirt) in Fez by a group of young boys. This is the only country I feel like this about.

I’m guessing it’s because being gay is illegal and they very much treat women as second class citizens who if they dare not be totally covered are fair game at 12 / 13 for groping.
But yeah, how very narrow minded.

I went on a school trip (sixth form) to Morocco (circa 1998) and one of the girls in the group was sexually assaulted. We were doing a trek in the atlas mountains with mules and their handlers (men), and she was on a mule and got led further ahead away from the rest of the group and he sexually assaulted her. You have to have your wits about you out there, especially as a female.

Are they struggling to find the staff, do you think?

We have just been quoted 3.5k for a 3 week trip to a far flung place for my y8DD for 2024. State school.
Its 3 weeks at least I guess but this is very common in schools now!

My DD went on a school trip to Israel and the Palestinian Authority

And the foreign office advice about travelling there would also put me off it. And I say that as someone who has happily hitchhiked across African countries having a civil war so I’m not totally risk averse

I wouldn’t be comfortable with this for a year 8 trip. I’d happily take my child (yr 8 or younger) to Morocco myself but feel a school trip brings a different risk assessment.

I was in Marrakesh last week having been there 8 years ago: it’s a mad/bizarre/amazing place and ya so different in the Medina to anywhere else I’ve ever been/

it’s safe though: so so safe: it’s a Muslim country, people don’t drink, crime is rare. I didn’t see one drunk person the whole time I was there. I’d much rather my teen go there than say The Algarve ( we were all there in the summer) with tribes of pissed people and drama

£1k for a five day trip? Ridiculous.

I think it sounds like a fantastic opportunity. Morocco is one of my favourite places I’ve ever visited. I can’t imagine the school haven’t risk assessed it to death. Feels very narrow minded and a bit ‘othering’ to assume it won’t be safe. What’s that about? Is it because it’s a Muslim country?

Top right!
Teachers should he paid triple to go on these trips or given a huge bonus as it is!
You think teachers are enjoying a lovely holiday whilst taking Y8’s (or any kids) abroad.
Bloody hell how narrow minded are you. It’s an extremely challenging and stressful part of the very underpaid and under valued job. You are literally on alert 24/7!

It’s a brave choice for a school trip. I was massively hassled when I went to Morocco and not sure that I’d be keen on teenage girls going as a group. I also got the worst food poisoning I’ve ever had. But Atlas Mountains were amazing and I had a good time despite the food poisoning so I’d be torn and would want quite a lot of questions answering before agreeing to it.

@SomethingNastyInTheBallPool it was a sports leadership trip. Organised by the UK sports council.
There were 6 boys (girls not allowed to go) from the sixth form who went.

They went to Erbil to help train Iraqi students to be able to help deliver sports in their schools.

Students from all over Iraq attended.
He came home very humbled by the experiences of some of the people he met

Let's be open about it - it is a free holiday. I've been on residential and yes it's hard work but it's a free holiday to a place many people could never afford to visit. Drop the martyr bollocks.