To think that DD will not be kidnapped and sold into white slavery when we go to Marrakech?

[Taz1212]

We're off to Marrakech later this year- DH, DS(12), DD(9) and me. I know Marrakech isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the ILs and now DH are starting to drive me up the wall! The ILs don't generally approve of how we are raising our DC (too much independence, too many activities etc) but DH usually rolls his eyes and says, "see how it was when I was growing up?" However, they have been going on and on and on about how they would never take children to Marrakech (not that they would ever go themselves...) and how DH is going to have to never let DD out of sight- and preferably never let go of her hand- so that "nothing bad" happens to her.

DH is now paranoid and is saying he is doing this holiday under duress. It all seems full of histrionics to me. I get that ILs like their holidays to be all sanitised - resort holidays and cruises where they never have to leave their little bubble. I like the odd sanitised holiday myself, but I also like a bit of adventure and that's what this is going to be.

Surely if kidnapping little British girls were a rampant problem, I would have heard about it, no?

Perfect timing!
We are going to morocco for the third time today and I love the country!

My mother has been having tantrums because of terrorists. They will specifically target us because we are travelling with my AMERICAN husband and my BRITISH brother in law and everyone knows how hated those two nationalities are. (She still cannot really grasp that her two daughters are now also British because she is Swedish).

Barmy lady....

Does your DH love Istanbul in the same way as you do, OP? Can you point out to him that what his parents say about it bears no resemblance to the reality, so he should ignore what they say about Marrakech?

Sn00p4d. My dad was offered 21 camels for me

I think back in the 1980s when tourist first started going to North Africa it was almost compulsory for a local to offer 3 camels in exchange for a 'daughter'. Ask around lots of people were offered camels for their daughters (note men making the offer to fathers).

Enjoy yourselves.

I have been to Morocco a number of times and it is a beautiful country with a rich culture and history. Moroccan life is very much orientated around the family and they like nothing more than to talk about their children/wife/parents etc…..on the whole it is a very child friendly place. The worse thing that will probably happen is that you will be hen pecked in the souks by traders “I give you good price” to buy a carpet / teapot / spices / slippers and unfortunately if you are a women you will have to expect the occasional inappropriate comment be some seedy bloke. The Moroccans did introduce special tourist police several years ago as one of the biggest complaints at the time from travellers was street harassment (rarely dangerous, just very annoying) and in fairness there has been a noticeable drop in the number of street hawkers. The souk is enormous and it is easy to get lost so keep your kids close, probably worth hiring a guide via your hotel for the first day just till you get your head around a few landmarks. What ever you do make sure you have an evening meal at the Jemaa el Fnaa main square, hundreds of mobile street kitchens our rolled out serving some incredibly good street food. By the day the square is full of snake charmers, acrobats

I will also say that you probably only need a few days in Marrakech, there are only so many ancient mosques, gardens and markets that you can see without getting a bit jaded. I thoroughly recommend a few days in Essaouria which is a few hours drive west of Marrakech on the coast. It has a huge safe beach, a more relaxed vibe then Marrakech, great food and a raft of activities and sights to see. Failing that a trip to the Atlas mountains, Todra Gorge, Draa Valley etc is well worth a look.

The only place I can see your children being kidnapped is if you say went to the Rif mountains and bought a kilo of finest Morocco black hash resin and you tried to skip town without paying the local drug lord.

Ignore the naysayers, have a blast. PM me if you have any other questions.

@ margerybruce

“DO NOT eat in the Jemaa el-Fnaa square - cafes etc are fine but don't eat at the stalls - you will get food poisoning.”

Totally disagree, the street food in the Jemaa el Fnaa square can be, and often is superb. Sure, out of the dozens of vendors there will be the odd dodgy one but take stroll around the kitchens first and get a feel for what’s on offer and how they run their operation. All the food stalls have numbers on them, I recommend number 32 (great spicy sausages), failing that ask your guide or someone at the hotel which food stalls to visit (and more importantly what to avoid). The biggest cause of food poisoning is tourists not washing their hands frequently enough after spending a day out sightseeing or brushing their teeth using the local tap water. Myself, my wife and friends have eaten there dozens of times without ill effect. Thoroughly well cooked food fresh from the grill or bread fresh from the oven will present few problems. I am personally more suspicious of food prepared out of sight in a back kitchen rather than a few feet away in front of you. If you want to

How ridiculous of your ILs and shame on your DH for going along with them.

I've been to Morocco four times, one of those trips with children and ejoyed it every single time.

I actually enjoy travelling in muslim countries and have never felt at risk. I've had no trouble taking my children to Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey & Jordan and they haven't been kidnapped either!

This reminds me of my PIL who told me that I would be abducted by a man on a camel...apparently they know someone who it happened to. Try and enjoy your holiday. I would be secretly pleased I was winding them up so much :)

Second (or possibly third) going to Essaouria. I have found 3 days long enough in Marrakesh - first time I went we were travelling round the whole country and went on from Marrakesh to Essaouria - which was a lovely peaceful contrast.

Also I did get food poisoning and I'm sure it was from a tourist restaurant where the food had been sitting. Not from one of the stalls in the main square where everything was cooked hot and fresh in front of you!

Only 2 camels sn00p ? Oh dear.

I was delighted by the offer of gold for me. I felt...valuable . Although in all honestly I preferred Fez to Marrakesh.

I preferred Fez to Marrakesh too. However that was uhhhh 10 years ago? Before all the cheap flights started there - so I'm not sure how much it may have changed.

It was fabulous though.

we went to Marrakesh with my then almost 5 year old.
Locals did want to take her by the hand- because they adore kids. One wizened old chap almost carried her up a mountain as we were too knackered dragging ourselves up. On buses people (men and women) offered a lap to her (and sometimes me).

We had a great trip...except it was a bit chilly in the evenings (in Feb)

I'm sure it will be fine but as he proud owner of a very leggy blue eyed blonde 10 year old girl myself I would suggest keeping your DD close to you.
I very much doubt she will be kidnapped but may get stared at or even touched.
Doubt it's just Morroco though, we get it in Spain ( non tourist area) where people want to touch her hair. As she's got older she finds the attention a bit embarrassing.
DH says we may have to stop going once she hits 13 or so!!!!!!

Notrevealingmyidentity Wow, you made an impression. When they begin to offer horses, they are serious :)

But seriously, you have to be very firm, or even rude if you need to go fast, and avoid dodgy and poorer places, as they can get aggressive (and more conservative). Other than that, avoid speaking french, try Russian, it works very well indeed!

Essaouira is fantastic, and less hassle. I suggest also Chefchaouen, it is a little jewel with pretty great people. Avoid Tangier.

I spoke to DH last night and quoted parts of this thread. I pretty much told him that he's driving me bonkers and is spoiling the run up to the holiday. I've reminded him that when his parents disapprove of something, it usually means it is a very good idea! He's eased up a bit and told me that he's found a solution- he will handcuff DD to him while we are walking around and he will tie a rope round her and attach the other end to himself while we are sleeping. He is joking! The fact that that he is making a joke is good! Much better than this bloody paranoia!

I'm glad I started the thread- there's so much useful information and tips in it so thanks to everyone.

I can't wait to go!

I've been to Marrakech three times and Fes once. Love it. I recommend The Kozy Bar in Marrakech which is near the old Palace. You can sit on the roof and watch the storks nesting on the old city walls and watch them fly over you - I believe you can even go up to the nests on the old wall now with a guide - storks are protected in Marrakech. Wonderful place - just make sure girls and women in particular are a little more covered than you would in Europe - no cleavages, cover shoulders and knees if possible, just to be respectful of their ways.

Have a wonderful time!

I haven't read the whole thread but I feel your pain…

Few examples: my MIL thinks my children are going to be abducted if they go to the park (with anyone but her) and was extremely concerned that our (male) aupair (I have three boys) might be a paedophile.

It is exhausting. The net result is, I just don't tell her ANYTHING so then she can't have an opinion on it.

Enjoy your holiday!

When we went to Morocco my girls didn't like being gawped at. Me neither. We had to cover up pretty well it felt a bit oppressive - I wouldn't go again.

Some of the responses to this thread are a bit weird and I'm waiting for someone to say they have a '6ft blue eyed Gap model child who those swarthy Muslim types will definitely covet as their child is the pinnacle of western superior beauty'!

Sorry to burst your bubble but they: 1. Are poor and want your money, (they would be all over rich Chinese peoples kids too). 2. Are family orientated and love kids. 3. In homogenous areas 'exotic' people will draw interest.

It isn't because your kids are 'hot'! (although I'm sure they're perfectly lovely).

Have your DS and DD heard your ILs talking like this? (I would guess they have.) You might want to talk with them about how some people are scared of foreigners, or people of different races, or Muslims, but you don't need to be scared of people for those reasons, and you don't agree with their grandparents' ideas about those types of people. You don't want to stay quiet and let your kids think you agree with those ideas of your IL's.

You might also want to ask if they are scared of being kidnapped (or of anything else about the trip), and talk to them about it. You may want to do this one on one, so nobody has to admit to their sibling what they're scared of. It might be a bit scary for a 9 year old to hear from her grandparents how she's going to be kidnapped on a trip. It could help her to talk to you about how she feels. You might also want to talk about general things you can do to stay safe in a foreign country. All of this might be especially helpful if either of your kids is an anxious person or this is their first time traveling in another country. Reassure them that they will be safe. You don't want them going into this trip thinking that Morocco is a scary and dangerous place full of scary people. Would you enjoy a trip to a place you thought would be like that?

I wanted to update this thread because we're just back and what a fantastic short break that was! Believe it or not, DH is already trying to figure out when we can go back without DC, but it's nothing to do with any sort of paranoia about safety- he would like a long weekend of pottering about our riad and little forays into the souks.

By the middle of the first afternoon, DH had completely relaxed and DD was happily skipping along ahead of us in the Mellah spice market back to the riad. She didn't like all of the mopeds zipping by and the souks were far too busy for her in the evening but there was lots that she loved and it is a great place to take children. We never felt hassled - yes, lots of people would try to approach us, but quickly lost interest when we said no, thank you.

We did a day trip into the Atlas Mountains and it was the highlight for DS. Our guide told him that in two years he'd be old enough to go on a proper 5 day trek and I think he's going to count down the days. the walk was more of a scramble up rocks, but the guide held DD's hand pretty much all the way up and carried over bits where the gap between rocks was too big for her. She loved it!

It took me ages to find a riad with accommodation for 2 adults and 2 separate beds for children. We booked the Riad Noos Noos and it must be the most beautiful guesthouse I have ever stayed in. If anyone is going to Marrakech, stay there! The photo is of the ceiling in our bedroom- it was incredible! The whole place had such detail. It's owned by a Frenchman and he was brilliant, making sure we were well taken care of. I loved it!

So ha! All of you we're right and I think DH will trust me a bit more in future!

I think your biggest threat will be bedbugs. Take creams!

I am happy to report that there was not a single sign of bedbugs.