The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
Black Friday Travel Deals & Destination Morocco
You might have heard a few Black Friday sale ads in the last few days and you can be assured that you'll hear more in the coming days and weeks. There no shortage of them when it comes to the travel industry either so on this week's show Travel Expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss whether those deals are worth the hype. Then we'll get some insight and tips on traveling to Morocco. The founder of the Destinations Morocco Tour Company and host of the Destination Morocco podcast, Azdean Elmoustaquim will be here to share his expertise on visiting Morocco.
Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast, a weekly travel podcast where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveler. I'm your host, Randy Sharman. You might have heard a few Black Friday sale ads in the past few days, and you can be assured that you'll hear more in the coming days and weeks, and there's no shortage of them when it comes to the travel industry either. So in a few moments, travel expert Onanda Forbes will join me to discuss whether those deals are worth the hype. And then we'll get some insight and tips on traveling to Morocco, the founder of Destinations Morocco Tour Company and host of the Destinations Morocco podcast, Azdeen El Mustakim will be here to share his experience on visiting Morocco. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onta Forbes, who joins us each week to discuss some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and ex at OnantaForbes. OnataForbes.com is her website. Happy Black Friday for Black Friday month. Yes. Because it's not even Black Friday yet.
SPEAKER_03:Are you getting some emails about it?
SPEAKER_00:Emails, ads, uh you know, everywhere you look, it's a Black Friday uh deal somewhere. Uh one of the newsletters that I get, travel industry, uh today. The latest deals, it should really be called Black November.
SPEAKER_03:Right. Yeah. So it's a lot to take in as a consumer, and especially if you're you're thinking of booking on a Black Friday sale. So today I think we're gonna just chat about is it a deal?
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Because the skeptic in me uh uh are the deals really good deals, or do you have to read the fine print?
SPEAKER_03:Right. That's it exactly. And there's a couple of do's and don'ts and smart tips that we're gonna chat about. So the one that I actually was um new to me was clear your cookies and use in incognito mode. Um, because I according to this server or these articles that we've been reading, it says it prevents inflated prices. And the same trip can appear cheaper when algorithms can't track your searches. So AI, you know, computer generated information, it does really affect what how you look. And I can see that too when you know you're searching for a price and all of a sudden the price changes right in the middle of the booking.
SPEAKER_00:Stop it. Exactly. Yeah, I didn't know that either. Um and so yeah, just go incognito. So that you so basically the computer doesn't know who you are.
SPEAKER_03:And maybe use a different device.
SPEAKER_00:Maybe, I don't know.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And then if you if you you know really do want to um have uh the opportunity to take advantage of these sales, it it you know, the suggestion is to stick to a budget, like set what it is and and and actually know which how much you want to spend before the um the sales start. Because if you book impulsively, you may be um spending extra, even though it may be considered discounted. So you almost have to know your prices before you start um checking out the Black Friday sales. And then you the other thing you might want to consider is bundling your trip. So flight, hotels, and tours can often cost less. Um and then, you know, time is money. And if sometimes you think, okay, I'll do it independently, I'll do it booking it um together. Um, at the end of the day, um, that's where your travel agent comes in because they save you time, which will invent, you know, give you the best price or the best um options for you to consider.
SPEAKER_00:We're talking when we started here about uh being inundated by Black Friday deals. I'll just run down some of the examples in this article from uh travel industry today. So uh Globus Family of Brands, uh Intrepid Travel, Contiki, G Adventures all have uh savings anywhere from 20% off. Uh depends on when you book, though. Uh so this is what I'm getting at when we got when you got to read the fine print. For example, G Adventures, uh, up to 30% savings are available for booking over 400 trips made before November 30th, and departures before April 30th. So if you don't want to go on those dates, you're not gonna save anything from them. And then the hotels and resorts, sandals and beaches, uh, vilas, uh, Venetian Resort Las Vegas, uh Royalton, all have deals. The cruise lines, CUNAR, Virgin Voyages, Norwegian, Oceania, Variety Cruises, Viking, Attractions. Uh it goes on and on and on. And I guess the the big thing for me would be if you're really flexible and really don't know, have an idea where you want to go, then you can probably take advantage of um the deals that are out there because uh you can kind of fit your schedule into their sort of um uh time. Parameters. Parameters, thank you. Uh fit the into their parameters.
SPEAKER_03:Right. And and it is true, um, flexibility does work uh well over and above even Black Friday. Um if you could go midweek or off-peak, um, I think you could get some savings and maybe even take advantage of the smaller uh crowd. Um another thing they say is to sign up for early access because if you join a company's newsletter or loyalty program, sometimes the deals go out to the subscribers first before the public release. Um then also you can kind of think about you know, what's the true value of what you are seeking? So what are you getting? Are you including your flights, your meals, your transfers, excursions, extra nights? And so there's a lot of things to consider um with regards to uh what really is at the end of the day the big picture if you are getting a deal, or um also depending on who you book with, what currency are you booking in too? Because sometimes like our dollars not strong against the US dollar, is it uh that kind of adds to the overall budget of what you're doing? Um, and also, you know, you want to you could think long-term too, like not only for the rest of this year, 2026, 2027, um, now could be available for early bird pricing and top availability. So I like that idea too, because I always encourage people if you know when you want to go or where you want to go to book now, because then then you're not disappointed and then you're not just taking what's left. You get what you want. And especially if you're traveling with a bigger group like family friends, you want to make sure you get exactly what you want. And you're traveling together too. You're not kind of breaking it up to get the best deal. Because sometimes um what we have to consider, and it's not just for limited time off for like Black Friday, um airlines or hotels or tour companies only put out a certain amount amount of seats at a certain price, and then it goes up.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly.
SPEAKER_03:So, like a couple of things to consider is don't assume that the first offer is the best offer. Um, compare across platforms, and again, that's where your travel agent comes in, saving you time, is because they are looking at the big picture for you. Because taxes and fees can vary widely. And that is really a huge um factor because some um companies lowball the base price, but they add it to the incremental fees afterwards.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. And and like uh the wording kind of bothers me too. Uh, you know, you can like I'll use, for example, uh G Adventures again, up to 30% savings, uh like 30% of what? Right. Is it the overinflated price uh that they haven't advertised or anything like that? And I get it. The more you dive into it, the more you realize how much you're saving, and then the more you realize, well, you're not really saving anything, or you're saving a lot, right? And I don't mean to poo-poo the companies. I'm not picking on G Adventures or any of these companies. I'm just uh reading off this article because they all have that. It's all 50% off or 20% off, like off of what?
SPEAKER_03:Yes, absolutely. For sure. No, I understand what you're saying there, um, with regards, because you do, you always have to check really at the end of the day, the total price. Um, and then when you get to that total price, can you actually book it?
SPEAKER_02:Exactly.
SPEAKER_03:That's what you know, you you kind of go and say, Oh, your prices change. It's like, okay, great. And then also exactly what you're saying is that don't let um countdown timers pressure you. Um take it, you know, sales are designed to rush you, so pause and compare. And Cyber Monday and January sales can be just as good. Um, because usually in January, it's after Christmas, you might get some sales to a destination and such.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. Yeah, we didn't even get into Cyber Monday, which is a whole other thing altogether. And then uh when you're when talking about the cruise lines, you've got wave season where there's uh all kinds of savings. So it's not like, oh my goodness, if I don't book uh during black uh on a Black Friday sale, I'll never get this deal again.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And it and I like I get a lot of newsletters. I sign up for a lot of newsletters. Norwegian is one. And there's a there's every week there is a sale, and this is why uh w going back to what you were saying, sign up for these companies. Like if you're if you do like Norwegian or Carnival or whoever just using cruise lines for an example, sign up for their newsletters and their deals because they're coming out every week.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, especially in cruise lines. Like it's such a competitive market. There's so many cruise lines, there's so many destinations on itineraries. It you know, you do have to um really see what the the deal is that is out there, like what is it including? Um, because they can um say that you know, your Wi-Fi package is included or a beverage package is included, um, or your excursions are included. And that's you know, if it's uh truly what they say, it then it's a it could be a good deal because then you're not having to um be nickeled and dimed to death to add all those things on to the cruise itinerary that you want, or is airfaring preluded, or is there a good price for air? Um, so you do have to um uh know what you're offered for that price. And as you say, don't skip the fine print. Check everything. What else is included? So, you know, some some tips is like search early in the morning, clear your cookies, and try multiple devices. And then another interesting point, watch time zones because global sales launch at different midnight. So check your region's timing.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And then also consider um booking your experiences as well. So like tours, um Safari's cruises often have um a deeper discount than flights alone. You you do have to think about it. Don't get swayed or book impulsively, plan ahead, set a budget, and stay flexible. Um, and I wouldn't say chase the biggest discount, chase the best value.
SPEAKER_00:Or just call your friendly neighborhood travel agent and say, I want to go here at this particular date. When a deal comes up, call me.
SPEAKER_03:That's it. Really, seriously. Because I yeah, you know what, you as you say, um you sign up for different newsletters and um alerts and such. So there may be something that pops up that uh uh a client's interested that you just throw it at them and just say, hey, are you would you be interested in this? Yeah um because you know, it's up to you to say yes or no, but at least you know um you have an advocate in looking for what you want.
SPEAKER_00:Well, true. And also uh they can tell you whether you're off in left field. Like that field does not exist. Sorry.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Well you're not gonna get a five-star all-inclusive for seven nights uh uh at a beautiful resort uh for a thousand dollars. It isn't happening, I'm telling you, with with flights included.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and not for your family of four.
SPEAKER_00:So you gotta be a little bit realistic too. But anyways, good stuff. Onanda Forbes is a travel expert. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and ex at Onanta Forbes. Onantaforbes.com is her website. So always good to chat, Onanta.
SPEAKER_03:You take care.
SPEAKER_00:This is the Informed Traveler Podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, theinformed traveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page if you have any questions or comments about the podcast or show segment ideas. You can also email me too with any questions you might have. My email address is randy at theinformtraveler.org. You can check out our social media pages too at facebook.com slash informed traveler, Instagram at informed traveler, or on X at Informed Traveler. And that's where you'll find a number of videos and reels from our adventures throughout the year and audio clips from our past shows. Plus, you can sign up for a monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our November issue is available now. Just go to our website, theinformtraveler.org, click on the newsletter button, it'll take you right there. Or better yet, you can subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. Well, if you thought Morocco was a popular place to visit, you would be correct, as it ranks number one in Africa in the current UN tourism rankings, and 13th in the world, welcoming more than 16 million visitors so far this year. And if you're looking to be one of those millions, we've got some tips and advice for you. Helping us out is the founder of Destinations Morocco Tour Company and the host of the Destinations Morocco podcast, Asdeen El Mustakim. His website is destinationsmarocco.com. Hello, Asdeen. Welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_01:Hi, Randy.
SPEAKER_00:Tell me about your podcast. Obviously, it's about Morocco, but uh tell me about your podcast and uh how you got where you are today when it comes to being uh all things Morocco.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, definitely, absolutely, Randy. I really, really appreciate the opportunity to be a guest on your amazing um podcast. I listened to the last episode, and uh Globus is one of my favorite tour companies. I love them. I love them. Uh it's an amazing, amazing company. So we started the podcast literally in 2021, but it took me about a year just to get comfortable with the term podcast and speaking because I'm super shy, and I'm glad you're we're doing an audio versus a video episode today. So I can really, really view myself. So and uh because it was new to me, and during the pandemic, I I listened to a few podcasts and uh and I was like, you know what, it's probably it's a good idea to start a podcast. You know, we have social media, we have Facebook, you know, Instagram, and and I I thought of it as an extension to those platforms. So we started in 2022. Uh I had no idea where we're gonna go with it. And uh so when we started it, we just wanted to be an educational podcast just to help people make a better decision when they are traveling to Morocco, whether they're gonna go by themselves or if they decide to book with us and go with us, uh, which we do as well. So, and also because a lot of information online it's misleading, it's somewhat incorrect about Morocco, and uh it was a good opportunity for us to educate the listeners and the public when it came to Morocco, everything related to travel to Morocco, and that's what the podcast is is really all about. We uh so far we have over a hundred episodes, uh, and it's been doing really, really well.
SPEAKER_00:Excellent. Well, uh we're I'm excited to learn all about Morocco. I have never been, but I know people who have been, and it seems to be one of those destinations that it really would help to have you know someone holding your hand, perhaps uh you know, booking a guided tour, uh, because there's so many cultural aspects to it. Uh but what makes it uh a popular destination, first of all?
SPEAKER_01:You just said it. It's it's the cultural aspect of it, and it's the people. What makes Morocco special is Moroccan people, is the hostility of the people, whether you're in a city, in a village, or in the desert. The hostility stands out. And that's the most difficult part when you visit Morocco is seeing those. That's the painful part about being in Morocco and visiting Morocco. So I I highly recommend it. If you have not been, I I highly recommend uh put it on your bucket list, visit it, and it's it's absolutely worth it.
SPEAKER_00:Nice. Uh but there are some things about Morocco that like you said, that's what makes it special, and that's why you kind of need well a podcast uh to help you along, or even uh booking a a guided tour to help you along so so you can get the most out of it, right?
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. You're right, Randy. The thing, a lot of people have traveled in so many destinations, and and and they tell us, hey, I've been to Egypt, I've been to India, I've been to Vietnam, Thailand, and I say, but you haven't been to Morocco. Those are amazing destinations. But Morocco is very different. You're right, Randy. You absolutely need somebody to hold your hand throughout the whole process because time is money and we save you time and we do everything from A to Z. We take all the chaos and and we make it just a relaxing experience. So that's that's the difference in Morocco. You definitely uh want to have a guided tool uh in Morocco versus do it on your own. If you know a lot of people they do it on their own, they still have a lot of fun, but you're not gonna see what you would see when you have a local guy tweeting, whether they invest in the desert, in a true Malrachewist, or whatever.
SPEAKER_00:So uh what are some of the popular sites, uh things that you always recommend to potential guests?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, that's a really good question, right? It just depends how much they have in terms of time to spend in in Morocco, uh, and also what city. For example, if you look at uh Marrakesh, I mean you can be in Marrakesh for seven days and it's still not gonna be enough. You can be in the past for two months, it's still not gonna be enough. You're not gonna see the same thing twice. But a lot of people they don't have that luxury of time. I would say the average is eight to ten days. Ten days will give you the opportunity to see the north side of Morocco and the south side of Morocco. So a s a simple itinerary would be like something like this. I'm just gonna go kind of quick. You arrive to Casablanca, we we uh take a little break, we go to Surabat, we visit Shiftshawan, which is a blue city, then from Sheffshawan we drive to Vodibulis, the Roman city, then we go to Fest, which is the uh one of the Imperial cities, the oldest city in Morocco, and then we have to do you know two to three days. Um then the next day we do a fast city tour. Uh the day after that we do a cooking class in fast for a lot of people that really like it. Then we'll hit stop, going towards the desert, and it's it's a long drive, but we stayed in two days. Um and we we stop along the way in a small village called Middle. And then the next day we go to Merzuga and we pass the uh Tudra Gorge. Uh and then on the way back we visit Warzazet, which is it has the uh Atlas Studios with the basement is, and they have the Museum of Gladiator and the Game of Thrones. And then we go to Marrakesh, we spend a couple days in Marrakesh, and we can do any type of experiences in Marrakesh from Hat Erbagon, Hana experience, um cooking class as well. So there's many, many things that you can do uh in ten days in Morocco. This is just a quick uh you know preview, if you would, Randy.
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's it's I always say it's very hard to to talk about a whole country in a short segment because uh there's so many things to see and do. But you broke it down very nicely, and I think uh there's some things that people um uh want to see that you find uh comes up often, right? Yes. Uh so now what are some of the uh other unique things about Morocco, cultural-wise, food-wise, uh that people uh also are are interested in?
SPEAKER_01:Culture-wise, uh Morocco is very diverse from you know, you whether you're in the north or the south, the south you'll see more of the Amazir culture, the Berber culture, and the Jewish culture. And you'll see the Jewish culture as well in the north side in terms of the architecture, in terms of the food. The Moroccan cuisine most of it is is it's a Jewish food. It's uh uh because it's very diverse. Morocco goes back to where it used to be a Jewish country a long time ago. And then the uh when we talk about the Jewish part of it, we talk about the Mazir as well, because they're mixed. So then the Arab came afterwards, um, and so it's kind of really, really mixture of different cultures. Then you have the African influence, you have European influence, a little bit of Middle Eastern influence, and you see that whether you pass with the Rama Keshrawa, you know, the the palaces, the mother side, the universities, uh, the museums you'll see that as well. So in terms of diversity, uh you know, there's a little bit of difference in terms of the uh the culture in the south of Morocco versus the north of Morocco. The north is a little bit modern, uh like uh in a modern city, what you would find in a modern city, but then it has those places where you go and it goes back to the you know the fourth century, the fifth century, the eighth century, the ninth century. You know, when you look at fast, there's uh there's the old fast uh it's it's a fifth century fast, there's the ninth century fast, there's the fourteenth century fast, there's the twentieth century. So it's uh it's very, very rich when it comes to Bible. Then when you go to Marrakesh, it's the same thing. Then when you go to east Sawera, and you can see uh in in certain cities you'll see that the Jewish influence, especially in the Sawera, they're still in Infas as well. That's where the Jewish symmetry, the Jewish horror in Infest as well. In Marrakesh as well. So there's so many things culturally that are really they go back, you know, hundreds and hundreds of years. And also when we talk about the food randy uh a couple of years ago, uh it's actually last year, the Moroccan cuisine ranked number one uh internationally, and uh and it's it's it's a very diverse uh cuisine, uh anything that you can think of, and also um it's from street foods to tagins to couscous to fish. It's uh it's it's amazing. Uh then when we talk about the streets street food, we have to talk about uh the square of Jemed because that square it is, by the way, the the largest square in Africa in its uh UNESCO World Heritage Site since I did 1987. And that square really, really transforms at around 5 p.m. Then you get about three to four in the morning, and it just becomes alive, and the smell will just bring you to it, and it's it's an amazing sight, you know. So I highly recommend it.
SPEAKER_00:Do you have a favorite dish? I know I'm kind of putting you on the spot, but if you're inviting me to your house for a Moroccan uh dinner, what what would you serve? It's your favorite.
SPEAKER_01:Oh no, I would I rant it the first thing that I would ask you to be be very greedy and ask for everything. I'll give you an example. My my favorite, one of my favorites is definitely it's uh it's a roasted chicken with preserved lemon and and uh and all this. And the thing in Morocco, when somebody invites you to their house, it's the food is gonna be really shocking to you because we don't serve just one plate. It's it's the first plate, then the second, and the third, and the fourth problem afterwards, you know. And resort is different than than here in the West. We serve fruits at the end, then we call them fruit instead of sweets. So and that's what it's expected anywhere that that you're invited to a house. That's that's that's the culture. It's not they're not just gonna give you, for example, just like one dish. No, it's gonna be several dishes. So just taste yourself and don't eat too much on the first dish.
SPEAKER_00:Well, there's a good tip right there. Don't eat too much on the first di uh on the first dish. When's the best time to go? Is it like uh and is there special events that some people like to go to uh that that uh they center around?
SPEAKER_01:Uh that is a good question, Renzi. It used to be um March, April, June. That those the number one, the the you know, the the spring. Then October, November. Now, after the pandemic, it's a busy season all around. It slows down a little bit in July and August because of the heat. But then it's it's super busy after a while. So if you get a chance, go any time of the year, just keep in mind uh July and August are gonna be hot, but it's you're still gonna have fun. And then if you're planning to travel in in the last two weeks of December, just make your bookings really, really early. And I'm talking an average of nine months because it gets really really busy uh last two weeks of December because of the holiday, because of you know Christmas, because of the new year. It's I know it sounds kind of shocking to a lot of people, but yes, uh it it does get really really busy because of the Christmas season in a row.
SPEAKER_00:Interesting. Uh and I think that it's the it's the markets and the the bazaars and and those types of things that that people also look for to to want to experience, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yes. Yeah, absolutely, yes. And uh you're right, the markets, you know, the the the the spices, the colors, the hustle and the bust of the streets, mingling with the locals, that's what really, really make an experience, you know, an experience if you would, Randy. So I highly recommend it.
SPEAKER_00:Anything else that people should be aware of? Like what are some of the questions or concerns that uh come up uh if they're planning to to book a tour with you?
SPEAKER_01:Well, don't get your hopes too high. Uh and I'm being very realistic because uh you're going to to a third country. Uh it's a beautiful uh people will love you, they welcome you with open arms. But I w I don't want you to think that you're going, you know, it's it's gonna be like a a five-star experience everywhere you go. No, it's not gonna be. It's gonna have a little bit of hiccups, but at the end it's gonna be uh worth it. Um so uh you know, a lot of people they have a perception versus reality. Some people they're concerned about safety, Morocco is very safe, uh you know, travel without any issues throughout the country. Um you know, some people are concerned about what they are wearing. Uh and I always tell people where when they come. Uh if you claim to be Sapazablanka Moss has in the second, you just put something on you know on top of your hair and and that's it, and you're good. So uh because tourism is the number one income for families in Morocco and it's been that way for class. So everybody knows that you know tourists when they come, they they want to dress up the way that they dress up back home. So everybody they don't expect you to to dress up in a local clothing, uh, which is perfectly fine. So if you do that, then you know just more points to you and then you can just do it. Anything else you want to add? Um go to Morocco as soon as you can. You're gonna love it. It's gonna be uh it's gonna be an amazing, amazing experience. And and you'll ask yourself, why didn't I do this so long time ago?
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. As Dean El Moustakim is the host of Destination Morocco Podcast, destination Morocco Podcast.com is where you can find it and have a listen. There's all kinds of uh different topics uh on traveling to Morocco, and if you want to book a tour and have them hold your hand and guide you through Morocco, which I think would be uh probably the best way to go uh if you're visiting Morocco, uh Asdeem is your guy. So I appreciate uh all your insight, Asdeem. Uh thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you so much, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity, Randy, and thank you, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00:And that is our show for this week. If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a show idea, send that along as well. My email is Randy at theinformed traveler.org. And if you like what you heard, tell a friend. You can check out our website too at theinformtraveler.org. In the meantime, thanks for listening. Travel safe and be an informed traveler.