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=== Hospitality ===
== Personal Experiences ==
[[User: Fedecicco| Fede]] was caught wild camping three times and detained by the police. Once in Azilal, in the Atlas mountains, asking for a spot near a mosque, the security didn't authorise him until arrival of the cops (amn watani) who treated him politely and explained they must force him go to a hotel. Second time in Sa'idya (border with Algeria and "maximum suspect") while hitchhiking brought to a police station with a ridiculous scam (policeman said "this friend of mine will bring you to a better spot") and kept hours checking documents and asking questions; lastly in Chefchaouen where a nocturnal guardian directly called the police (kept for 5 hours, taken fingerprints and the day after threatened to be expelled from the "kingdom" if he didn't leave the city). Each time police clarified that it was illegal to sleep in the streets or as guest at Moroccans for "security reasons", i.e. according to them and that law, every foreigner must go to a hotel or guesthouse every night unless there is an emergency situation where you don't have alternatives. Of course the practice is different than the theory, though pay attention, especially if you are not european, because they could be extremely racist.
* [http://askamylin.blogspot.com/2009/02/morocco.html Amylin's excellent advice on getting along in Morocco]
[[trash:Morocco]]
→See Also
|avp = Morocco
}}
Hitching in '''Morocco''' is good despite the scarcity of vehicles on some routes. If you're doing it in hot seasons bring a ''big'' bottle of water, a hat, and maybe a book to read. In winter consider staying short-sleeved during the day. Expect to freeze at night though (especially above 800 m of altitude), so plan some "onion layers" clothes.
European-style gas station hitchhiking is possible on the motorways, which are quite busy and in very good shape. They are a good way to cover long distances in a short time, especially between the big cities. The employees might not allow you to approach drivers at gas stations, but will usually offer to find a ride for you, which might seem weird at first, and also seems to take longer than asking people yourself, but definitely works. Otherwise, the rest area and restaurant are often separate from the gas station and there are no employees there, so they are also a good spot to ask drivers.
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== Cities ==
* [[Essaouira]]
* [[Fes]]
* [[Larache]]
* [[Marrakech]]
* [[Meknes]]
* [[Mohammedia]]
* [[Ouarzazate]]
* [[Rabat]]
* [[Tangier]]
* [[Tetouan]]
'''See also:''' [[File:2.jpg|thumb|right|Tonypro getting a lift on the N13 between Erfoud and Merzouga during a sandstorm.Western Sahara]]
== Language ==
The official language is Arabic though the dialects spoken in Morocco and [[Algeria]] are significantly different from Modern Standard Arabic and dialects found in the [[Middle East]] and other parts of [[Africa]]. French is a common language of business and among educated people and in major cities will be almost universally understood. Many people in the north speak Spanish, and you will likely also find it useful in Western Sahara. The major Berber languages are fascinating but the effort required to learn them is probably too great for a casual tourist.
While spoken by some educated people and those who work in tourism, English is of little use. Be very careful if approached by someone speaking English, they are often looking to make a profit, legitimate or not.
If you are humble and kind, you will easily receive invitations. Sometimes the hospitality is exhausting and you may want to take a cheap hotel for some privacy and space to breathe.
Morocco is famous for its hospitality and if you spend some time hitchhiking around the country, someone will sooner or later invite you for tea, food, or a place to sleep. To be polite, and to find out whether the invitation is genuine, it is wise to refuse at least once. If people really want to invite you they will insist, and you can accept in good conscience after the second or third time. Sometimes, people might offer you to stay with them if you ever come to their town, but only do so out of politeness, in which case it might not be very nice to respond with something like "yeah, definitely, what's your number, so I can call you when I get there?". But many people also genuinely want to help you out and will offer you to take down their phone number in case you need a place to stay or any help at all, and if you feel like they are serious about it, it is definitely not rude to accept and call them later if you want to take them up on it.
It might be a good idea to make yourself aware of the overall social / economic situation of people who invite you, as you might meet both very rich and very poor people, and even a very poor person might offer to pay for food, transport or other expenses, even if they cannot really afford it. In these cases, if someone invites you to spend the night at their home, if you can afford it, why not pay for groceries, or at least bring a small gift, like a pack of tea, sugar or some fruits... A little extra food every once in a while will most probably not put a dent in your budget.
== Safety ==
Hitchhiking to Mauritania is surprisingly easy at the Mauritanian consulate in Rabat. Anyone going to Mauritania must stop there first to get the visa (no longer available at the Mauritanian border or in Rabat), and you will have many long hours of waiting for your visa in which you can talk to the various drivers going south. Also, just hitchhiking towards south conventionally will be quite easy as there is always overlanders and car salespeople going south.
[[The-nomaddicts]] entered Mauritania from [[Western Sahara]] in December 2019 and received a visa at the border. It cost 55 Euros and took about 3 hours but a visa on arrival is standard procedure now. A personal experience with border crossings(Dating back to 2005):: “''I was homosexually harassed by an older border policeman while coming from Morocco to [[Ceuta]]. I don´t forgive such, so I approached Moroccan consulates in both [[Malaga]] and [[London]]. In Malaga they obviously protect such criminals and London wasn´t very helpful either. I did send letters to the ministries of tourism and interior affairs, as well as to the border chief but nobody was interested. So, if you really have to come to this country, make sure you don´t cross the borders alone!''”
== Hitchhiking Events ==
From the [http://www.lcd.org.uk/events/hitch/ LCD]:: ''The 2007 Hitch has just wrapped up with a record-breaking 760 Hitchers completing the 1,600 mile journey to Morocco, and 26 the 800 mile journey to Prague. The Hitch is LCD’s largest fundraising event and hitching the 1600 or 800 miles is a true feat of achievement. All the Hitchers have now safely returned to the UK, but the money is still rolling in.''
== See Also ==
* [[Western Sahara]]
== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
{{nomadwiki}}
{{hitchbase_country|133}}
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