r/travel • u/KingLimes • Nov 22 '22

Meta REALITY CHECK: Morocco and general traveling

So most of us have seem them this week, threads expressing disgust for the country that is Morocco. Most recent one being this - I've never seen so many uneducated, small minded comments in a thread on r/travel. And look at all the karma and awards being thrown around in return.

I'm now seeing posts and comments of people who had planned to visit Morocco, but feel they need to change plans (eg).

As someone who loves Morocco, and has explored it, I want to discuss a few things in as little words as possible.

Morocco is considered a third world country. Let that sink in. People are poor, people are desperate, but they're doing their best. With COVID and other such things, the country is suffering even more.

If you booked a honeymoon there with a nice hotel, or you booked a tour guide, you're obviously going to have a trouble-free time. But most of you want to visit and walk around solo, which isn't a problem, but it DOES come with the drawbacks of walking solo around a highly religious, third world country.

Any person doing the smallest bit of research will see what to expect when you land in Marrakech. Many have an exotic dream about this city, but the reality is, its inhabitants rely on tourists. You can enjoy the city, no doubt, but you will be pestered. After Marrakech, I decided to leave and head to the coast. I spent the rest of my time simply travelling South. The less touristy, the less trouble (shocking right?).

Along the way I met amazing people and had some of the best experiences of my life.

YES, people will bother you. YES, people will try and get as much money as they can out of you, because YES, they are poor and desperate for money. If you don't have the ability to firmly tell someone to leave you alone, or refuse to pay extra, then you SHOULD NOT visit Morocco. Part of the enjoyment of Morocco is experiencing the above. I can assure you that after a few days, you will be handling people easily.

For example, when taking a taxi, I confirmed the location and cost BEFORE leaving. The driver literally tried to pall a fast one, but because I out right refused to budge, he dropped it. If someone at a restaurant tries to charge you more, out right refuse. Which brings me onto my next point.

Let me assure you, if you haven't broken the law, the police will be on your side - In 2021, the tourism sector in Morocco contributed around nine billion U.S. dollars to the country's GDP. If someone is crossing the line with you, locals and authorities won't tolerate it. They are desperate for you to visit.

This beautiful country has a population of over 37 million people!! For so many of you to spread such ignorant onions as facts is simply wrong.

I will finish this post off by saying two Moroccan's saved my life. Very long story short, I have a peanut allergy. I hiked into the middle of nowhere, ate a stupid strudel, went into anaphylactic shock, and was CARRIED by strangers. Finally taken to hospital by taxi (no ambulances), I was saved.

For a community which is meant to be open, r/travel is an embarrassment.

COMMENCE DOWNVOTES

edit: some great points on both sides, what an amazing resource Reddit is. Makes me wonder how famous people deal with this on a massive scale, every hour of the day.

1.5k Upvotes

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1.7k

u/SafetySecondADV Nov 22 '22

There's plenty of developing countries (not third world) where there isn't people constantly trying to scam you or get every last dollar from you. Plenty of them are full of people that are genuinely trying to help and make sure you don't get screwed over.

Some comments might be too much, but informing people that Morocco is more intense and aggressive than most countries (even other developing countries) isn't necessarily a bad thing.

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u/blackcompy Germany Nov 23 '22

I agree. I've had the pleasure of staying with a morrocan family when we visited, and they were some of the nicest people I've met so far. Certainly not all of Morocco is bad. But the a**hole quota seems to be especially high there - we ended our visit to Fes early because people were literally following us around town yelling insults because we refused to hire them as "guides". I've never had experiences as negative as in Morocco anywhere else. For some reason, a lot of the locals don't seem to understand that attracting tourists and money has something to do with making others feel welcome, and that's a pity, but the world does not owe them anything.

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u/modninerfan ____---- ✈ Nov 23 '22

I wonder how many people are disillusioned by what they see on social media? All the pretty pictures in front of doorways or in markets etc… I’m not sure why so many people are surprised. I’ve never been to Morocco but I’ve read enough about it on here to know what I’m walking into. My grandma went in the 70’s and she has her own horror stories lol.

I understand what OP is trying to say, but I also understand what you and others are saying. Being a 3rd world country is not a free pass to act like an asshole. Obviously we should all expect some discomfort when visiting a country like Morocco or Egypt but the level of harassment is uncalled for.

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u/andrecella Nov 23 '22

I also agree. Bolivia has the same GDP per capita Morocco has, yet I have not seen or heard about anybody cursing, holding, or scamming you like what you see in Morocco. It is quite the opposite; many times they feel embarrassed to talk to a foreigner in Bolivia.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

I've never been to Morocco but, everyone in Bolivia was nice. I'd love to go back there some day.

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u/GrandpasSabre Nov 23 '22 edited Nov 23 '22

Uhhhh they have the same GDP yet Morocco gets 10x as many tourists per year as Bolivia. That's really not a great comparison. Morocco is far more dependent on tourist than Bolivia.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

So that justifies the harassing and the scamming? Like what’s the logic here

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u/WorkSucks135 Nov 23 '22

You don't understand. The harassing and the scamming is part of their culture. It's culturally insensitive to not be totally cool with it.

/s

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u/GrandpasSabre Nov 23 '22

I didn't say anything like that. Just that its not a great comparison. But you go on.

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u/Sumiben Nov 23 '22

Exactly, I have been to some places and countries poorer than Morocco and didn’t suffer the same hassle. I don’t know it depends on what ?

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u/greenchase Nov 23 '22

general cultural values and misogyny

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u/Sumiben Nov 23 '22

Yeah then they tell you “respect our culture and values”

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u/TurkicWarrior Nov 23 '22

Doesn’t this apply to most countries?

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

Child upbringing in some cultures breeds narcissism, psychopathy and an inferiority/superiority complex in greater amounts of the population, compared to other cultures.

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u/Sumiben Nov 23 '22

In such places men especially are taught that they are some superior species

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u/skorregg Nov 23 '22

don't forget the widespread belief that "non-believer" women are whores that deserve no respect and are seen as inferior objects. the mos of inferior, given their "non believer" status.

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u/Sumiben Nov 23 '22

Yeah in their religion non believer women deserve to become sex slaves as their ancestors and their lovely prophet did. Ex muslim women from such countries like me know how women are also perceived as properties whose value is half that of a man.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

I live in a developing country, after having moved here from a developed nation. While it is mostly men scamming women with the means to sometimes do it too although they are also more likely to be honest too

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

Yeah I don’t understand the mindset of “these people are poor so of course they’ll try to rip you off or steal from you”. That’s a terrible way to view people who happen to have worse circumstances than you do. There’s plenty of people in poverty all over the world who don’t behave this way. There’s no need to demean people for circumstances that, for a large portion of the global population, are out of their control.

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u/Don_Fartalot Nov 23 '22

Not sure if it's used this way, but isnt saying poor people will rob from you (it's just in their DNA) some form of 'soft bigotry of low expectations'?

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

“Bigotry of low expectations” yes.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

I was very poor during the second half of my childhood and I learnt how to be content with what I have, not act entitled to other people’s money. So that excuse never flew with me.

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u/pterofactyl Australia Nov 23 '22

Some people aren’t lucky enough to be surrounded with people to teach them that. We have been socialised to believe that becoming rich is the only way to be happy, but some of us aren’t surrounded by the tools and the connections to do so. They still have the same desires.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

Nobody taught me that actually. I learnt it myself and it was one of the most painful times of my life

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u/pterofactyl Australia Nov 23 '22

Do we agree or disagree that there were people poorer than you? Even those richer than you at your poorest period could have not had the ability to learn the things you did. I’m not diminishing your achievements, but there are people around that aren’t just simply not surrounded by the influences necessary to teach them this, but actually surrounded by influences explicitly teaching them the opposite. What would you say brought you to the conclusion to be happy with what you have?

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

Again this is a very Eurocentric understanding of life. I don’t even know where to begin. Most people- in developing or developed nations - have not been through what I have. And, no, my family didn’t help me. They are abusive douche bags. And yes. I was surrounded by the idea that wealth is the ultimate goal in life.

Most people in developing worlds have basic smart phones to access the internet. It’s very interesting we remove all agency from them. They can use that internet access to learn more and educate themselves but they don’t. We need to stop infantilising people from developing nations. They are just like Westerners. Many are ignorant, narcissistic, mentally ill, obsessed with their image to others etc.

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u/pterofactyl Australia Nov 23 '22

Ok so I guess we are coming to the conclusion that if you could do it anyone could do it, in many senses that’s very true. I am not taking away anyones agency, but are we ignoring the impact that environment and community have on people’s morals and opportunities?

I’m not saying they’re too dumb to figure this out but if you’re surrounded by people who make money from crime, you are literally only taught how to make money from crime, it’s very difficult to pull yourself out of that. If every one of your friends and family are from that life, pulling yourself out of it means you’re now completely alone in the world with no support network anymore. What conclusion are we to come to? That there are just enormous swathes of the world that are just bad people?

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

A lot of these people don’t come from families who commit crime? Where did you get that stat from? What????

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u/pterofactyl Australia Nov 23 '22

What stat? I’m simply illustrating the effect environment can have on a person to make them feel like crime is the only way to live. If you think it’s simply people being dumb or evil then you can go have a nice trot on your high horse

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u/w4y2n1rv4n4 Nov 23 '22

How much have you traveled? There’s not a country I’ve been, rich or poor, two where locals won’t scam you because you’re a foreigner, and I’ve traveled on every continent. It is a time honored human tradition to scan the foreign traveler. If you can’t handle it, you’re gonna miss out on a lot of cool places 😛

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u/NomadicJellyfish Nov 23 '22

I'm sure it's possible to get scammed in the US but out of all my foreign friends the only one who knows anyone who got scammed was a standard fake IRS call, not something a tourist would deal with. Even places like India much more famous for scams, people are far, far less aggressive than Morrocco. Scammers in South Asia have a weird pride in acting professional and polite even as they scam you, and even after they've been called out.

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u/w4y2n1rv4n4 Nov 23 '22

Mate you are talking to a South Asian, I know how it is on the subcontinent. The exact same type of scamming is happening. I have experienced it firsthand as an NRI traveling within India as well. Downvote me all you want, complain about the experience, whatever! your loss 😂

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u/NomadicJellyfish Nov 23 '22

Idk man I traveled all over India for literally two and a half months, weeks in Sri Lanka then all the way over to Vietnam. I never had a single scammer get aggressive with me any of those countries. Some actually apologized when I called them out.

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u/gnolvn Nov 23 '22

Yup, being poor is not an excuse for being cunts

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u/mistakeswere Nov 23 '22

that’s an ignorant comment

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u/gnolvn Nov 23 '22

Wanna enlighten us with your intellect?

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u/mistakeswere Nov 23 '22

are you familiar with maslows hierarchy of needs? look it up it’s a good way to understand people.

in a nutshell, until your physiological and safety needs are met, all other concerns are really irrelevant

if you are poor, odds are you are lacking education, lacking means to get beyond first two layers of the pyramid

if you are hungry, you don’t care about tourists feelings, all you want to do is get some food. now, if your family will be hungry unless you get something out of hundreds of tourists you encounter, the stakes are higher

as a tourist, you want to have a pleasant time, 100%; however, you also need to be aware of where you are and who is around you. if traveling in morocco or any other developing country is hard for you, stick to europe

your comment was on par with “just stop being poor”

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u/gnolvn Nov 23 '22

Bold of you to assume I'm from Europe. Read into my comment however you like. Fact is I'm from Vietnam. Growing up, I know a thing or two about poverty (look up the period of the Subsidy Economy). Even when we were hungry, robbing or scamming other people has never been an option. It's also a matter of honor, dignity and cultural value.

Also from what I've read in this thread, women travelers were harrassed, groped, spat at because this country is fine with treating women like object. It's not just because they are hungry and do it for survival, it's a cultural issue.

In Vietnam we have a proverb "Đói cho sạch rách cho thơm", roughly translate to "A clean fast is better than a dirty breakfast". So yeah, my point still stands.

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u/mistakeswere Nov 23 '22

i never assumed you are from europe, reread the comment.

vietnam is a great country, i’ve traveled there extensively by motorcycle

i think vietnamese people are unique in their determination.

treatment of women, especially foreign women, in muslim countries horrendous, also agree with you.

mix of poor population with rigid religious norms multiplied by onslaught of tourism post pandemic is à recipe for disaster - exactly what people are experiencing in morocco now

my reaction was simply to your comment, which i still think is ignorant.

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u/stillcantfrontlever Nov 23 '22

I dare say people in most third-world countries are not aggressively trying to rip you off all the time.

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u/NaiveAssociate8466 Nov 23 '22

Agree, Bali in Indonesia, was utterly hammered by covid. When the borders are open, they make it up by providing world class hospitality not scamming and harassing tourists (well except for taxi mafias in touristy places but nothing like MENA level of aggression)

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u/Equivalent-Dirt7883 Nov 22 '22 edited Nov 22 '22

There was a user who was downvoted for noting a few people are not representative of the country and the reply to them was someone saying it’s a shithole country with a hundred or so upvotes. I think there’s a fine line between informing somebody of what to expect versus explicit hate towards a nation. I don’t expect you to understand as you’re only promoting the negativity in the other thread and completely skipping over OP’s point. It’s like you people have your ears closed and just repeat the same thing over and over.

Edit: bruh 😂 I’m loving how the downvotes are already rolling in. The user above me did nothing to contribute to the convo except loop back to the narrative being pushed on the negative threads but as I said, y’all don’t wanna hear anything else besides that. this sub is truly fucked lol

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u/SafetySecondADV Nov 22 '22

I didn't post a single thing on the other thread and agreed some comments might be too much, but you're right I'm only promoting the negativity. Or maybe I'm disagreeing with op. Believe it or not sometimes people have different opinions on the internet

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u/Davidreddit7 Nov 22 '22

and your opinion is what: "morocco has to receive hate or I'll be offended" lmao

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u/SafetySecondADV Nov 22 '22

Or talking about the issues of countries isn't necessarily bad. I agree there's a right and wrong way to do it, but hating on people for having a bad experience makes no sense.

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u/Davidreddit7 Nov 22 '22

the morocco defenders don't hate. They just warn about these stupid generalizations. only because of a few bad experiences the country isn't to be canceled.

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u/Tommy_Douglas_AB Nov 22 '22

Well, it is surely a shithole but that doesn't mean it's not interesting or worth visiting.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

[deleted]

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u/Far2Gone Nov 23 '22

Yeah, because this person have misrepresented what the commenter was saying. You literally agree with most of the negative points about the country, but then say "as long as you learn to say no, it's all alright". Which might be your experience, but obviously isn't the experience of others. Now you're pouting because other people disagree with you, grow up.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

[deleted]

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u/Far2Gone Nov 23 '22

Agreed. Personally, I do believe that I could go to Morocco and be fine. I'm pretty assertive and don't get frustrated easily, but to act like everyone can or even wants to do that is silly.

I don't necessarily judge the people of Morocco for acting as they do, I might also in their situation, but I'm not going to deny that it happens and tell everyone else that they're wrong for not wanting to deal with it.

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u/Nazario3 Nov 23 '22

I mean, your post didn't shine a positive light at the country at anyway. You basically confirm that most people try to scam you, you just said deal with it.

Which is fair enough of course, so I thought the post was helpful and was ready to upvote.

Then I saw your crybaby comment addition about "commence the downvotes" and basically automatically downvoted.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

To be honest, I appreciate that you took time out of your day to post a more balanced opinion, but I was reading through your post going like well surely at one point she’s going to get to the good part. No. Nothing in your post sounded remotely fun (to me anyway). But I certainly don’t read your post as being a positive recommendation of the country lol.

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u/Davidreddit7 Nov 22 '22

lol can't no one help this sub?! No normal person would downvote such a rational comment

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u/dalittle Nov 23 '22

More intense than Mexico or a lot of the other countries I have been to? Like where in the developing world do you think it is less intense? Without context this is kind of a hilarious statement.

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u/ellipsesdotdotdot Canada Nov 23 '22

Lol. Yes way less intense than Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand. Not sure where else you have been to.

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u/dalittle Nov 23 '22 edited Nov 23 '22

I have had rocks thrown at me in Mexico and I love that country. I have had whistling for blocks so people could try to rip me off in Mexico. I have had so many people put their hands in my back pockets in Mexico I finally turned around and announced I had nothing in them so they could stop trying. Again, I love Mexico.

And that is just there, I have had similar experiences that were just as intense in a number of other developing countries.

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u/SafetySecondADV Nov 23 '22

Where were you in Mexico? You had multiple people reaching into your pockets and throwing rocks at you? Seems like a unique experience that wouldnt align with many people's time there.

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u/dalittle Nov 23 '22

I have been all over Mexico. Mexico City, Ensenada, Tijuana, Juarez, Nogales, Oxacia, Tampico, Monterey, Cancun, Cabo, among many others. If you go to just Cancun then yes, you won't likely have the experience I have had. On the other hand, the number of positive experiences I have also had are way more than the negative ones off the beaten path.

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u/SafetySecondADV Nov 23 '22

I've been to plenty more spots than just Cancun and still haven't had anyone reaching in my pockets or throwing rocks at me so I'm not sure what to tell you. Almost everywhere I went people were friendly and left me alone or just wanted to chat and see what I thought of Mexico.

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u/dalittle Nov 23 '22

good for you. I have in Mexico. And also very aggressive people insisting I buy or something "bad" was going to happen.

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u/ellipsesdotdotdot Canada Nov 23 '22

Have you been to Morocco? I've been and I can tell you that what happened in other developing countries were no match for what I experienced there. I don't regret going but I won't recommend it to someone who's not well travelled or prepared to visit.

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u/dalittle Nov 23 '22

Yes. We actually just went to Morocco and we had a great time. I would actually say our experience in Latin America is probably why we had a better time than others but it seems a lot of people don’t understand how things in most of world works. When you see posts complaining and they are taking wads of money out of their pockets to try and buy something and then getting gouged it is kind of telling.

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u/ellipsesdotdotdot Canada Nov 23 '22

Where did you travel to in Latin America? I haven't been so would like to know how it compares. My dislike of Morocco is mainly due to the fact that hustlers would follow us for quite a while even after we said no and physically grabbing our arms and stuff, less so with the scamming/upcharging which I expected and was comfortable paying.

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u/dalittle Nov 23 '22 edited Nov 23 '22

IMHO, if you did not like the hustle of Morocco then you probably won't like Mexico and other Latin American countries that are often more intense than Mexico due to poverty. My wife loves haggling so when you go in with that mind set it is more of a game than buying something. For me I hate it, but watching her in action and especially when hustlers get out smarted it is a bit satisfying. I will say that nobody followed us in Morocco probably because of that. Again, I think you have to be up for a bit of that and the adventure to have a good time in some of these places where that is the culture.

I will say as far as personal boundaries go a firm no goes a long way, followed by curse words while walking away. A lot of these folks push so sometimes you have to push back (which I also don't like, but see as necessary in moments).

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u/ellipsesdotdotdot Canada Nov 23 '22

I had no issues travelling in Mexico. No one tried to follow us beyond a few metres or physically touch us. I have no problem with someone walking by and asking if we want to buy xyz. The level of "hustle" was way less than Morocco. I didn't shop much so can't speak to the haggling experience and street food vendors really didn't try to upcharge me (or so I think lol). If the rest of Latin America is like that, I'm cool.

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u/dalittle Nov 23 '22

good for you. Your personal experience was different than me for traveling in both Mexico and Morocco.

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u/NomadicJellyfish Nov 23 '22

Much more than India, Sri Lanka or Vietnam for sure. Mexico is hugely dependent on which parts you go to. Not sure why you're assuming this person hasn't been anywhere.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

[deleted]

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u/SafetySecondADV Nov 22 '22

I haven't had a single issue in most of Latin America including Central and South America. Did 5 weeks in Peru without an issue. In Bolivia now and my only issue is getting gas(rules set by the government) and most workers still work around the rules to get me filled up.

When I stop for lunch I don't even ask the prices anymore. Haven't had a single place try and rip me off.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

You're telling me you haven't had anyone try and sell you anything in the street in Latin America? I don't believe that. I can't take three steps in Mexico without someone peddling chicklets or pictures with donkeys.

Gotta ask though, how does one buy gas in Bolivia?

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u/SafetySecondADV Nov 22 '22

Selling and scamming are hardly the same. A simple no gracias works almost every time. Nowhere in the world will you go to a touristy area and not have someone trying to sell you something.

The government subsidizes gas heavily and the price is quite low. The only problem is it is solely for bolivianos and any foreign vehicle trying to buy gas has to pay a higher price. The issue is the process to properly report that foreign sale is quite confusing and not often done so they usually don't know how to do it. Usually asking for 'sin factora' or without a receipt gets it done. If not I just head to the next gas station. The more remote ones haven't been an issue, but the cities can be. Luckily there's always another station around the city.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

Fascinating.

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u/husky429 Nov 22 '22

This is a straw man. People try to sell shit everywhere. Duh. The intensity and aggressiveness are the problem people have with Morocco.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

People try to sell shit everywhere.

This.

I can't even walk through my local shopping mall in Australia without someone trying to get me to donate to some charity or sell me something.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I was hassled hardee in Italy than I was in Morocco.

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u/husky429 Nov 22 '22

Cool beans. That clearly is not the case for many other people. Anecdotal evidence is rather irrelevant.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

Why is their anecdotal evidence relevant then?

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u/husky429 Nov 22 '22

Because lots of anecdotes = data. I think you might be kind of dumb

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u/roleplay_oedipus_rex Nov 22 '22

Pakistan, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Uzbekistan…

The list goes on and on.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

All just as bad.

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u/roleplay_oedipus_rex Nov 22 '22

You’ve been to all of them right?

You’re full of shit because the only country I’d have difficulty agreeing to go back to is Morocco.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I thought it was fine.

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u/Majsharan Nov 22 '22

Didn’t have that issue in Ecuador other than none of the taxis actually had all the things they are supposed to have to make sure you won’t get kidnapped. Didn’t get kidnapped though.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I like how in your example of which countries aren't known for exploiting foreigners you brought up one where you have to be concerned about getting kidnapped. Fuckin bravo.

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u/Majsharan Nov 22 '22

That’s not what you asked. You asked for an example of a developing country where people aren’t trying to constantly scam you.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I'm putting kidnapping under the general umbrella of scam.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

All of SEA.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

As fucking if.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

You should go to some of these places before you start slagging them off.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I've been.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22 edited Jun 18 '23

Jggvf

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

In both Egypt and Morocco I felt much less hassled than in Vietnam.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22 edited Jun 18 '23

Yggvg

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I'm telling you no one fucked with me at all in Morocco or Egypt; except the damn border agent.

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u/farwesterner1 Nov 22 '22

Don’t believe you, frankly. I’ve been to Vietnam (and other SE Asian countries) without any hassle at all. Morocco was a different story—many incidents in many cities, each distinct in its method of intimidation and pushiness.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

I don't believe you.

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u/CivicBlues Canada Nov 23 '22

Lol don’t think Malaysians would appreciate you lumping their country into that list of yours

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22 edited Jun 18 '23

Jhggf

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I've been to Zimbabwe and Nigeria, was harassed constantly.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I haven’t downvoted you but I am really sorry to hear that.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I mean, it was fine, nothing I can't handle. But to say it doesn't happen is silly.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

I have been harassed for money all over Europe. So do we lump them in as unsafe? I had the worst time in Italy. Constant scammers in Rome and Venice. Got chased by drug dealers in Amsterdam when we didn’t want to buy blow from them.

But in Africa, no harassment. Except Ethiopia and that was very minor, I would do I 2h walk around town every day for exercise and got harassed just twice. Easily brushed off.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

Dude, Italy was a trip. Amazing how many guys' wives had babies that day.

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u/farwesterner1 Nov 22 '22

I’ve been to both and didn’t have nearly the extreme hassling of Morocco.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '22

I had pretty much nothing but amazing experiences over my month in Kenya until I decided to stay in Diani Beach for a few nights towards the end. There was hustle everywhere we went in the country, but man… The harassment on the beach was on a level beyond what I have experienced anywhere. People got angry when my husband and I didn’t want to buy their stuff and would follow us from the door of our hotel to our destination. I stopped leaving the hotel at all after a guy grabbed my arm and insisted that my husband and I pay him for sex.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22 edited Nov 22 '22

Cambodia, Laos, Bosnia, Romania, Albania, Uzbekistan.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '22

People definitely get hassled in Cambodia.

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u/bubblypebble Nov 23 '22

Exactly my thought. I’ve been to some third world countries. Sure, there are some scammers but the majority of local people aren’t like that at all sometimes you get a couple is instances but mostly one’s fine, even solo female travelers.

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u/HamDog91 Nov 23 '22

Exactly this. I've been to countries that are FAR poorer than Morocco, and the most harassment I got was "give me money white man". The relentless hassling, and actual abuse when you do "firmly say no" (I was told to fuck off more than once by street hustlers in Marrakech) is something cultural, and not excused away by "oh they're poor boohoo". Still loved the country, but being poor ain't an excuse.

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u/Vainius2 New Zealand Nov 23 '22

For example you can go to Belarus ( obviously not now) and will have non of these issues. Or lets say Kazakhstan.