Tailor made Morocco family adventure holiday
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Family small group tours are sent electronically Responsible Travel briefing notes and an Equipment List. Clients can communicate directly with us if there are any specific queries. We do not produce printed brochures and minimal paperwork – our marketing and administration is primarily electronic, thereby reducing paper waste.
Our ground team have been briefed in the ethos of responsible Travel and are encouraged to lead by example. Guidelines regarding Cultural Etiquette are also published on our website.
Within the desert camps all food waste is kept for feed to the working animals (donkeys, mules and camels) and clients are advised not to dispose of toilet paper in the WCs at camp. The use of eco-friendly toiletries and cosmetics etc are encouraged through the Kit List, published on the company’s website.
On our 4x4 Off-Road Desert Expeditions, experienced local drivers will ensure that only established pistes are followed to ensure minimum disturbance and erosion of surrounding desert dunes and eco-systems. Our indigenous desert guides can point out and explain the desert flora & fauna in a local context.
We ask clients to purchase drinking water in large containers (if possible) for decanting to individual small bottles, to avoid creating excessive plastic waste. Plastic containers, bottles, bottle tops etc will be kept for our recycling arts/music projects or disposed of in the municipal amenities of larger towns. Our Moroccan ground team and drivers are briefed in the ethos of environmentally responsible practices and we encourage leadership by example.
This trip (and this company generally) caters only for small groups. This allows for a closer relationship between the local suppliers and the visitor and has a less harmful environmental impact than large tour groups arriving in coaches etc. Our groups will have a much closer relationship with their guides and drivers, receiving a better level of personal service and cultural understanding as a result.
Community
Our company is jointly owned in partnership with Moroccans indigenous to the desert community in which we focus our activities and cultural/volunteering holidays. The Moroccan Saharoui co-director of the company is also a founding member of a separate community development association which addresses environmental and economic issues.
All trips are led by English-speaking experienced local guides who has been briefed in the ethos of Responsible Travel and the expectations of the European/Western traveller. We only engage local drivers, transportation and guides who have best knowledge of the area and in so doing we ensure that maximum economic benefits are returned directly to the families in the area. As much as possible we use independent locally owned accommodation and restaurants. For desert expeditions and camps all supplies are sourced within the village from local businesses.
In order to promote the distribution of tourism wealth, on our travels we encourage clients to purchase supplies and souvenirs from smaller shops, individual artisans and co-operatives out of the main tourist centres. With this trip we are developing an innovative relationship with a community of potters in Tamegroute to provide interactive activities for children and arts/crafts enthusiasts. Our family trips are donating towards the cost of developing facilities at the pottery co-operative for hosting workshops and residencies for visiting artists and tourists who want to learn in a ‘hands-on’ way. Your donation for the pottery-activity covers the cost of materials and contributes to the livelihood of the working families here.
We encourage visitors to bring clothing, school supplies and basic equipment for distribution to local inhabitants via appropriate leaders, teachers etc. This is co-ordinated through our relationship with a Community Association in the village of M’Hamid el Ghizlane – our Moroccan co-director is one of the committee members.
Our company is committed to providing fair payment to local people in the tourism trade. We pay our guides/drivers a daily rate that is much higher than the current Moroccan minimum wage (paid by the large tour operators).
We sell our trips from the internet, without a costly office base. In this way the overheads are kept low and at least 80% of the holiday price is directly contributed into the local economy.
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