Morocco

 We went to Morocco as a luxury trip on a budget. Have you heard of EasyJet holidays? That is what we used and let me tell you between that and Get Your Guide, we did pretty amazing at sticking to our budget!

So, let me give you the rundown on what we spent and I can guarantee one of the things we spent money on will shock you but I promise we have a good reason for it. Obviously we spent money on the typical things:

• Flights, accommodation and two meals per day package, £339.47 per person. This was for 4 nights at the Diwane Hotel and Spa which was in walking distance to the Jardin Majorelle.

  Next, we spent quite a large sum of money on excursions but in our defence, going in a hot air balloon at sunrise was a bucket list item for us so it wasn’t something we were willing to pass up even though it didn’t fit our budget. So, please bare that in mind as we delve into this next section:

• Hot air balloon ride at sunrise with traditional Berber breakfast included, £97.33 per person. This included all transfers, photo opportunities and a flight certificate upon completion of the hot air balloon ride.

• Day trip to the Ouzoud Waterfalls, £18.58 per person. This was a full day tour to the waterfalls where we had a knowledgeable tour guide showing us around and taking our photos in the best places. It also included all transfers which was a 3 hour mini-bus ride that had air conditioning which was lovely. We were in a small group of about 10 people and our tour guide spoke everyone’s native tongue which included English, Spanish, French and Italian. The tour also included a boat ride into the waterfall and private viewing behind a smaller waterfall. It did not include food or drink, however.

• Camel ride, dinner and light show in the Agafay Desert, £24.56 per person. This tour was an evening tour where we rode camels, ate traditional Moroccan cuisine for dinner and had the privellege of watching a man dance with fire. The oasis in the desert was complete with a pool. However, there was a lot of people on this tour which meant that we had to wait around a lot to do anything. But, we also got to see how argon oil was made which was very interesting. Also, unlike the trip to Ouzoud, this minibus did not have air conditioning.

  Finally, in regard to miscellaneous items such as additional food, unplanned excursions (like a trip to Jardin Majorelle) and transportation to and from the airport, we each spent the equivalent of £55.

  Therefore, in total, the cost of our trip per person was £524.94. However, it can obviously be done for significantly less should you want the budget to be lower.