Agent Diary: Morocco was full of encounters with inspirational women striving for better lives

Holiday Village agent Andrea Smith recounts travelling as part of Intrepid Travel’s ‘Adventurher’ trip

My sister is fond of saying that after 40 years working in central Manchester, when she retires  she wants to live in the middle of a field with no neighbours and just a good book.

I already live in the middle of a field and many a week can pass that I don’t leave the farm, but last week I went to Morocco to meet Alice Morrison, who takes the prize when it comes to escaping the rat race.

I went as part of Intrepid Travel’s ‘Adventurher’ trip, and afternoon tea at Alice’s house was on the menu. If you aren’t familiar with Alice, she’s a journalist, author and BBC documentary presenter who has completed extreme challenges such as the Marathon des Sables (an ultra-marathon across the Sahara) and Tour D’Afrique (the world’s longest bike race, 12,000km through Africa). At 56, she was the first woman to walk the 1,500km Draa River in Morocco.

Wonder woman

Alice’s latest challenge is to walk the length of Saudi Arabia. Ten years ago, already in her 50s, she moved to Morocco and now lives in a small village in the Atlas Mountains, the only Western woman among the local Berber population. Alice admitted her neighbours probably think she’s a little odd – an eccentric aunt to their children – but she is clearly living her best life, and to us is more of a midlife Wonder Woman.

Alice is not the only woman in Morocco achieving incredible things. Intrepid was keen to show us the work of its foundation helping women whose higher educational opportunities can be very limited, or even non-existent. Traditionally, girls, especially in rural areas, are raised to be wives and mothers. Some Moroccan women are looking to break that mould with the help of charities like The Intrepid Foundation.

Sara, our Intrepid female tour guide, has herself passed through the ‘Education for All’ programme. It provides a safe home nearer the towns for children from around 12 years old to live while they achieve a high-school education under the care of the ‘House Mothers’, giving them the chance to choose a different path in life. We had the privilege of meeting Fatima – a House Mother – and some of her inspiring girls. We were incredibly moved by the hopes they had for their futures and, through their example and that of people like Sara, the hopes they shared for the women of their country.

Intrepid’s work

The chance to meet Alice and the people at Education for All is of course not one of Intrepid’s usual itineraries, but there are many other opportunities for clients to experience the work of the foundation in their trips. Our tour was designed especially for women, and I have some solo female clients who have expressed reservations about single-sex groups in the past, so I wondered how I would find the dynamic.

I was pleased to find conversation was easy and entertaining, and a supportive camaraderie was quickly established during our mountain hike. Meet‑ups and future adventures together were even discussed – exactly what a tour client might hope for, particularly if it’s their first solo trip.

My tips on Morocco

Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered to respect local customs. T-shirts, and maxi or mid-length dresses, are fine.

Don’t take photos of local women without permission and never post them online. Apparently, men have been known to divorce a wife whose face was shown without consent on social media.

Riads are small hotels with rooms based round a central courtyard in the historic Old Town. Some are ‘dry’, meaning they don’t serve alcohol. The newer part of Marrakech is a cosmopolitan city with many upmarket restaurants that do.

Vegan and vegetarian food is catered for widely. Gluten-free is more difficult to find.