Morocco and reasons to love small-group trips — Listen to The Standard podcast

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This week’s sustainable travel podcast sees hosts Juliet Kinsman and Jon Weeks savouring the sights, the smells and the under-the-radar secrets of Morocco.

As we’ve revealed over the course of this series so far, being a more responsible traveller goes well beyond simply reducing your carbon footprint. This latest episode – brought to you in partnership with Intrepid Travel – will show how travelling on a small-group tour led by a local guide can be the best way to unlock a destination – while also ensuring your impact is a positive one.

Go on, be honest, does the thought of a group trip send shivers down your spine? You wouldn’t be alone, but as you’ll hear from Juliet’s own experiences travelling with a group led by Chama, a female guide from the Berber mountains, it can also mean leaving the friction and faff far behind, to be replaced with something far more life-affirming and more delicious. The thousand-holed pancake that Juliet tasted on an intimate visit to a private home is just one of many authentic dishes she sampled as part of the trip.

As you listen to the account of time spent in vibrant Marrakech , Morocco’s fourth-largest city, and hear what it’s like to take a seven-hour direct train journey to Fès, the country’s second-largest city, you too might be converted to the benefits of surrendering yourself to a local expert.

As always, this series highlights how tourism can be a key driver for socio-economic uplift – by spending your money with worthwhile local enterprises, such as the Al-Nour Association in the heart of the Marrakech Medina, where women with disabilities create beautifully embroidered cotton, silk, and linen clothing and homeware, you can make a real difference to the local economy. It’s something to think about whenever you travel.

And talking of travel, we also take a vicarious journey through the Rif mountains to the famous Blue City of Chefchaouen. A top tip for where to stay is a suite with panoramic views of this cinematic cerulean setting at the guesthouse Dar Echchaouen. Now if that doesn’t get you excited about visiting Morocco, we don’t know what will.

Our travel-inspired podcast of sustainable travel insights is available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you stream your podcasts. Next week, we’ll take you to Turkey and invite you to meet novelist and storyteller Elif Shafak

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