I’m only halfway through my two-week trip to Thailand, and I want to go home.

It’s not because I got food poisoning or had a nasty fight with the friend I’m traveling with (although it can definitely be taxing traveling with someone as an introvert). Thailand is absolutely lovely — and much better than DC in February — but I can’t help but feeling anxious and a little down.

The problem is that, although the little voice in the back of my head is saying it wants to go home, the other voice in my head is saying, “you don’t really have a home.”

I started feeling a little tired and burnt out from traveling last month. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but prior to my Thailand trip, I was partially dreading it. I waited until the last day to pack (something that’s normal for most people, but very odd for me). I hardly did any itinerary planning. I could barely find the energy to do anything. I knew that when I returned from Thailand, I needed to put down some roots and chill out on the jet-setting.

And yet, I can’t help but cringe at that last statement. Like, oh my gosh, can you say #firstworldproblems? Did you really just use the term “jet-setting?”

But I’m trying to stop beating myself up for feeling how I’ve been feeling, because generally that only makes things worse. Instead, I’m trying to accept my feelings, discuss them openly, and then address the underlying issues (hence, this blog post, probably).

So, if you’re not rolling your eyes yet, here it goes:

When I left New York in August of 2017, my goal was to do some soul-searching in the form of traveling and to freelance full-time.

It was surprisingly easy to find enough freelance gigs to match (and eventually, exceed) the monthly income I had at my previous full-time gig (although, to be fair, it was only $2000 after taxes). After waiting around to recover from surgery in January of 2018, I started taking some trips.

I felt like I had met my goals with relatively few hiccups, and I felt great and so, so happy. I was seeing new places, meeting new people, and still finding the time to get work done wherever I went. 2018 was probably one of the best years of my life thus far, even with the medical complications I dealt with and the losses of some people I really cared about.

That’s why it was even more confusing (and tbh, annoying) when I started feeling that pang of anxiety and sadness again. While I initially tried blaming outside sources, I realized that a lot of it probably came from within me.

But I don’t really think it’s fair to use the word blame, because I know these feelings are natural and a sign that I’m ready for a transition in my life. Unfortunately, I’m a control freak, and taking the next step when I can’t see exactly what it is (or what it “should” be) scares the shit out of me.

When I left New York, I moved my stuff back into my parents’ place with the hopes I wouldn’t be home much. Once I started traveling, that was exactly the case. Of the past six months, I’ve probably only been home for at least six weeks max. While that’s been great for my passport and my Instagram content, it made my returns “home” not feel like returning home at all. Instead, my room felt like a storage unit, an area where I laid out my suitcase and clothes while preparing for my next trip.

I felt like one of those people who jumps from relationship to relationship, trying to fill the void — but instead of hopping from boyfriend to boyfriend, I was hopping from country to country.

Of course, I have no regrets. And Belize will never break my heart like some dude named Brad could’ve, but my latest fantasy revolves less around exploring new places and more around creating a place of my own. I bought an adorable devil-horned elephant sculpture from a store near my hotel in Chiang Mai, and I can’t wait until I can plan my entire (future) apartment’s décor around it. I’m ready to start investing the time (and money) into creating a place that I am proud to call home — I’m just not totally sure where that will be yet.

The last year has been amazing, and to some, being a full-time digital nomad might be their ultimate dream or goal. I’m not totally ruling it out as mine. Being a more “traditional” nomad and renting apartments in foreign countries for months sounds a lot saner than hopping from place to place for 5-14 days at a time (which is what I’d been doing all year).

Something I finally came to terms with in Thailand is that one of my favorite things to do while traveling is simply finding a cool café and doing work there. Whenever people asked me questions like, “what did you do in Madrid?” I had trouble coming up with an answer, because on most days I just chose which vegan restaurant I wanted to visit, walked the 20-40 minutes to get there, did some more wandering, and eventually found a good coffee shop to get work done in.

As much as I hate to admit it, the truest version of myself craves routine. That’s partially why I loved having work (and school) to ground me while doing all of this traveling within the last year. While I definitely see myself continuing to travel, and continuing to work towards a career that gives me flexibility, I need to take my time and spend longer in one place. I need to stop running towards an unclear destination and more clearly plan a path that feels good to keep drifting down.

After all, having a trip to look forward to can do wonders for my mood, but when I’ve started to look forward to going home instead, that’s when I figure it’s time to reevaluate my priorities.

I don’t know what my next steps are, but I think that sitting down and taking the time to figure out what my new goals are, and then working towards them, will help to alleviate the way I’ve been feeling. I was planning on doing this after my trip anyway, but I’ve realized that there’s no time like the present!

In the meantime, while I really did seriously consider changing my flight and heading home early, the $800 I’d have to pay convinced me to sit with the idea a little longer. I’m going to try my best to be true to myself during this last week in Thailand. Knowing myself, that means more days like today, walking to vegan cafes with my laptop after finding a yoga class to pop in to (Satva Yoga in Chiang Mai was great). I’m sure I’ll miss some tourist attractions and nights out at bars, but I’m happiest when I’m doing the shit I want to do, not the shit that I’m “supposed” to want to do.

I’ve also started using BetterHelp, a platform with a bunch of therapists that you can chat with, schedule phone calls with, or Skype with — and will definitely be writing a review in the future!

If you’re a fellow digital nomad, I hope this post has been relatable. If you’re not, I hope this has made you realize that a life full of traveling isn’t always as glamorous as it seems — although to be fair, it is fun for a good while.

P.S. “El Dorado“ by Death Cab For Cutie came on in the vegan café I’m working out of (ImmAim Cafe) as I was finishing up this post, and I low-key teared up.

P.S.S. I didn’t feel like making the body of the post any longer with this, but of course I’m massively privileged to be able to have had the experiences I’ve had in the past year, and I don’t take that for granted. I really hope this doesn’t come off as #firstworldproblems or that I sound ungrateful, I just wanted to be honest with how I’ve been feeling with the hopes that other people could relate to it. Sometimes feeling unhappy when you have no real “reason” to be can make things even more complicated because you also feel guilty for not appreciating what you have!

Wondering about the most important things to know before going to China? I’m giving you my honest advice based on my trip there this past September. 

Let’s be honest with ourselves — China is probably not at the top of your travel bucket list. It’s probably not even at the top of your Asia bucket list.

But, if you’re into ancient history, love big cities, or maybe are simply looking for another country to hit while backpacking through Asia, perhaps you’re considering going to China.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that you’re in for a huge culture shock, but that’s something you’ll have to experience for yourself.

What I am here to do is to make sure that you pack everything you need, and that you’re as mentally (and maybe even physically) prepared as possible.

Keep in mind that I spent time in Beijing and Chengdu, which are less Westernized than Shanghai and Hong Kong. Many of the things I’m mentioning may not apply to more “Western” areas of China.

Keep reading for 8 things to know before going to China…

READ: 5 Things to Know Before Going to Morocco HERE

Here are the 8 things to know before going to China…

1. Download a VPN on Your Phone and Laptop

If you don’t know much about China, here’s a newsflash: the majority of your favorite social media sites and websites are illegal. No Facebook, no Instagram, and even no Google.

Do you know how difficult it is to plan your trip when you don’t have access to Google to type in “restaurants near me” or whatever? Very difficult!

Thankfully, you can access all of these sites with a handy-dandy VPN, which is why this is #1 on my list of things to know before going to China (because social media is crucial to how I make money every day).

Even if you’re thinking, “I don’t need Instagram, I want to unplug and immerse myself in the culture,” you should probably still download a VPN.

Hacking and data theft are known to be super prevalent in China, and a VPN will protect outsiders from getting into your laptop and cell phone data.

If you’re wondering if a certain site is blocked in China, you can check this link.

I used a VPN provided by my university, but friends of mine recommended Express VPN. Just make sure you download the VPN on all of your devices before you leave, because you won’t be able to get it once you arrive. I recommend searching “VPN” on the app store, then downloading a few of them with high ratings, just in case.

Recognize this place?

2. Buy Little Tissue Packets To Stuff Into All Your Purses

Another one of the major things to know before going to China? This may be an odd thing to write about in a blog post, but when visiting China you want to make sure you have toilet paper on you at all times. Most public restrooms do not have toilet paper, and even the more “legit” places (think museums and restaurants) can be lacking in the TP department.

Save yourself the discomfort and buy a pack of on-the-go tissues like these, and try to pop one in each bag you’ll be using on the trip. I definitely made the mistake of switching purses and forgetting to transfer my tissues a few times, which was not ideal.

As an added bonus, you may also want to carry a small hand sanitizer, like these. Most bathrooms don’t have soap or paper towels.

3. Get Any Shots (or Pills) From Your Doctor

Of course, as you would when traveling to most developing countries, you want to make sure you’re up to date on all of your shots.

If you’ve gotten all the standard stuff and aren’t staying in China for more than a month, you’ll most likely only have to get something preventative for Typhoid. These can be given in shots, but my doctor instead gave me four pills that I took every other day prior to my trip. Super easy. For more on the CDC recommendations for travelers to China, click here.

If you’re already at the doctor, you may want also to see if they can prescribe you something for “food poisoning.” Most of the food in China is cooked, and as someone with a pretty sensitive stomach, I didn’t get sick. Still, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Lastly, you might want to buy some water pills from your local pharmacy. Due to Chinese food’s traditionally high sodium content, you may start feeling bloated and puffy and gross while visiting. I bought some and didn’t end up using them, but again, never hurts to be safe!

4. Consider a Crash Course in Chinese

As a native English speaker, I’m very fortunate that wherever I go, there seems to be a decent amount of people who speak the same language as me (or at least have a very basic knowledge of it).

Out of every place I’ve traveled, China was the most challenging in terms of language barrier. Very few people I interacted with spoke English, and even “basic” English words (such as “toilet” or “water”) were unfamiliar to waiters, hotel staff, etc.

To add to the difficulty, it’s not like someone who doesn’t know Chinese can take their best guess at understanding Chinese characters. Unlike in Spain or France, where I could somewhat understand certain signs, menus, etc. were saying, I was shit out of luck in China.

Many times, if I was looking for a restroom or trying to order something specific (or simply attempting to interact with someone), I ended up using Google translate and showing the staff my phone so they could read the characters from there. Thankfully, since I had cell service the entire time, this was available to me, but depending on your plans, it might not be to you!

If you have the time, enjoy using Duolingo, etc., I’m sure learning basic Chinese before your travels would help you immensely.

5. Potentially Start Using a Squatty Potty At Home

This is another odd thing to mention on the blog, but it’s definitely one of the most important things to know before going to China. About 85% of the toilets in China are not regular American toilets (or “pedestal” toilets, as they call them in China).

They’re what I like to refer to as “squatty pottys,” and they look like this:

Yes, you’re looking at it right. There is nowhere to sit down. You basically just squat over the hole and hope for the best.

Needless to say, this leads to the majority of the public restrooms being extremely foul-smelling places.

Anyway, I don’t really have any words of wisdom for exactly how to prepare yourself for these (besides the aforementioned toilet paper) but it’s just something to be ready for. Some spots have one “handicapped” toilet that’s a regular toilet, but the rest are squattys. Definitely take advantage of the regular toilet at your hotel when you can.

For some extra guidance, here’s a handy dandy guide on how to use a “squat toilet.”

The squat toilet in all of its glory

6. Exchange & Withdraw Cash When You Can 

If you’re like me and typically forgo exchanging currency at the airport because your debit card doesn’t charge you for foreign withdrawals — change your strategy before heading to China.

While ATMs in hotels and certain areas may allow you to withdraw Yuan from your card, many ATMs will not accept any American cards. When my friends and I headed to Leshan for an excursion to see the Big Buddha sculpture, we couldn’t find anywhere to get cash out. Even the banks in the area weren’t able to give us cash from our credit cards.

Plus, A LOT of places only accept cash (or simply just don’t take American cards). This includes places like 7-11.

I recommend exchanging a decent amount of cash at the airport, and then taking out a large amount from your hotel’s ATM (assuming you’re staying at a hotel). You don’t want to get stuck somewhere with no money — trust me, I did it at Leshan and it wasn’t fun.

7. Be Willing To Experiment With Your Taste Buds (And Do Extra Prep If You Have Dietary Restrictions)

As I mentioned previously, few people speak English. You’re also likely not going to accurately guess at what most Chinese characters mean. So, naturally, when you’re at a restaurant, things can get difficult.

Some places (particularly spots in the plethora of giant malls in China), have photos on their menus — which is a big help — but many do not. You can try using Google translate to ask your Server what exactly “Mapo Doufu” is, but you might not get very far.

The server told us this was noodles, but after further consideration we realized it was chicken feet.

One night, my friends and I spent a good 20 minutes trying to figure out why our server at the hotpot wouldn’t allow us to order vegetables and meat instead of fish. To be honest, I still don’t exactly understand the reason, but a nice English-speaking passerby explained to us that if we weren’t ordering fish, we couldn’t get the other stuff.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that you have to be willing to try tasting stuff, even if you’re not quite sure what it is. If you’re someone with dietary restrictions (like me), you should probably print out a card that states your dietary restriction in Chinese so that you can alert any servers when dining out.

If you don’t eat dairy, like myself, you shouldn’t have too many issues except for possibly with some desserts (but dessert isn’t very popular in Chinese cuisine anyway). I normally eat mostly vegan at home, but I ate a good amount of fish, chicken, pork, and meat in China and I didn’t feel sick as I sometimes do — just very, very full most of the time.

This was the “menu” we were given at Mei Mansion in Beijing (which I do recommend going to)

8. Prepare to be Stared At 

If you’re from a relatively diverse city, like I am, you might be shocked to discover that there is much less diversity in Beijing and Chengdu. There were several instances where my friends and I were the only white-passing people in the vicinity. When we headed to Tiananmen Square with one of our black friends, random people started coming up to him and asking to take photos. This happened to pretty much every single black person I was traveling with, but it happened to some of my more white-passing friends as well.

Even if you don’t get your photo taken like you’re some type of celebrity, you’ll definitely be stared at.

But, it’s not in the creepy way you get stared at when you take the subway in lingerie as a top. It’s just in a genuine way of fascination.

Speaking of getting stared at creepily on the subway, the men in China are extremely respectful when it comes to catcalling, leering at you, etc. And by respectful, I mean that they don’t do it.

I felt completely safe, no matter what I was wearing, which was a nice change from most places (including America). China is known to be one of the safest places to visit, especially for female travelers. Therefore, none of this came as a surprise, but it was still a stark difference to what I’m used to.

I hope this helped you prepare for your upcoming China trip and gave you all the things to know before going to China. Or maybe it even served as some inspiration to plan a visit! If I missed something or you have any questions, feel free to comment below!

If you’ve never been a journal-er but want to learn how to journal effectively (especially if it means boosting productivity), you’ve come to the right place!

Back in my day, we didn’t call them journals, we called them diaries.

They weren’t used for productivity or gratitude, they were fluffy and sparkly, sold at Limited Too, and mainly used to write about your latest crush or backstabbing BFF.

Every time I tried to write in my diary as a tween, I found myself writing in a voice that wasn’t really mine (something every writer can probably relate to). And, I still didn’t feel comfortable being completely honest about everything. After all, what if somebody discovered my diary and my secrets were spilled to everyone?

Fast-forward to 2018, and we’ve traded in our gel pens for moleskin notebooks. Oh, and journaling is a sign of being put together and self-aware. It fits nicely along all the meditation, yoga, and “cleanses” we’ve all been trying to do in search of happiness, mindfulness, and self-fulfillment.

But after trying to journal/diary a zillion times over, I didn’t even bother trying to hop on the repackaged trend. Besides, I write enough as is.

But one planner brand, Transcending Waves, sent me one of their planners back in March, and it completely changed how I felt about journaling. Not to mention, it increased my productivity, helped me keep track of my schedule (even things I wouldn’t normally put on my schedule, like when I washed my hair), made me feel more grateful, and helped me to enjoy my morning routine more.

Most importantly, it helped me learn how to journal effectively.

Okay, I know I sound like I’m a salesperson for their journals or something, but I’m honestly not. Yes, they sent me the original journal, but this post is not sponsored. I honestly didn’t realize how much I appreciated it until I got to the last page of the journal and realized I couldn’t bear the thought of not getting another one immediately (which I purchased with my own $).

So, I figured I’d share some of the ways I’ve used this planner to work for me and how to journal effectively. Of course, you can definitely take these tips to your own journal/planner (it doesn’t have to be Transcending Waves). If you’re a freelancer, have your own business, or work from home, you’ll probably appreciate and relate to this extra.

5 Tips For How To Journal Effectively

1. Make It a Part of Your Morning (And Evening) Routine 

If you’ve ever tried meditating, or running, or whatever, you probably know this by now, but it takes 21 days to form a new habit.

I always bring my journal to the breakfast table with me and fill it out while I’m eating my breakfast/drinking tea. It helps me set up my plan for the day and reminds me of anything I have to do that day.

Because the Transcending Waves journal also has a “Nightly Review” section, I try to fill that out as the last thing I do at my desk before shutting down my laptop and heading into bed.

Unfortunately, I still have trouble remembering to fill out the evening portion sometimes (okay, more than sometimes), but I’ve got the morning part down pat.

It’s actually pretty nice starting your day with putting a pen to paper, because I feel like most of us don’t get the opportunity to do that anymore. And, of course, filling out the “I’m grateful for…” and “Today will be great because…” sections help you to start your day in a good mood.

Here’s a pic of what the daily pages look like:

2. Forget The Idea That Anyone Will Ever Read It (Because Trust Me, They Won’t)

As I was flipping through pages to find “good” ones to take photos of for this article, I had a tough ass time. Why? Because I write some ratchet and embarrassing stuff in my planner/gratitude journal sometimes.

Let’s face it, sometimes you really are grateful for getting laid last night, or for the chocolate chip cookie you ate for breakfast that morning, and if that’s the case you should write that shit down!

There were also days where I literally wrote down even the smallest things in my calendar to remind myself to do them — think “put on self tanner” and “take medication.”

Sure, these things might technically be embarrassing if you had to put your journal pages up on a projector in front of your boss, but you will never have to! This isn’t middle school and your arch nemesis is not going to steal your journal out of your locker and photocopy all the pages to distribute across the hallway a la Regina George.

Also, on that note, what you write in your journal literally doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you! There’s no reason to use full sentences, or write people’s full names. Get weird with it if you want to. In the “affirmation” section for the day I’ve legit written Drake song lyrics.

3. Keep Your To-Do List Realistic & Break Big Tasks Up Into Bite-Sized Pieces

My favorite part of this journal in particular was the to-do list to fill out every day. Previously I’d kept track of my to-do list via the iPhone app or via one long Notes app page I consistently update on my laptop. I still do the Notes page thing, but using the to-do list in the journal helps me to realize what I need to get done that day and makes my “master” to-do list much less daunting.

However, even the eight slots that my journal gives me for the daily to-do list can be too much sometimes, which is why I had to find a balance of what types of tasks to put on my to-do list and how to keep it realistic.

For example, today I knew I wanted to work on a project for my Project Management class (I’m in grad school, fun fact!). Instead of just listing “PM project” on my to-do list, I put “get halfway through PM project.” Other times I’ve written something like, “spend 2 hours on X.”

Not only is this more realistic and will ensure I get to the other things on my to-do list for the day, it also stops me from doing my favorite form of procrastination: avoiding the largest item on my to-do list and completing all the other tasks, then calling it a night before I get to the big task.

I also try to have at least one or two “easy” tasks on my to-do list each day so that when I need my brain needs a break, I can take a rest while still being productive. (examples of tasks: paint toe nails, pick up Rx from CVS, list 10 items on Depop).

4. Try Mono-Tasking

I read some article about increasing productivity in The Washington Post a few months back, and even though I like to think I’m a pretty damn productive person, I took away two key points.

The first point is that you’re the most productive in the morning, no matter if you’re a morning person or not, so start with your hardest task first.

The second point was mono-tasking, and my journal lent itself perfectly to that.

Basically, instead of writing a blog post, answering emails, checking Instagram, and watching a lecture on 10 different tabs intermittently, you pick one task and dedicate a certain amount of time to solely that task.

It sounds basic, but I can guarantee that the majority of us don’t do it.

For example, if I needed to put in some work on a client project, I’ll mark off the time from 2-4 PM in my calendar and just work on that client project. For added effectiveness during these power hours, I’d put my phone on “do not disturb” mode to ensure I didn’t accidentally find myself scrolling through Twitter.

The reason I started doing this was actually because I noticed that I’d be “working” all day, but didn’t feel like I accomplished anything at the end of the day. This was partly because I’d waste time on social media or whatever, but also because I’d jump from task to task and not actually finish any one thing.

Mono-tasking has helped me a ton, and it’s nice looking at my journal and seeing how much I did that day rather than going to bed thinking, “WTF did I do all day?”

Even if you’re not interested in how to journal effectively/journaling in general, you can probably take some value from mono-tasking!

Here’s an example of how I use the weekly overview to try to keep track of what I’m doing at all/most times (and how to journal effectively, of course):

5. Don’t Beat Yourself Up If You Get Off Track

If you flip through my journal, you’d see that there were some weeks where I legit filled out every single box/line, and there were some weeks where I basically only filled out the “to-do list” section each day.

Most of the time, when I was traveling and out of my normal routine, my journaling fell to the wayside. Sometimes I would try to force myself to keep to journaling, but I realized that it’s okay to slack off a little when you’re on vacation or super busy, just like you would slack off on working out or meditating or whatever. This post is about how to journal effectively, and if you’re forcing yourself to scribble BS down while eating vegan tapas in Madrid, it’s probably not effective!

If you’re interested in buying the Transcending Waves journal that I use (and love), you can use the code ASHLEY10 for 10% off yours here. If not, I hope you’ve still found some good journaling tips!

This post was getting super long so I wanted to cut myself off before I wrote a novel, but if you have more questions about how to journal effectively or think I missed something, feel free to comment!

Photos By @henry.ivany

Wondering what are the most important things to know before going to Morocco? I’m giving you my honest advice based on my trip there this past June. 

If you follow a smattering of fashion or travel bloggers on Instagram, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen more than a few women posting whimsical photos twirling around in maxi dresses in Morocco.

But if you’re a 24 year old woman (like me) and you tell your parents that you’re taking a trip to Morocco, there’s a good chance they’ll look at you with a face that blends concern and confusion.

Ask some friends, and they might tell you that you better make sure to cover up because men in Morocco hardly see women in “regular” clothing and will harass you.

I dealt with a lot of mixed reactions (and warnings) when I told people I was going to Morocco.

Of course, I took them to heart, as I don’t have a ton of experience traveling overseas, and I hadn’t been to a Muslim country in over 10 years (not to mention I’d never been to Africa).

While it’s never a bad thing to be over-prepared and extra safe, I really felt that I didn’t need to have been “scared” so much — especially as someone who has lived in a major city for the last six years.

Here are my real tips for traveling to Morocco regarding what to expect, based on my experience. I will probably do a post about what to eat, what to wear, and what to do later on — If you’re particularly interested in any of these topics, LMK!

5 Things to Know Before Going to Morocco

1. Dress Conservatively, But There’s No Sense In Buying Anything New

If you know my personal style, you know that nobody in their right mind would describe me as conservative. When everybody told me that you needed to be covered from neck down, in loose clothing, I immediately figured I was going to have to buy something because I owned nothing that fit the bill.

But I didn’t want to have to spend money on clothes I would never wear again, and I also didn’t want all my pictures from the trip to involve photos of me wearing clothes I hated.

Luckily, I found some old maxi dresses in the back of my closet that would fit the bill as long as I wore a t-shirt over it. I also packed a bunch of kimonos (my go-to cover up for warm weather), and flowy pants. I figured if I felt too revealing once I got there, I could always buy something there (which would be cheaper anyway).

But the thing is, I definitely didn’t have to buy anything once I got there. In fact, I got catcalled less than I did while living in NYC or Philly.

When I did get catcalled, which only happened once or twice when I was out later in the evening and alone with one other girlfriend, I just ignored it and walked by confidently like I would in any American city.

Granted, I was mostly covered up, and I have the benefit of dark features that could lead people to believing I was Moroccan, but still.

When I visited Marrakesh (I stayed in Casablanca for the majority of the trip, which I don’t recommend), I wore a much more revealing outfit and felt totally fine, which I figured would be the case since it’s the tourist capital.

Another good thing to note is that Morocco is not super hot in the summertime, so even if you’re a hot-blooded, sweaty mess like me, you’ll be fine in jeans and even in a jacket.

BOTTOM LINE: Pack your most conservative clothing, but don’t stress yourself out worrying about it.

2.Don’t Expect To Drink Alcohol At Every Meal

While Morocco is not a strict Muslim country by any means, they are still a Muslim country by law, which means alcohol is technically forbidden.

Do locals still drink alcohol? Yes, but at specific places and specific times, and they still keep it on the DL.

Most hotels and tourist spots will offer alcoholic beverages, but more local places may not.

As someone who’s sober, I was hyped to see all the virgin beverage choices. My friend, who tried ordering a mojito only to be informed it was non-alcoholic, was a little surprised at first.

Obviously, you’re not going to Morocco to drink (right?!), so it’s no biggie, but just know what to expect.

3.Consider Hiring a Guide

When I was researching a potential trip to Thailand, I read a lot of comments from people saying to hire a local “guide” to show you spots, but also to translate and make sure you don’t get ripped off.

The group I was traveling with hired a guide for our entire trip, and when a smaller group of us decided to take the trip to Marrakech, he offered to come along too — and I’m so glad he did.

While I’m more of a “wander by myself” traveler, having a guide was extremely helpful in so many ways — from knowing which shops were authentic to knowing how much we should actually pay for taxis.

Speaking of shops, everyone had told me that the vendors were super aggressive in Morocco, and again I felt that they weren’t more aggressive than some street vendors I’ve passed by in NYC (although they were definitely less aggressive than the ones in Turkey).

Again, if you’re a city girl, you already know not to take “free gifts,” or to entertain random salespeople on the street, so you’ll be totally fine.

Here’s a hint: No is “la” in arabic, which is the most important word to know as a woman, in my humble opinion.

4. Get Mint Tea Everywhere Instead of Booze

Okay, this might not be the most important things to know before going to Morocco, but dining is important!

Instead of your go-to cocktail, just order mint tea everywhere instead.

Seriously, it’s that good.

I’ll admit that I’m a tea person already, but Morocco is known for their mint tea and it was probably one of my favorite things about the trip.

Pretty much every place will have it, it’s sweet without being over the top, and the pretty kettles they serve it in will make for great Instagram boomerangs — trust me.

5. Be Safe, But Don’t Take Every Rumor You’ve Heard To Heart

I understand that my post is sort of downplaying all the negative rumors you may have heard about Morocco, which was mostly my intention just because I felt that I was unnecessarily scared by so many people before taking the trip.

That being said, you obviously don’t want to go into any new country (especially if you’re a female traveling alone), with your guard down. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. This post is simply stating my personal experience traveling in Morocco.

For more tips on how to stay safe while traveling solo without feeling like a hermit, you might want to check out this post I wrote for Galore with The Social Girl Traveler!

I hope this post helped you with things to know before going to Morocco! I don’t normally do posts like this, so I’d love any feedback!