3 months working remotely in morocco: what it’s really like

at the start of the year i decided to move to morocco. hello africa!

i'd never travelled anywhere outside of europe independantly so this was a big step for me. but after spending three months there i would recommend morocco to everyone.

why i chose morocco?

if you know me, you'll know i'm always chasing the sun. unless it's snowing, i'd usually rather be somewhere warm.

so, naturally, i escaped the uk winter.

i live in scotland, where the first few months of the year tend to be full of rain, and i work uk hours. one quick google search — “where's good to work uk hours in winter if you want the sun?” — later, and i'd narrowed it down to south africa or morocco.

clearly, morocco won.

where i stayed?

i stayed in tamraght, a small village just outside taghazout, the well-known surf town. both are lovely, but because i was working monday to friday, i'm really glad i chose tamraght.

taghazout is more popular with tourists, so it's naturally busier, with plenty of surf hostels, retreats and people coming and going. tamraght felt a little more local. after a couple of weeks, i'd started recognising familiar faces and getting to know the people around me. yes, it's that small!

my favourite places

i have a long list!

the thing about tamraght is that the community is amazing. the coffee shops host cool dj events and vintage markets throughout the week, plus, the coffee scene over there is insane. it probably has some of my favourite coffee spots to date (i still think about the purple ube latte at nour).

if you're planning a trip, i've put together a separate tamraght guide with all my favourite spots, from coffee shops to places worth adding to your list.

the things i didn't expect

i've mentioned it once, but i'll say it again: the community.

when we first arrived in tamraght, i wasn't immediately settled. i'm used to travelling around europe, so when I arrived in africa it felt different. we arrived late at night, and i had to walk up a dark, quiet street lined with stray dogs and cats. honestly, i didn't feel particularly safe, and i wasn't sure what to expect.

but that feeling didn't last long.

the next morning, i walked down to my local market, started chatting to people and was recommended the bread from the local bread guy. fresh bread for less than £1, say less.

that same day, i went to work from a café and somehow ended up with multiple plans for the week.

making friends in tamraght

and that's what i didn't expect about tamraght. so many people there are digital nomads and freelancers. the locals run an instagram called "tamraghtlife" and they share weekly updates on what's on that week. the best thing about it is that majority of the events are free.

it was harder to not make friends.

i've lived in many different places over the years, citys, surf towns, you name it. but morocoo was the easiest place to make friends, by a mile. a few the friends i made in 3 months, i've seen since and i know they'll be friends for life.

my advise to anyone visiting is to go to as many social events as possible, stay in a hostel and chat to everyone.