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My trip to Morocco was not only fun, it was profitable.  I got to see and do things I would never have done, had it not been for the profitable end of my trip.

I purchased a number of rugs for my interior design clients.  I got them at such good prices, I was able to pay for my trip and make a profit.  For some funny and fun stories about that, read on about my travels in Morocco under the category “My Travel Adventures.”

However, If you want to profit from your travel, do it by design–not by accident.  What do I mean by that?  When I traveled to Morocco, I didn’t know the trip would be profitable.  I barely knew I was going to cover my expenses.  I just fell into it.

I’ve already told how one of my interior design clients asked me to bring back some rugs for a project we worked on.  Then I asked a couple of other clients if they would be interested in the same thing.  Well, that’s as far as it went.

What should I have done?  I should have had a plan.  I should have known several things once the opportunity for profit presented itself.  I should have known the good and bad implications and how to avoid and/or make the most of them.  There’s a list of things that, had I known in advance, I could have really made a profit.

Stay tuned for the report on what I learned about travel profits.  It will be available for download.

And the good news just keeps coming.  I arrived in Casablanca by Irish Air before the scheduled arrival of my Air Morroc flight.  How does that happen?

The airport in Casablanca reminded me of any airport in smaller American airport facilities–sort of sterile like county hospitals with fluorescent lighting so glaring you can’t tell whether it’s day or night outside  My friend Marc was scheduled to arrive the day before and meet me at the airport.  Well, every travel companion has their idiocyncracies, and if they are not too numerous or aggregious, you put up with them.  Marc’s is tardiness.  So, of course no Marc at the airport.

I took the time to check out my surroundings.  There were the usual major car rental kiosks and cabbies trying to get your business.  By the time I located the buses that take you to your hotel–I must admit I was surprised to find such a service in what I consider an exotic country–Marc arrived.

Let me digress from my story about my travels in Morocco.  I want to make this blog something more than just a trip down memory lane.  My hope and plan is to encourage those who would otherwise have not traveled because of a variety of fears, to reconsider.  Not only do I believe travel helps us live longer, but it brings people closer together when we get to know others in a World where we seem to be growing apart.

Even when I randomly pick a location to travel to, I like to somehow relate the experience to my interests.  If you’re not sure where you want to go, this could be at least a starting point.  That means even if you stick a pin in a map, you will have some reason to go there.

I can start with one of my favorite movies about Morocco–”Casablanca.”  It’s a classic.  I don’t even miss the color that is absent in the black and white movie.  But you will not miss the color in the country itself.  It is vibrant and everywhere.  I would venture to say, the reason for the colorful rugs, fabrics, jewelry, furniture, tiles, etc., is the lack of color in the landscape.

If you find basing your travel selection on a movie too trivial or far fetched, perhaps history is more acceptable.  I love to travel to places because of history.  The Hotel d’Anfa at Anfa Plage, Casablanca was the site of the “Anfa Conference” in January of 1943 where Roosevelt, Churchill, and DeGaulle met abut the World War II allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.  Stalin was invited but chose not to attend.

Although the beautiful Hotel d’Anfa was demolished, I stayed at the hotel that replaced it.  It’s not quite the same thing–the original hotel was elegant and one could imagine black tie and ball gowns gathering for over-the-top parties, music playing in the background while dignitaries hobnobbed and white coated waiters served champagne from silver trays–oh, wait!  I’m back to the movies.

In the real thing, the replacement Anfa Plage Hotel is a string of modest rooms nestled into the hillside on the beach.  I believe there may be other hotels with the same name that are further inland and high-rise buildings.  Never fear!  There are five-star hotels in Casablanca for those who love traveling in the luxury and elegance of the original hotel of 1944.

If you are a person who wants to relax on the beach and do a little sightseeing, Morocco has some of the most beautiful beaches along its coast.  There’s nothing more relaxing than stretching out on a lounge chair, watching the waves lapping the sand, while sipping a cool glass of mint tea.  Europeans head there to escape the bleak winter weather in their country.

If you want to shop, you can find the high-end shops you would find in any major city around the world, as well as the shops you would find in the flea markets and swapmeets everywhere.  There is a city named Tiznit where they sell, almost without exception, silver.  You can find jewelry, household serving pieces and accessories, and much more, all made of silver.

There’s more fun to come.  If you want to know how I made this a “Profitable” trip, go tocategory “Travel Profits” and see  my blog “Morocco:  Travel That Paid For Itself.”

Welcome to my travel blog!  I thought this might be a good way to capture all my travel adventures before they faded completely into the past.  It’s also my way to encourage others who would like to travel but somehow just don’t.

I live to travel.  In fact, many people and things have come to me in my life because of my love of travel.

I could say I have traveled almost all of my life.  Some might not see it that way.  They may see what I think of as travel as just a short trip.  But those short trips are probably how my passion for travel got started.

I don’t plan on writing about my travels in any chronological order.  That would be so “outside” of who I am because I have planned and not planned my travels.  I have gone so far as to turn my back on a map I had on the wall in my home, stick a pin in and traveled to the deserts of Morocco because that’s where the pin landed.

In fact, why don’t I start my travel stories with Morocco.  It’s as good a place as any.

By the time I had gotten around to going to Morocco, I had acquired a travel companion–someone I could count on calling and saying, “Meet me at–” fill in the blank.  I’ll say at this point, it’s not necessary to have a traveling companion, but if you find a kindred travel spirit, don’t let that person get away.  Up until the time I met my friend Marc, I had traveled alone.  In fact, I was traveling alone when I met Marc.

Marc lived in a small town in Germany and I lived in New York City, and how I met Marc is a story for another day.  This time when I called Marc, I had nothing in mind about where to go, but it was usually my suggestion about where we’d travel, and that day I was the one with itchy feet.  Thus, the pin in the map destination.

My trip to Morocco was destined to be an adventure–not just because it was an exotic place to go to begin with, but it started off with a bang.  I will open by saying, I’m not the most organized person in the world, but I have never forgotten my airline tickets.  I arrived at the airport at the last minute–in the days when it was possible to arrive at the airport at the last minute and expect to be able to board a flight.

I searched through my purse as I kept the agent at the counter waiting patiently.  When I finally had to admit I didn’t have my ticket, he took some information and found that I was indeed listed for that flight.  You would think in the days before 911, that would be enough.  But they had their rules.  I would have to purchase another ticket and when I returned home, I could then turn in the forgotten ticket and get my money back.

I’ll say right here, if you ever forget your ticket, don’t panic.  If the agent at the counter can’t help you, insist on a supervisor.  If that person can’t help you, insist on someone until you get the outcome you’re looking for.  Most companies will have some kind of rule in place for mishaps.  They just won’t be the ones to suggest them.  You have to keep insisting until they come up with a solution you’re satisfied with.

Well, I’ll end today’s entry with the good news.  However, I didn’t get on the flight I was scheduled to take.  I told you I got there at the last minute.  By the time my forgotten ticket problem was resolved, the plane had taken off.  The ticket agent got me on the next available flight, although it was not Air Morroc–yes, I picked the airline that was the theme of my trip–but I flew to Morocco on Irish Air.  And if that wasn’t ironic enough, the fare was cheaper than my original flight.

I think that ended well.  But more to come!