TT--Morocco, Spain, Portugal and France

Here We Go a-Hosteling: Avoiding Christmas in Morocco

Faced with another Christmas without the joy of little children around the tree, Reg Brehaut chose to get away from it all by spending Christmas in Morocco, the centrepiece of a two-month trip that included stops in Spain, Portugal and France – and, of course, his beloved Guernsey.

This trip, and presentation, is not about how Christmas is celebrated in Morocco (because it is not celebrated there), but about travelling solo, staying in hostels, in the off-season, with nothing more than AI as your guide and travel agent. A do-it-yourself low-cost escape.

Reg’s accommodation, with very few exceptions, was always located in the old towns – in Morocco, the medinas – of the cities he visited, in small hostels converted from family homes popular among solitary travelers from all over, and of all ages. Here he was immersed in and surrounded with local life that, in some ways, hasn’t changed much in a century. (Images by R Brehaut)

"Travel first leaves you speechless, then turns you into a story-teller" – ibn Battouta