milk's Marrakech trip

Stay in a riad inside the medina — it's the way to do Marrakech: a quiet courtyard behind a plain door, right off the souks.

Shop and wander the markets, get henna done. Lots of cats everywhere. Girls: go with a larger group, ideally with some men — there's a lot of catcalling and unwanted attention, and it felt much safer in a group.

The square comes alive after dark; walk over to the Koutoubia, then a Moroccan dinner — tagine. No alcohol. Careful with raw produce and anything uncooked that may have been washed in tap water — easy way to get food poisoning.

Start of an organized desert tour — book one that covers the Atlas Mountains, Aït Benhaddou, ATVs and camels. The drive over the Tizi n'Tichka pass stops at mountain villages and viewpoints.

The famous fortified village where Gladiator was filmed. Then on toward the desert.

Quad biking over the dunes — incredible sunset. Overnight in the desert camp as part of the tour.

Camel trek out across the dunes.

Moroccan lunch on the way back toward Marrakech.

Long travel back. Heads up: it was tagine basically every meal — not a ton of food variety.