Where was your last overseas trip?
Casablanca, Morocco, to visit friends who live and work there — expat life is fantastic in Morocco. I also visited Marrakech and Rabat.

Why did you choose to travel there?
To visit the expat friends and because I'd never been to Morocco before. I would also experience time there as not just a tourist because I was staying with people who lived there.

So, what did you get up to…
In Casablanca, experiencing life as an ‘almost-insider’ as well as visiting some tourist sites like the Hassan II Mosque; it’s the third largest in the world and seats 25 000 people inside and 80 000 outside! Also travelled to Marrakech by train and a stop in Rabat.

Where did you stay along the way, and why?
In Casablanca in a suburb called Californie with friends, in Marrakech in a Riad (B&B type establishment) in the middle of the market because we didn't know better, and Rabat was a day trip as it's about an hour's drive from Casablanca.

Your favourite meal during your time away?
Chicken and date tagine at the artisan centre in Rabat, also a warm goat’s cheese salad at a roof top restaurant in Casablanca.

Did you find any 'hidden secrets' during your travels...
Derb Ghalef market in Casablanca is not a tourist market but a place where the locals shop for their own homes, but best to give the animal market section a miss; it's upsetting.

If you want to shop at a medina — the one in Rabat is better than the one in Casablanca with better quality goods, better selection and better prices. The large market in Casablanca isn't exactly a secret and is very touristy.

Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech is a smallish botanical garden, designed by Yves St. Laurent (yes, the fashion guy) and worth a visit. The artists (and this means crafters) area in Marrakech is a good place for shopping for local goods if you're not doing a lot of exploring in Morocco (leather shoes, belts, some art).

In terms of restaurants: Paul's in Ciel (Casablanca) is a typical French Patisserie and has great breakfasts and baked goods — a local favourite. Sur le Toit roof-top restaurant is a little hidden away in the suburb of Sidi Maarouf (Casablanca) — great warm goat's salad.

Rick's Café (OK, not off-beat and probably for tourist value only) is at Place du Jardin Public, next to the old medina in Casablanca. It’s the brainchild of a lady who worked for the American Embassy — it’s named after the Rick's Café in the movie Casablanca. The food is excellent and the interior is very Moroccan and beautiful.

There is a winery on the way to Rabat — Le Ryad du Vigneron in Benslimane — great place and I would not have known about it if it wasn't for travelling with people who live there.

The town of Oulida — past El Jadida outside Rabat (about an hour's drive outside Casablanca) — is a great little place where oysters are taken fresh out of the ocean as you order them!

Your best travel tip for others planning a visit there?
Learn some basic French. Most Moroccans will understand the basics of French and if you can haggle in French you'll save yourself some money, so at least learn the numbers/counting.

Meet any interesting locals?
A very interesting travel author, Tahir Shah, who has made his home in Morocco. I was fortunate enough to have lunch at his house, Dar Khalifa. He has written a book about rebuilding and restoring the house that is literally right next to a squatter camp — it keeps him sane, he says.

The book is called ‘The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca’ and is worth reading before you go to Morocco if you want to know more about the culture and mind-set of Moroccan people.

What's the best way to get around?
Train and taxi. Make sure you know where to get off the train — ask often as station names aren't that visible. Taxis are obviously pricey, so haggle before you get in. I wouldn't recommend renting a scooter or car as the driving is hair-raising and mostly without rules. A three-lane road becomes a seven-lane road by the time the traffic light turns green!

Where's next on your travel 'to-do list'?
Hopefully Greece with a backpack.