As USA TODAY’s First Road Warrior of the Year, I travel a lot---mostly for business. But when business takes me to the far ends of the earth, I always try to take advantage of the opportunities that the areas offer. Our recent trip to Morocco was no exception. We arrived into the Port of Casablanca with Semester at Sea’s ship the MV World Odyssey. My husband and I are faculty members this Fall semester. Some of the students were taking a field program to the Atlas Mountains and the Desert and I found a trip I thought was worth booking that seemed to be similar without having to share a bath with others in the Desert.

Having recently been on a boat with 35 other people to tour the Elafiti Islands near Dubrovnik, we decided a “private experience” would be much more appropriate for us. Looking online, I found a three-day/two-night trip from Marrakech. Getting to Marrakech was a real adventure all by itself; due to an accident on the tracks the day before we were scheduled to depart, the trains were not running. Fortunately, ONCF, Morocco’s national railway, was running buses from the train station in Casablanca to the train station in Marrakech. Sadly, they took advantage and charged almost three times as much for the bus than it usually costs. The bus trip was also not nearly as pleasant as the train would have been.

We arrived in Marrakech the afternoon before so that we would be there for the beginning of our three-day adventure. Our driver Mohamed arrived early to pick us up---always a good sign! We began our adventure by visiting the first of many “panoramas;” in the US, we call them “lookouts;” they are spots for taking great photos.

Some might perceive the Atlas Mountains as lots of piles of uninteresting rocks. Instead, my husband and I were fascinated by the many different types and subtle color differences in the sedimentary rocks. The souvenir salesmen will sell you a wide variety of (mostly genuine) fossils from the area and a polished agate plate will cost you less than USD$5 if you are good at bargaining.

From start to finish, this trip was a memorable adventure. From Mohamed, our driver who is a real Berber to the hotel built into the mountain decorated with original art (painted by the General Manager) to the camel ride through the Sahara Desert to the luxury desert glamping (glamorous camping) experience (see photos), this was a travel experience we will remember forever.

Our driver Mohamed did a masterful job of handling the hairpin turns and switchbacks throughout the trip across the Atlas Mountains. (If you suffer from altitude sickness as I do, try to sleep through that part.) Not only was he a good driver, but he was full of information and stories about his youth spent living in a tent with his Berber nomad family, traveling by camel every other day with the other male members of the family to take a shower, and learning skills like taking care of camels (really dromedaries---one hump versus two). In Berber country, the first night we stayed at the Panorama Hotel in Dades. Not only were the views spectacular, but the original paintings covering the walls added real local color to the common spaces as well as the rooms. The room is basic; however, the bed was excellent, and the shower had good water pressure.

As seniors, we have seen many places and enjoyed many experiences. We expected The Camel Trek to be a highlight of the trip. For us, it was exciting, frightening, and painful. What I discovered was that being on one of the first couple camels is important; that should have meant that the animal was strong enough to carry me, but every time we went downhill, I felt like I was going to fall off. Plus, I could not get comfortable on the saddle. Though I am happy that I rode a camel once and I really like the picture I took (see the attached picture), I would never do it again---unless someone invented a much better saddle and I was on a strong camel. Fortunately, there is an option to ride in a 4X4 SUV which is also a lot like an amusement park thrill ride. Next time, I will opt for the 4 X 4.

The second night, we chose to pick the luxury accommodations in the desert at The Sahara Luxury Resort. And that was an excellent choice (see the enclosed picture). Again the bed was excellent and having a private bath was part of the bargain. What I did not expect was to have a marble bath with a huge shower in the desert!

Mohamed also took us to a store that sold high-quality clothing and Berber decorations. They began by dressing me as a Berber bride (see the photo). I bought an outfit for camel-riding that I like very much: a tunic and some pants. I felt like I should have bargained more with the people, but there was a value to the extra time they took with me and the costumed photo.

One last thing, I always encourage travelers to book direct with airlines, hotels, and tours---when you can; it gives you more flexibility, and sometimes, like in the case of the hotel I am staying in here in Salvador, Brazil, there are extra goodies.

All in, this three-day, two-night opportunity for adventure travel in Morocco was a string of unforgettable experiences.