This trip is still a few years away, but it could be LOTS of fun. I can add 3 to my Century Club tally without completely breaking the bank. Here’s how:
Fly into Tangier, Morocco on the Mediterranean coast. It will be a 17-21 hour trip with the layovers and will probably take 3 flights out of Atlanta but the prices are surprisingly affordable. I found a couple deals on Kayak for between $1000-1200 round trip. Not bad. I will also be able to save about $400-500 because I will NOT have to rent a car. There is good taxi service at fixed prices between the airport and my hotel. As is the case in sub-Saharan Africa, I can get a 4-star hotel on the beach for a 2-star price.
There won’t be much surf on the Mediterranean coast, but I’ll be wiped out from the 5-hour jet lag so I’ll want to take it easy for the first day anyway. I’ll enjoy a walk on the beach, a camel ride and a stroll through town. Later on, I’d like to sip a mint tea from Café Hafa overlooking the sea and hike up Parc Rmilat for breathtaking views. On a clear day, you can see Europe from the top. Hercules Cave is also a must see. I do have the option of taking a train to Casablanca or pretty much any other city from Tangier but that would require a separate trip. Supposedly, there is excellent surf further south on the Atlantic coast but that will be experienced in Spain this time.
From my hotel in Tangier, I can walk to catch a 1 hour ferry to Tarifa, Spain. I can assume that there will be plenty of taxis that can take me to my hotel. Playa Bolonia is one of the nicest beaches that I have seen on YouTube and add to that, 4-6 foot waves are the norm. Both mountains and views of Africa can be seen from the shore That will be AWESOME.
From Tarifa, I’ll want to take a 17-mile ride into the British enclave of Gibraltar. The Rock is a must see there and a couple English pubs could be cool. If the trip ended there, it would be epic but I’d still want that quintessential Spain experience in Seville, which is only a short 2 hour bus ride away. I’d probably only spend a night and a day there. A simple walking tour of the city and a night out would be pretty cool. I’d want to see the biggest cathedral, the plaza and possibly the bull fighting arena. I could choose to fly back from either Gibraltar or Seville. Both appear to be reasonably priced as well. Madrid is fairly close by but once again, I can’t see everything.
Language barrier:
English will serve me just fine in Gibraltar. The rest of the trip would require at least some knowledge of Spanish in Spain (different from Mexican Spanish) plus French in Morocco. My skills in both are improving thanks to Duo Lingo.
Best time to go:
I’m thinking September. It’s a Mediterranean climate so that means mild but rainy winters while summer and early Fall are warm and dry. Surf is normally calmer in Tarifa in the summer but picks back up starting in September. I can expect 80 degree high temperatures with less than 1 inch of rain per month in Tangier. Tarifa will be sunny and 75 with a water temp around 70. That’s a bit chilly but on par with New England in August, which was still fairly comfortable.
Solo Trip:
Yes, I would feel comfortable on my own, but I would prefer a companion. I found a site called Get a Friend for Life, which connects solo travelers with companions to split costs of lodging. When it’s time, I’ll put this trip out there and see if there is any interest. I’ll bet that there will be.
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