Morocco it is... for now

I realize I am a bit off course from doing my long-term retirement research, but I may not have another shot at going to north Africa so as of today I am going to go for it.  I have tickets on hold to depart via JFK on November 3 and return on the 13th.  Every couple days I place another ticket on hold and release the old one.  I will keep doing that and keep my options open while continuing to research.  At some point I will no longer be able to place the reservation on hold and I will have to make a decision.  I am a little nervous that the layover at Charles de Gaulle is only an hour and a half, but I think it is doable and there is another flight on Air France a few hours later.

The way I figure it, my travel costs to get there are zero.  If I rent a car and explore on my own, the car would run around $400.00 plus add the cost of gas, hotels and food.  I am trying to think this through while I have tickets on hold and I have concluded that wandering around Belize, Spain, Hong Kong and elsewhere is one thing, but Morocco on my own may be totally different.  I've been to Tangier and I am fairly certain I would have been totally lost in short order without a guide.  The inner city of Seville is reportedly "laid out" (that is to say, no plan at all) much the way the inner cities of Morocco are.  Seville was at times difficult even with a map (and my wife spoke Spanish), so I think it is fair to assume Marrakech, Fez, Rabat, et al would be near impossible.  If I wanted to spend three or four days in each location, that might be different but not at one to two days per city.  I also want to leave time for a desert trek of a day or two.

On the other hand, there are many tours that may run only a bit more than the cost  for a car, gas, hotels, etc.  The other advantage to a tour is that I would pack more in during the time I have; a guide would ensure I move between places of interest as efficiently as possible.  I'm not talking about a tour in a big air conditioned bus with a couple dozen other tourists… I am looking at a customized tour just for me like I did in Burma.  Tour guides in Morocco, like many countries, must be licensed and their vehicles are inspected twice yearly.  I understand it is probably not the same as having an inspection by Mr. Goodwrench, but just the same there is some control over who you end up with.  I will check out reviews and advice on TripAdvisor and elsewhere to make sure I am getting someone solid.