What to pack for Marrakech in December

Lows around 45°F. Goes under the shell when the wind picks up.

Wear one, dry one. Cotton stays wet all week here.

Nights drop to 45°F and the desert loses heat fast once the sun sets.

UV index of 4.2 still burns exposed eyes across pale desert sand.

Desert insects emerge at dusk when temperatures drop and humidity holds at 63%.

Check ankles and, if there's a dog, paws and ears every night.

Tap water isn't safe here, and stomach trouble far from help gets serious fast.

Tap water isn't safe here. A filter bottle beats buying plastic twice a day.

This country runs on Type C or E. Get one with USB-C so you're not fighting over the single outlet.

Daylight stops at 5 p.m., so the phone dies before evening if unpowered.

Set it up before you land. Signal drops for long stretches outside cities.

Dark by 6:30pm. Every campsite chore after that is a two-hands job.

Overhead bins on regional flights to Morocco are small and jealously guarded.

Six rain days mean carrying a pack to markets and ruins without checked luggage.

Fits the overhead on every airline that matters. Skip the checked-bag line entirely.

Wind at 11 km/h cuts across open terrain and finds every gap in layers.

Daylight runs just over 10 hours, so morning starts in cool air before warming.

For temples, mosques, and churches that check at the door.

Treat the clothes once and it lasts weeks.

Dehydration creeps in at 458 meters altitude and low humidity, even in cool weather.

Unfamiliar water and food trigger digestive trouble that ruins days of travel.

One brick charges the laptop, phone, and camera.

Hotel and cafe wifi is shared with everyone else in the building. A VPN keeps your banking and email to yourself.

International travel and crowded medinas mean pickpockets work the narrow streets.

Baggage moves between riads and transport hubs, and tracking prevents loss.

Packing tight lets you carry one bag, and that fits the overhead bin.

Lows around 45°F. One blanket that packs small covers the car, the campsite and the beach at sunset.

Airport noise and early calls from the medina's mosques start before dawn.

Six rain days in December mean sudden shade becomes necessary midday.

Handling local currency and street food without clean hands spreads illness quickly.

Insect bites itch worse when sunburned skin is already inflamed and tender.

One outlet at the guesthouse charges nothing without a cable to split it.

A few phrases go a long way. Ten minutes a day before you leave is plenty.

Border crossings and police checkpoints require documents kept separate from cash.

Shared accommodations and transit mean bags sit unattended in common areas.

Humidity at 63% and bathroom mold grows fast unless toiletries stay dry.

Ten-hour flights and shared rooms make sleep hard without blocking out noise.