Morocco-Bound: TMR Canada Joins Explore’s 1st-Ever Fam for North American Agents
by Bruce Parkinson
Riad Berta in Marrakech, Morocco.
A small group of travel advisors from the U.S. and Canada has arrived in Morocco for the first-ever North American fam trip by Explore Worldwide, the UK-based adventure travel company specializing in small group guided tours.
Founded back in 1981 and offering hundreds of itineraries in more than 100 countries, Explore has targeted North America as its next frontier for growth.
The trip is led by Canadian Business Development Manager Aaron Fitzpatrick, an avid adventure traveller who traded a career in insurance and financial technology after the shocking discovery that work can include doing what you love.
There are seven of us in total, including tour leader Boubker Boutkhoun, Aaron Fitzpatrick, TMR Canada’s Senior Editorial Director Bruce Parkinson and advisors hailing from Texas, Kansas and Ontario.
The abbreviated week-long tour is focused on southern Morocco, from the heights of the High Atlas Mountains to the dunes of the sprawling desert.
Fitzpatrick says he has frequently been asked by advisors about the potential for a fam since he started with Explore a year and a half ago.
“I tried to find people to whom we were new, and to whom the destination is new. It’s a smaller group than our average trip size of 10-11, and we’ve customized the tour to include multiple formats, including cycling, hiking and camel-trekking. Many elements of this trip are similar to our family travel itineraries in Morocco, so participants will get a taste of that too.”
The group gathered in Marrakech yesterday, split between two beautiful neighbouring riads for the first night. We made friends over an introductory dinner last night and are preparing to head out on a journey through southern Morocco, focusing on culture, scenic beauty, Moroccan cuisine and soft adventure pursuits.
Stay tuned for more coverage in the coming days.
