Let’s Chat about Ethical Travel.

So who has heard about the goats in the trees in Morocco?

Yes, it’s a thing and the picture above is real. I had not heard about them until about a week before my trip to Marrakesh via an Instagram post. People flock to the country to see this phenomenon year round.

So of course I was excited to see them!

I signed up for a day trip that was heading to Essaouira & it promised we would see goats along the way. So the day of my trip comes & unfortunately it’s raining and our guide says we may not see the goats due to the weather conditions. Everyone in my group is instantly disappointed.

We begin our journey on the 2 hour drive to the beach and about midway one of the women in my group points out the window and yells “Goats!”.

There they were! The famous goats in the trees.

Everyone grabs their phones and runs out the van to get their pictures. I notice there is a shepherd waiting nearby accepting tips. After we get back in the van, someone asks our guide how the goats do this? His reply “Oh it’s just for tourists”. Now we are all confused!?

He explained while the goats DO climb the tree to eat the argan nut that grows on the tree, they don’t naturally stay up there for long periods of time. They are trained by their shepherds to do this for tourists, who then expect a tip.

Now I’m shook because what do you mean it’s fake?!

I asked him if he thought this was ethical & he explained that he has no room for judgement on how a man provides for his family and if they are fed and well taken care of he sees no issue.

This instantly sent me down a rabbit hole of what it means to travel ethically. There are so many things we see across tv & the internet that draw us to a place, BUT do we really know the story behind it?

Now I have since done more research and have learned that this situation in Morocco isn’t entirely a black and white issue. Drought conditions have been increasing in Morocco which has had a snowball effect. Crops aren’t growing as easily, making it difficult for farmers. And the pandemic only made things worse. Acquiring tips is the only way many of them make money.

Does it make it right? I don’t know. It’s a topic worth discussing.

I was even conflicted about sharing this but it sparked such a change in the way I view travel I thought it was worth sharing.

But it’s something to think about as globalization increases. Is your tourism helping or hurting?

What are your thoughts on ethical travel?