Can I manage diabetes while travelling in Morocco?

Managing diabetes in Morocco is entirely doable — I have looked after many guests who do — and it comes down to the same disciplines you use at home, plus a few Morocco-specific tweaks. The foundations: carry every bit of your kit (insulin, pens or pump supplies, test strips, sensors, needles) in your hand luggage, never the hold, with a doctor’s letter and prescription explaining you carry medical supplies and sharps. That letter smooths airport security and any pharmacy or clinic visit, and original packaging keeps customs happy.

Heat is the variable people underestimate. Moroccan summers, and the desert at any time, get hot enough to degrade insulin, so travel with a proper cooling case (a Frio-style wallet or an insulated pouch) and keep your supplies out of direct sun and hot car interiors. Riads and hotels have fridges or will store medication for you — just ask. With a private driver, your kit travels in a managed, shaded vehicle rather than a baking taxi, which genuinely helps on long transfers to the dunes.

Food needs a little forethought because Moroccan cuisine is gloriously carb-heavy and sweet. Bread accompanies everything, tagines often include potatoes and dried fruit, pastries are everywhere, and the famous mint tea is poured very sweet — you can absolutely enjoy all of it, but plan your portions and dosing, and do not be shy about asking for tea without sugar (it is no offence; just request it). Carry fast-acting glucose — tablets, juice, or even the local dates and sweets — for hypos, especially on active days walking the medinas or on long desert excursions far from a shop. Eat to your routine even when meal times run late, as they do here.

A few honest safeguards. City pharmacies in Morocco are excellent, well-stocked and staffed by knowledgeable pharmacists, so minor top-ups are usually findable — but never rely on buying your specific insulin abroad; bring more than you need. Make sure your travel insurance explicitly covers your pre-existing diabetes and any related emergency. And brief your guide and driver simply: tell them you are diabetic, what a low looks like, and that you may need to stop to eat or test. Done with that ordinary care, diabetes is no barrier to a superb Moroccan trip.