How do I handle long drives with kids in Morocco?

Let me be straight: Morocco involves some long drives, and the distances surprise people — Marrakech to the Sahara is a full day, the Atlas passes are slow and winding, and a fast loop can mean several big transfer days. The families who struggle are the ones who try to power through; the families who breeze it are the ones who plan the drives as part of the adventure. The first rule is to break the long legs into stages with frequent stops, never attempting the whole distance in one uninterrupted slog.

A private driver transforms long-drive days, and for families I consider it close to essential. You get properly fitted car seats arranged in advance, the freedom to stop the instant a child needs the loo or a leg-stretch, and a driver who knows exactly where the good rest points are — a kasbah to explore, a viewpoint, a café with a play space, an argan co-operative the kids find interesting. Crucially, you can time the dullest, longest stretch of road to overlap with nap time so younger children sleep clean through it. That single trick saves more drives than anything else.

Pack the car like a long-haul flight. Tablets pre-loaded with films and audiobooks (do not rely on mobile data in remote stretches), travel games, colouring, a few small surprise toys doled out across the day, and a steady supply of snacks and water. The one item I beg families not to forget is motion-sickness tablets or bands: the Tizi n'Tichka pass over the Atlas and the road to Chefchaouen are gloriously scenic and relentlessly twisty, and a car-sick child can derail a day. Keep wipes and a spare set of clothes within reach just in case.

Finally, plan the route to minimise driving in the first place. I deliberately limit how many big transfer days a family does in a week, cluster activities by region so we are not backtracking, and sometimes use a short internal flight to skip a brutal leg (Marrakech-Fes, for example) when a family's patience or time is tight. Build in a rest day after a big drive rather than stacking a packed sightseeing day on top. Tell me your kids' ages and I will pace the whole itinerary so the driving never becomes the thing they remember.