How much cash should I carry day-to-day in Morocco?

My rule of thumb, after years of watching guests either run dry or walk around with too much, is to carry roughly 300 to 600 dirham a day — call it $30 to $60 — for the everyday stuff. That comfortably covers petit-taxi rides, the small tips that grease daily life here, mint tea and snacks, a couple of monument entry fees, a tagine lunch and a little impulse shopping. If you've got a big souk haul or a rug in mind, draw more that morning specifically for it; otherwise that daily float is plenty.

The texture of the cash matters as much as the amount. Morocco runs on small denominations — 20, 50 and 100 dirham notes and a pocketful of coins — and you'll constantly need exact-ish change for a 30-dirham taxi, a 10-dirham tip or a 5-dirham bottle of water. The 200-dirham note is the cash equivalent of asking a market stall to break a fifty: technically fine, practically annoying. So whenever you pay for something larger by card or break a big note in a supermarket, hoard the small change that comes back. I tell guests to think of coins as gold for tipping and taxis.

Don't carry your whole trip's money on you. The smart setup is a daily wallet with that 300–600 dirham and one card, and a separate stash — spare cash, backup card, passport — locked in the riad safe. That way a lost wallet or a pickpocket in a packed souk costs you a single day, not your holiday. I also like splitting cash between two pockets or a money belt and a day wallet, so you're never pulling out a fat wad in a crowd, which only draws attention you don't want.

Adjust for the day ahead. A desert excursion or a long Atlas drive where you'll pass tiny villages with no card machines and few ATMs means carrying more cash than a city day where you can tap into a supermarket or hit a bank machine every few blocks. Big-ticket purchases — carpets, leather, lamps — are often cash-negotiated, so plan a withdrawal before a serious shopping session. Replenish little and often from ATMs every two or three days rather than emptying your account in one go, and you'll always have the right cash without ever carrying a worrying amount.