Today I want to introduce you to one of the most incredible women I have ever met, her name is Haju and she is a nomad living in the Deserts of Morocco!
Haju lives a nomadic lifestyle with her family on the outskirts of the Sahara Desert. Each year she moves her house to a completely new location - high up in the Atlas Mountains (over 600 kilometers away).
She has no car, no horse, and no camel, just her feet. Not long ago she used to walk this distance, stopping and sleeping as she got tired, but now she finds local trucks to pick her and her family up and help them along the journey.
Her home is a tent made from wood and canvas that she takes down and sets back up, time and time again. Definitely not an easy task! And definitely not an easy life.
Living a nomadic lifestyle in Morocco is more common than you might think. Long ago, Bedouins or berbers traveled by caravan across the Sahara desert sometimes with camel, and sometimes with only their feet.
In our society we often spend our entire lives in one home and one community, or if we do move - it’s only once every couple of years and we normally don’t bring our whole house with us.
Imagine packing up all your belongings multiple times a year to relocate to a new location, new community, and completely new lifestyle. This is reality for Haju and so many other Bedouins living in Morocco.
But come to find out, this lifestyle actually has A LOT of positives. The main one being that Haju and her family have one of the closest relationships I have ever experienced.
Haju is an example of how nomadic people still live today. When I visited her house - she invited me in for tea, raising the kettle high above her head as a gesture of hospitality and welcoming me to her family.
What would your life be like, if the only consistent thing in your life was your family?
Have some Spring travel fever? We have you covered for the entire month of March for many years to come. March is perfect to explore these places before the summer heat and the influx of tourism hits. Check out these destinations below to help get you through the annual season change slump: