local guide here, based in Marrakech most of the year. I watch budget travelers make the same expensive mistakes every single week. figured I'd finally write this down.

not selling anything.

-- the taxi situation. this is where 80% of budget trips bleed money without realizing. the petit taxi inside cities (Marrakech, Fes, Casablanca) has a meter. always has a meter. the driver will tell you the meter is "broken" or "only for locals." it's not broken. insist on the meter or get out. a ride across Marrakech medina should be 12 to 20 dirham. most tourists pay 80 because they didn't know.

grands taxis between cities are different.. those are negotiated. and actually a good deal if you fill the car (6 people, fixed route). Fes to Meknes for 25 dirham per person. Marrakech to Imlil in the Atlas for about 250 dirham for the whole car if you find 5 others at bab doukkala.

-- food. bissara in the morning. seriously. it's a bowl of fava bean soup, usually 5 to 8 dirham, served with olive oil and cumin, with a piece of bread. this is what Moroccan workers eat before a 10 hour day. it will fill you completely. the spots that serve it are usually open from 5am to 10am then gone. look for the giant pot at the entrance.

harira is the other one. soup for 5 to 10 dirham in any medina snack spot. the tourist restaurants in the medina charge 60 dirham for the same bowl with a nice tablecloth.

-- the medina navigation tax. in Fes especially. the old city is designed to get you lost. that's not an accident, that's 9th century urban planning. when you're lost (and you will be lost), don't follow the guys who offer to "help" and then demand money. they're not the tourist office. just.. keep walking. find a kid. there are always kids near the main landmarks who'll lead you to the tannery or Bou Inania for 10 dirham. that's an honest transaction. tip the kid.

-- trains are underrated. ONCF trains are cheap, air conditioned, and actually on time most of the time. Casablanca to Marrakech is about 95 dirham second class. Casablanca to Fes around 110. book at the station or online at oncf.ma. there's no "tourist price" on the train, which is rare in Morocco.

the one thing budget travelers always regret skipping. the hammam. a real neighborhood hammam, not the tourist spa version, is 15 to 25 dirham including a kessa (scrub glove). you bring your own savon beldi (black soap, buy it in any medina shop for 10 dirham). the tourist hammam near Jemaa el-Fna charges 150+ dirham for the same experience with mood lighting. your call.