Thumpy Rose Plant-based folks search for African food
Not many travelers wish to endure an 8+hours layover in an airport. Unfortunately, these lengthy layovers are common when you travel to Monrovia, Liberia from the Southern United States. Of the many airline options, only few flights are available to Monrovia, Liberia. Royal Air Moroc (RAM) offers 5hrs or 11hrs layover in Casablanca as options to Monrovia, Liberia. In this article, we provide insight on ways to spend your 11-hour layover in Casablanca. Better yet, building healthy habits will be tested during your search for vegetarian African food at RAM airport. You will learn what amenities RAM offers, and whether Casablanca has healthy airport food. What about meat alternatives for protein? Move over Indiana Jones, Plant-based & Vegetarians folks are on the move. Are you interested to peek into ‘the road less travelled’ via African foods? Sign-up to be notified monthly about traditional recipes & African Lifestyle content.
What to Expect?
Don’t be alarmed, Royal Air Moroc actually planned out services for patrons that transit Morocco and need to wait 11 hours for their next flight. I would’ve loved to explore the city for 4 hours, but I’d caution you do not do it, especially if it is your first time. On the other hand, you might be prepared after reading this. Here’s why you should hang-out around the airport, 11hrs layover in Casablanca goes quickly, especially by the time you are done passing through their many check points.
Also, if you do not speak French, which I don’t fluently, you will need 1+hours to use phone translation software or you can search for English-speaking airport staff. I must have called them over 6x times trying to navigate where to go as a transit traveler. Plus, I was in need of healthy airport food and fresh clothes. Regarding what to expect, the below process took 2 hours, and that’s not counting the drive to/from the hotel, which is 30-minutes each way without traffic. If you can do this and get back in time, cheers to building healthy habits.
How Layover is Spent During Casablanca Transit
During the first 4 hours, I wasn’t thinking about airport food, but how to change my clothes and where to find healthy travel food. It is refreshing to witness the organized process of having a dedicated place for transit travelers to rest and eat. This was my first time experiencing an 8+ hour layover. Note, the Relax hotel has three restaurants; One of which is located in Atlas Hotel and one located in Relax hotel, the other is a ‘free-food’ eating place (doesn’t count as restaurant). RAM provides meal tickets for layover patrons; from observation of what travelers ate, which lacked meat alternatives for protein, it is not a healthy travel food. I am not sure why Royal Air Moroc does not mention the hotel process before patrons’ layover in Casablanca, it helps to know in advance! The airport shuttle is clean, as well as the Relax Hotel room.
PROTIP: You do not need a visa if transiting Casablanca Airport if your original arrival & departure flights are in Casablanca. You must stamp passport prior to exit before you can re-enter RAM. Helpful for those who want to tour the city during layover in Casablanca.
ThumpyRose
Suggest: 3 Street Food In Liberia To Avoid
Come Prepared with Information or a Plan
Congratulations! You are more prepared to handle a layover in Casablanca and add to your building healthy habits plan. With these insights, you should feel confident to decide if you want to tour the city or hangout around the airport. I chose to hang out around the airport, finding plant-based or meat alternatives for protein is an adventure! I walked around Terminal 1 & 2 to see if I might find healthy airport food options. With 6 hours spent at Relax hotel, I got some company work done, toured the local shop in the hotel, freshen up and headed back to the airport; which was around 6pm Moroccan time. I didn’t want to risk long-airport line or local traffic. The following is the re-entrance process:
Related: North African Recipes-Flavors to Expect
Healthy Travel Food During Layover in Casablanca
So, I’m plant-based, and it’s no secret that I’ll eat vegetarian food while travelling just to accommodate meat alternatives for protein. Just when you try building healthy habits, they want to test ya! Sad to say, vegetarian African food is scarce to find during layovers in Casablanca. I assumed North African food has more vegetables, which they might, but meat alternatives for protein is lacking in the airport food. Again, I’m willing to practice vegetarian diet just to get healthy airport food. Leafy salads with chunky mozzarella cheese are plenty but they are not my cup of tea, these salads are. Vegetables with cheese pizza is plenty too. I didn’t eat this because I wanted to try food that’s Moroccan, not Italian-ish.
Related: Yummy Filling Salad Boat
Not Many Airport Food Options During Layover in Casablanca
La Table du Marche Café upstairs in Terminal 1 or 2, is the only place I saw had lettuce salad bowls and a Moroccan dish. What’s wrong with salad, you might ask? I do not eat lettuce salads (I’m plant-based, not a rabbit, there’s a difference). As a general rule, when looking for meat alternatives for protein or healthy travel food that is filling, lettuce salad is not it for us. Sure, when building healthy habits that allows for carbs, one must indulge so go crazy at the Bianca Cafe; they have many buttered croissants, few cheese pastries (shocked), and a handful of vegetarian dessert options (love it). I assumed, there would be more cheese-based healthy airport food or at least more options of vegetarian African food that are Moroccan. In General, North Africa foods has more cheese dishes compared to East, West, or South Africa. Casablanca, where are the vegetables!? I had to squint to find vegetables in my order at Matsuri, a Japanese café in RAM airport.
Related: Moroccan Spiced Mushrooms Recipe
Meat Alternatives for Protein is Scarce
Vegan or plant-based folks will struggle to find good substitutes during a layover in Casablanca. Interestingly, the Casablanca airport cafes and food courts have excess amounts of bread. I pitied the meat-eaters because I saw large baguettes with tiny slices of meat or other animal proteins 😊. Besides that, I also struggle to find fresh fruits. I think only Paul Café or Bianca in Terminal 2 had slices of pineapples or whole apples and banana options. Sadly, even Starbucks fruit selection was low. In the end, I settled for bottled fruit juice for nourishment. I highly recommend the bottled juices at Starbucks; it revived me after my Tanjin couscous Moroccan meal with cabbage in red sauce. Would love to see more vegetarian African food options offered by RAM airport food courts.
Recommend: Common Plant Based Meat Alternatives to Know
Et Vous?
Share with us your experience or tips to get healthy travel food, especially healthy airport food. Curious to know if you’ve been lucky with Royal Air Moroc lounge access food options? Do they offer any vegetarian food? Twice now, my experience lacks luster, low stock food options or the PP lounge was closed. Definitely, need lounge access with good food for a 11hrs layover in Casablanca. Curious about a no-animal-meat food lifestyle? Peep instagram to see what I eat live😊.
During your tour, was a transit Visa requested from you?
From my experience a transit visa is not required. If your arrival and departure flights are in Casablanca, make sure they stamp your passport at the “stamp area” in the airport. I found after doing this, I could exit the airport and enter the country. You’ll also need proof of the first stamp to re-enter the airport after touring. Bon Voyage!