So Simon, would you recommend a holiday in Marrakech?

Simon Calder answers your questions on Morocco, awol luggage, and a Disneyland dilemma

Treasure trove: a souk in the city’s Medina area (Getty/iStock)

Q We are thinking of travelling to Marrakech next year. I have had some very conflicting opinions on this. Some love it but some say it is dirty and unsafe. Any thoughts on this, please?

Pauline W

A My most recent of many visits to Marrakech was last October. I have always found it a fascinating and friendly place, and clean enough. I recommend a visit to the city unreservedly. The heart of the city is the Medina, a maze of lanes and a hive of activity from dawn until dusk. It is also home to many riads: handsome townhouses, usually with courtyards, that offer characterful stays. If you prefer, though, there are plenty of good hotels in the more modern, mainly French-built new town, Gueliz, where the avenues are wider. The vast open square, Djemaa el Fna, is the hub of the city, populated by makeshift cafes serving food cooked over red-hot charcoal.

In terms of tourist sights, I recommend the lovely Jardin Majorelle, which was founded by Yves Saint-Laurent. The site contains the Pierre Berge Museum of Berber Arts, which has some of the pottery he collected, as well as paintings by the garden's original owner, Jacques Majorelle.

In terms of nuisances: some “guides” can be annoyingly persistent. Hassle is best avoided by engaging a professional recommended by your hotel or holiday company. Also, taxi drivers are rather variable in their pricing policies, and you should always agree a fare in advance.

My main concern for you is timing. I can strongly recommend a visit in February or the first 10 days of March: while the weather will not be perfect, it will be much warmer than the UK and the city will be quiet. Ramadan, from 11 March to 9 April, could be tough, as the Muslim population refrain from eating and drinking during the hours of daylight. Although allowances are made for tourists, the city will not deliver the experience you might hope.

By mid-April, the summer season is getting under way – and I would stay away until October, when the heat and the crowds dissipate.

Finally, consider building up a bigger Moroccan exploration – especially Casablanca, the lively commercial hub, and the capital, Rabat.

I’m on holiday but my bags didn’t make it... can I claim for replacement purchases? (Getty)

Q Please can you help me? I’ve just arrived on holiday without my luggage and the ground staff say it won’t arrive for three more days. I don’t understand why they can’t send my bag sooner. Also, what are my rights for buying things whilst I’m here? I am on a beach and sports holiday – so can I buy a bikini and trainers and claim them back?

Rebecca L

A Sadly, there is precious little compensation for passengers whose baggage is “short-shipped” – ie left behind at the departure airport. I sense this is a growing issue, partly because planes are flying fuller than ever. This means that there is an increasing chance some luggage will not make the flight. This may be because the loaders run out of time or because the pilot decides to leave baggage behind because of weight issues (typically in such a case passengers are not told until they arrive at the destination for fear that they will refuse to travel without their luggage). Last week while boarding a flight from Heathrow to Prague I was even told that my bag had apparently been offloaded because there was no indication I had cleared security.

Whatever the cause in your case, it will be a frustrating wait. If your destination has only one flight every few days, the airline will typically wait to fly it on its own service rather than dispatch it on other carriers. While there is plenty of recompense for passengers who get left behind, there is precious little for belongings.

Generally, airlines will pay out for spending on essentials such as basic clothing and toiletries – but they will always want to see itemised receipts and may baulk at larger sums. So keep your spending to a minimum. The trainers could be an issue but I envisage that a total for all your purchases of around £150 would be accepted by the airline.

In future, consider squeezing everything into cabin baggage. Not only will you usually save money, but also the chances of anything going astray are much reduced. Not completely eliminated, mind: your bag might be selected to be loaded into the hold if space is at a premium. But the odds in your favour are vastly improved.

A trip of a lifetime to Disneyland Paris could be affected by striking workers (Getty)

Q I’m due to be taking my daughter to France on Tuesday 6 June, specifically to Disneyland Paris. We're flying easyJet from Manchester to Paris CDG but booked as a package. I’ve heard there is an air traffic control strike that day. Does this mean our flight might be cancelled?

Name supplied

A This month has begun with another bout of chaos for British travellers: national rail strikes in England on Friday and Saturday, 2 and 3 June; disruption of flights to and from Italy today, Sunday 4 June, caused by walkouts, especially in Milan and Rome; and on Tuesday 6 June, another general strike in France in protest against president Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms. Public sector workers from teachers to refuse collectors are aiming to shut down much of the nation. Among the many groups of workers who will walk out that day, the biggest impact will be from air traffic controllers.

France has “minimum service” legislation that ensures many flights operate even on strike days. Even so, the DGAC (French civil aviation authority) will order airlines collectively to ground hundreds of flights to, from and over France. Based on the effects last time, easyJet is likely to ground dozens of flights, including links from London Gatwick, Luton, Bristol and Manchester to destinations in France.

However, at this stage I would be far from despondent. Flights to regional destinations such as Nantes and Toulouse tend to fare proportionately worse than Paris Charles de Gaulle, your destination. So try to remain confident – but be prepared for “on the day” disruption in the shape of long delays caused by reduced flow rates.

If you are unlucky enough to have your flight cancelled: as you hint, it is the travel company’s responsibility to come up with an alternative or offer a full refund. Incidentally, Ryanair, which is likely to cancel upwards of 200 departures, has demanded action from the European Commission to ensure overflights (eg from Scotland to Italy or England to Spain) are given special status to operate as normal. Europe’s biggest budget airline collected more than 1 million signatures demanding an end to overflight disruption.

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