[Note: This is one of those half-written blog posts that I never got around to publishing. In this case, from October 2013.] When you travel you are like a dry sponge. As you take in the new sights, sounds, and experiences of your destination, you are slowly wetting that sponge. Different people have different size sponges, but eventually one of two things happens:

Your sponge saturates and you need to return home; back to "normal", or
You fall in love with the new place and wind up staying.

Rest assured that the Cooper family will not be moving to Marrakech permanently.

Right now, our sponge is saturated; filled full with Moroccan experiences and it's time to return home to wring it out. The tide has turned and the charm and excitement of many of the new things have worn off and in their place is a longing for our own beds, our own food, and a little routine boredom. Sounds nice, right?

I was discussing with Jess that I think a perfectly planned vacation is when you are ready to go home on your last day. If you want to go home on your first day, that's no good, if you want to stay on your last day, and you can't imagine going back home, that's no good either. When you've vacationed, learned a few things and relaxed some, and are ready to get back to your normal life, that's a vacation well planned!

Well done Jess. Without you, I'd probably never go anywhere, due to the unbelievable hassle of the planning.