Based in Britain, Naturally Morocco claims on its Web site to "promote sustainability and conservation in Morocco." It sounded good, but some of its recommended accommodations looked shabby on their Web sites, and the agency wanted more than $1,000 for in-country transportation alone. To make matters worse, staffers badgered me almost daily for my credit card number, falsely alleging that I had made an irreversible commitment. When I declined its services, Naturally Morocco sent me a bill for more than $1,500 in cancellation fees. When I refused to pay, its director, Jane Bayley, said the bill was a mistake, but then argued that I should compensate her for time spent preparing the quote. All this grief came from an agency listed in The Ethical Travel Guide's directory. Lesson one: Don't give your business to an agency just because it claims to practice responsible tourism.

The results from the three other agencies were mixed. Sahara Soul Travel, based in New York, didn't have much to offer in terms of accommodations with social credentials. Marrakesh Voyage, a U.S. agency run by a Moroccan expatriate, steered me to the newly opened Kasbah Omar, in the village of Anrar, outside Marrakech. This former way station for travelers and their animals has an honorable mission to give five percent of its income to a Berber village association, but it also makes a deceptive claim to be "lavish enough for the king." When I arrived, I had to scramble up a dirt hill to reach the entryway; my musty room had no circulating air; and cows and roosters in a barn next door made sure I didn't sleep past 3:30 a.m.

Heritage Tours, also in New York, originally told me that the socially responsible trip I had in mind wouldn't be feasible in Morocco because the country's travel industry just isn't geared that way. Nevertheless, the firm rose to the challenge and found three riads with high-end comforts, impeccable service—and conscientious credentials, to boot. Lesson two: As long as an agency knows a destination well and can be trusted to deliver luxury, it can incorporate any number of ethical considerations without compromising on quality.

Transportation posed its own set of challenges. Air travel afforded few choices, since Royal Air Maroc has a monopoly on direct flights from New York to Casablanca. I flew Delta to New York and learned that its flight attendants don't bother to recycle. In terms of ethics, I was off to a shaky start, but I had a plan for penance. Upon return, I'd be sending $20 to www.flyingforest.org, in the hope that it really would do as promised and plant enough trees in Africa to suck up a good measure of the carbon generated by my travel.

The Fun Begins
Once in Morocco, I rode public transportation as much as possible in order to minimize carbon emissions. Lesson three: First-class public transit is the way to go. Two train rides made clear that air-conditioning works far more effectively in first-class seating, and it cost only about $8 extra for a seven-hour ride. Although a car with a hired driver sounds luxurious, it didn't prove so for a Hawaiian couple I met, Larry and Diane Swenson of Molokai. When their driver caught sight of a lucky goat on the trip from Essaouira to Marrakech, the man bought it on the spot and put it in the backseat with them. My SupraTours bus ride on that same stretch was comparatively luxurious in the absence of farm animals. And it cost only about $8 for a comfortable two-and-a-half-hour ride.