Veteran Travel Journalist Names Morocco as World’s Most Hospitable Country

"The most welcoming country, well there’s Morocco which is very very welcoming, but I’m talking about Morocco 20 years ago, I haven’t been back since," Antoine de Maximy confided on Friday on Sud Radio. He had visited the kingdom in the early 2000s during the first season of the show "I’ll Sleep Over at Yours," the episode of which aired in July 2005.

The journalist claims to have been just as well received in Vietnam. "And then there’s Vietnam, well I was very very surprised in Vietnam, I was invited like never before. And I even wondered if the police weren’t following me and they were, you know the Ministry of Tourism, briefing people saying ’invite him, invite him’, it was so incredible!" The backpacking specialist recently made a trip to this former French colony (1885-1946). Viewers followed him during the broadcast of season 11 on April 28, 2023.

This year, Antoine de Maximy is celebrating the 20th anniversary of "I’ll Sleep Over at Yours," the cult show launched in 2003. He therefore offered a new episode to the public, the broadcast of which took place on Friday, November 10, 2023, on RMC Découverte. How did the idea of going to sleep at strangers’ houses all over the world and filming them come to him? "It’s the culmination of several ideas. Before launching I’ll Sleep Over at Yours, I had been a cameraman, director, sound recordist. I could therefore be alone for a shoot. Until then, I had only made documentaries on exceptional expeditions, with incredible people who were descending, for example, in a submarine, 5,000 meters deep, or in an active volcano. I wanted to make portraits of ordinary people," Ouest France tells the host.

And to continue: "And then, I also wanted to regain my freedom, my autonomy, get rid of the budgetary constraints of these more spectacular shoots. In my childhood, my parents, who were painter artists, also welcomed guests from time to time, for a few days, at their home. I knew it was possible. [...] Not knowing how the show was going to take, I chose Mali, an exotic and French-speaking country, to launch myself. I had been there a little while before and I knew there was a real joie de vivre there, welcoming and accessible inhabitants. To show the contrast between poor and rich countries, for the second episode, I chose Quebec and in winter."