After three weeks of lazy days in Crete, the clock was ticking on our 90-day Schengen limit. With our two-month stay in an intentional community in Italy already booked for March and April, it was time to exit the EU. We wanted to stay somewhere near the Mediterranean but outside the Schengen zone.

Our short list: Ireland, Montenegro, Albania, Tunisia, or Morocco.

Randy was done with typical tourist destinations. He craved deeper community connections and something meaningful to do. We turned to volunteering and zeroed in on Tunisia — it was close to Crete, affordable, culturally rich, and full of intriguing landscapes: oases, deserts, and canyons. And the site of some Star Wars locations!

We signed up for Workaway, a site connecting travelers with hosts in need of help. In exchange for 5 hours of work per day, hosts provide room and board. Opportunities vary wildly — from adobe houses in nature to city guesthouses, with jobs ranging from gardening and childcare to digital marketing.

We applied to two listings in Tunisia. One never replied. But the other — a schooner refit project in the coastal city of Monastir — was right up our alley!

Our hosts, Steve (from Scotland) and Sandra (from Lithuania), welcomed us into their home along with their two boys. We were spoiled with a private top-floor suite and delicious home-cooked meals.

• Randy dived into the boat refit, putting his skills as a welder, electrician, and all-around handyman to good use.
• I helped with household tasks and digital projects: logo design, YouTube strategy, and producing an overview video.

Their hospitality was top notch. We learned to cure olives, visited a traditional hammam, and joined weekly meetups with expat sailors from all over the world — Australia, Canada, Puerto Rico, the UK, and the US. One of these conversations led us to a tip about a Bedouin guide offering camel treks into the Sahara… and a new adventure was born.

After three amazing weeks with Steve and Sandra, we hit the road for a week-long road trip through Tunisia’s south — including several Star Wars filming locations.

It was surreal imagining the 1970s film crew making a movie in the pre-GPS era. We passed:

• Off-road trucks with snorkel intakes for sand.
• Camel crossing signs.
• Desert sands covering the road like Canadian snowdrifts.

Matmata: Troglodyte Living & Sci-Fi Nostalgia

Our first stop: Matmata, where we stayed in a troglodyte cave hotel. When we asked the owner how long it had been operating, we misheard “1026” as “1926.” A thousand-year-old hotel? (We still need to fact-check that one.)

Nearby was Luke Skywalker’s childhood home/bar — now a kitschy tourist site complete with misspelled signs (“Dark Vader”), expensive bad coffee, and cats roaming freely. I loved it. Tacky tourist traps are my guilty pleasure.

We also explored an odd little museum of dusty mannequins and handmade signage, explaining what life was like before modernization. Wandering outside, we stumbled upon a large abandoned hotel — still sporting faded signs pointing to long-closed restaurants and bars. We wondered if the Star Wars crew had stayed there.

Before leaving town, I bottle-fed a baby camel owned by the museum dude.

Bucket list item: check!

In Douz, we met up with Nasir, our Bedouin guide. Raised in the desert, he still visits his nomadic parents who prefer to live in a tent rather than the house he built for them.

Each guide uses camels borrowed through a cooperative. My camel was… enthusiastic. In rut, covered in musky goo, foaming at the mouth, and occasionally inflating a fleshy pink sac from his mouth (a mating display, apparently). I guess the lady camels find it hot?

Once mounted, we rode three hours into the desert, led by our two gossiping guides. Nasir loved my iPhone and offered Randy “two camels for me and the phone.” I was insulted. Surely I’m worth at least 40 camels.

We reached camp just before sunset. Nasir smiled and gestured broadly when I asked where the facilities were. Apparently the entire Sahara was our toilet.

That night:

• We dined on couscous by firelight.
• Watched the full moon rise with a halo caused by rare desert moisture.
• Walked to the highest dune to stargaze in dead silence.

It was magical — dreamlike. Nasir later came searching for us (apparently he’d go to jail if he lost us).

The next morning, we ate desert-baked flatbread dipped in olive oil and honey. No sand in the bread — just deliciousness.

Back in Douz, we picked up our car and crossed a salt lake to reach Tozeur.

Mos Espa (Star Wars Set)

A decaying movie set left behind by the crew is now a dusty attraction where hawkers sell camel bones and “desert roses.” One abandoned Chewbacca jacket flapped in the wind like a scarecrow. A bit sad, but still fascinating.

A man led us from the parking lot through a palm grove, showing us fossils and stunning views. My paranoid brain worried it was a setup. It wasn’t.

We tipped him generously, and he was so thrilled he chased us on a motorcycle offering another tour. We politely declined.

Near the Algerian border — deep in Tunisia’s “no-go zone” — lies Chebika Oasis. We passed a police checkpoint (passport required) and entered the dusty Atlas Mountains.

At the oasis:

• Waterfalls fed a pool filled with croaking frogs.
• Blue lapis lazuli stones were embedded into the cliff side trail
• Palm trees surrounded the rocky pools.

It was beautiful and unexpected — not the Hollywood-style sandy oasis, but no less magical.

Return to Monastir

On the way back, Google Maps led us into a tight alley behind a donkey cart. A local teen hammering metal watched us with a mix of confusion and pity. We eventually made it out, just in time for a pizza night with our sailor friends.

 Sidi Bou Said: Santorini Vibes

Our final stop: Sidi Bou Said, near Tunis. Whitewashed walls and blue trim made it feel like a Tunisian Santorini.

We failed (again) to catch a train and resorted to a shared van (“louage”). It was our consistent Tunisian transit theme — trains always just out of reach, but vans and taxis came through.

We explored the nearby Carthage ruins, which sparked reflections on the rise and fall of empires. No matter what happens, humanity endures.

What You Should Know:

• Tunisia is diverse: deserts, oases, Roman ruins, beaches, mosques, quirky hotels, and sci-fi landmarks.
• The people are kind and helpful, though some vendors may overcharge. Walk away politely if it feels off.
• There’s a visible police presence — mostly for tourist protection post-2015 attacks.
  Taxis are cheap; trains are frustrating; louages are your friend.
• Be prepared for garbage and stray cats. Islamic law discourages neutering, so cat populations are out of control.
• Vegetarian food can be tricky. Having a kitchen was a lifesaver.
• Car rental isn’t cheap. Expect the same price as Canada.
• Google Maps may lead you astray – so best to stay on the main roads. Don’t listen to its lies!
• Butchers often display animal heads to show freshness. It’s shocking if you’re not expecting it.

Useful Links:

🏨 Hotel Les Berberes – Matmata Cave Hotel
🚗 Tesla Rent Car – Monastir Car Rental

Next up: Life on an intentional farm in Puglia, Italy 🇮🇹