Day 12 – Heading Home, with Plenty of Memories

After eleven days on the road, it's time to say goodbye to Tunisia. We enjoy one last breakfast together before leaving the Dougga area and heading towards Tunis. These are our final kilometres in the SUVs that have taken us along paved roads, dusty tracks and through small villages over the past days.

As we drive north, the landscape gradually changes again. The desert and oases are now far behind us. We travel through the green countryside of northern Tunisia, passing olive groves, farmland and villages where everyday life carries on as usual.

At the airport, we return our cars, collect our luggage and get ready for our flight back to Brussels.

Twelve days ago, we set off on a journey through a country that many of us mainly knew from Star Wars. We came looking for the places where scenes were filmed that we'd watched so many times on screen. From the streets of Mos Eisley to the abandoned film sets of Mos Espa. From the troglodyte homes of Matmata to that special moment at the Lars Homestead, watching the sun slowly disappear below the horizon.

But along the way, we discovered that Tunisia has much more to offer.

We drove through vast desert landscapes, explored ancient Roman cities, wandered through deserted ksars and stopped for coffee in places we probably would never have visited otherwise. We met local people, tried unfamiliar dishes and discovered just how varied Tunisia's landscapes and everyday life can be.

And just as importantly, we experienced it all together. With plenty of time along the way for conversations, unexpected stops, a little dust on the cars and undoubtedly a few stories that will be told again long after we've returned home.

On the flight back to Brussels, there's time to scroll through our photos. Some places already feel like we visited them weeks ago. Other moments are still fresh in our minds.

And perhaps that's what makes a trip like this so special. You leave with a route and an itinerary, but return home with memories you could never have planned in advance.

Tatooine Trails has come to an end.

The cars have been returned, the suitcases are heading home, and tomorrow everyday life begins again for everyone.

But somewhere, far away in southern Tunisia, the sun will set over the desert once more tonight.

May the Force be with you. Always.