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YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE® New! Tunisia: From the Mediterranean to the Sahara 2022 Small Groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13) Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler, At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. New! Tunisia: From the Mediterranean to the Sahara itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these: Venture out to the Tataouine villages of Chenini and Ksar Hedada. In Chenini, your small group will interact with locals and explore the series of rock and mud-brick houses that are seemingly etched into the honey-hued hills. After sitting down for lunch in a local restaurant, you’ll experience Ksar Hedada, where you’ll continue your people-to-people discoveries as you visit a local market and meet local residents. You’ll also meet with a local activist at a coffee shop in Tunis’ main medina to discuss social issues facing their community. You’ll get a personal perspective on these issues that only a local can offer. The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 8-16 travelers (average 13) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can. To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests. So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your New! Tunisia: From the Mediterranean to the Sahara adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925. Love and peace, Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel P.S. For further peace of mind, please know that we are EXTENDING our Risk-Free Booking Policy through 12/31/21. Learn more at www.oattravel.com/risk-free-booking. USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler 2 CONTENTS A Letter from Harriet Lewis ................................................................2 The O.A.T. Difference......................................................................4 The Freedom to Personalize Your Experience ................................................6 Grand Circle Foundation...................................................................8 The Leader in Solo Travel ..................................................................9 TUNISIA: FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: TO THE SAHARA CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE Your Adventure at a Glance: Tunisian Culture ........................ 71 Where You’re Going, What it Costs, Religion & Ramadan Festival ............. 71 and What’s Included ..................... 10 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ........ 12 Shipping & More ........................ 77 Optional Tours .......................... 27 Pre-Trip Extensions ...................... 28 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY Post-Trip Extensions ..................... 36 Tunisia ................................. 81 Dates & Prices ........................... 45 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 81 Tunisia: A Brief History ................... 81 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Algeria.................................. 83 Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. 46 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 83 Visas Required .......................... 46 Algeria: A Brief History . 84 85 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ......... 49 Italy . Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 85 Vaccines Required ..................... .. 50 Money Matters: Local Currency & Italy: A Brief History ..................... 86 Tipping Guidelines....................... 53 Morocco ................................ 87 Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 57 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 87 Optional Tours .......................... 57 Morocco: A Brief History ................. 87 Communicating with Home from Abroad . 58 Sicily ................................... 88 Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . 60 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 88 Suggested Packing Lists .................. 62 Sicily: A Brief History .................... 89 Electricity Abroad ....................... 65 Climate & Average Temperatures .......... 67 RESOURCES Suggested Reading ...................... 91 Suggested Film & Video .................. 95 O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures.......................................................... 101 Notes.................................................................................. 102 Map ................................................................................... 107 3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in Tunisia This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled. SMALL GROUPS: 8-16 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 13)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 16 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel or a reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are visiting, hospitality. so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive—the stories, food, OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES customs, hidden treasures and more. With 36 regional offices around the world, we are perfectly poised to leverage our local AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS relationships to deliver an excellent experience Engage with local people through visits to and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ by our team in Cairo. studios; school visits; Home-Hosted meals; and more. Explore the village of Ksar Hedada in Tataouine Venture into the Sahara for two nights at our private, O.A.T. tented camp 4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY Enriching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your Tunisia adventure. GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) VISIT A DAY IN THE LIFE GCF was established in 1992 to help change Do you ever wonder, “What would it be like people’s lives in the world where we live, work, to live here?” when you visit new lands? and travel. To date, we have pledged or donated Let’s find out during your O.A.T. A Day in $200 million worldwide. the Life, an exclusive, immersive experience that places you in the heart of a community By investing in the places we explore— where you’ll meet various people where they including local schools, cooperatives, or arts live, work, and play; visit the neighborhood centers—we hope to give locals the skills and school; lend a hand with daily chores; and confidence they need to become leaders of break bread with our hosts. their generation and preserve their heritage for many years to come. We’re proud to play a part This adventure includes a NEW A Day in in preserving precious locales like the Bryggen the Life experience in a Berber village. This waterfront district of Bergen, a living example included activity provides an opportunity to of the glory days of the Hanseatic League, and venture into the community of a marginalized, supporting villages like Harmi in Estonia, ethnic minority, where we’ll immerse ourselves whose once-struggling school is now a center in daily life, get to know local residents, and of community life. even try our hands at traditional practices, such as breadmaking. CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS Every culture has its joys and achievements, HOME-HOSTED EXPERIENCES and we celebrate them all. But every place Stories shared. Differences solved. Taste buds also has its challenges, and to gloss over them engaged. Good will extended. It’s amazing the would not do justice to those whose stories things that can happen across a kitchen table, need to be told—nor to you, as a traveler who so we’ll break into groups of 4-5 to join a local deserves more than a sugar-coated version of family in their