Reader Mail: Hello Trisha, nice blogs about being a digital nomad! I am an American from Chicago IL and I am looking at Tunisia to be my digital nomad base. I see that you’ve been there and I want to see what do you think about it as a base? I know it’s a weird country of choice since most Americans go to Mexico but I want to be in a place where there are fewer tourists (or Americans). I love the Tunisian culture and I am curious to know more. I hope you can give me insights!
– Richard Deloach, USA
Thank you so much for reaching out! I also love the culture in Tunisia but I haven’t been back since 2013. With this, I invited a fellow digital nomad who is actually Tunisian to share his insider experiences about being a DN in Tunisia.
Achraf from Walk Beside Me blog is an expert when it comes to Tunisia Digital Nomad topics. Feel free to reach out to him if you have more questions! If you also make it there, you can personally meet Achraf!
I hope you make it to Tunisia – it’s really one of my favorite countries and is often less visited by tourists. You’ll definitely have very little American interaction there, for sure!
Good luck and may the force be with you! Now I leave the floor to Achraf.
Xx,
Trisha
Meet Achraf, a digital nomad in Tunisia
The digital nomad life has become really famous and more and more people are adopting it nowadays. It is a true step that one takes. However, it is not as simple as it looks like.
Sitting somewhere sunny at a laptop is what we see (and think of) first when we hear the word “digital nomad”. But that picture is actually the end of a digital nomad transformation period, not the beginning.
How can we become digital nomads? Is it rather a personal decision or just a new way of life for the newest generations? Is it a trend that people are following? Let me explain how I see it along with my story:
When I graduated about 10 years ago, I was eager to start working at a multinational and famous company. To be honest, I was dreaming about starting an international career. And that is what I got.
I started working at an international company in Germany (I am originally from Tunisia). I saw it as a great achievement and I invested a lot to climb the career stairs, year by year.
I started as an R&D Engineer in the Automotive industry and switched to Technical Sales and Account Management. Then, I ended up in Pre-Selling technical activities.
During my last position, my mind started to change, and I started feeling that I might not belong where I am at that moment.
At the same time, I have always had this hobby of writing, photography, and traveling. A hobby in which I’ve put almost everything I have in terms of time and money.
As of 2020, my mind completely shifted to that mindset, and I was trying hard to find my own way with the hobby of blogging and setting up an online business so that I become independent of a location-related, full-time job contract.
Tunisia Digital Nomad Experience
Now that I got my unpaid leave from work confirmed, I got really excited (and of course stressed out) and started seeing things differently. I not only was saying goodbye to my last monthly pay-slips but also started together with my wife a travel-related initiative called WildyNess.
I am about to start this Nomad Life in a couple of months and I already can’t wait to see how it would work! Not only that, but I am also eager for freedom and independence, and also trying something on my own that I’ve always believed in the past 5 years.
Our Nomad Life will start in Tunisia, a destination not necessarily known for such a thing. But hey there is always a first time 🙂
As I am originally Tunisian, here is what you should know about the country for digital nomads.
Tunisia Digital Nomad Scene
As much as this term is uncommon in Tunisia, the country has A LOT to offer regarding flexibility. Many expats have tried to build independent businesses, and it worked well for many of them, especially in liberal activities (translation, copywriting, photography…)
The expat community there is just huge! At the same time, many young people are getting into entrepreneurship and innovation. That is why more than 30 coworking spaces, internet cafés, and even co-living spaces have opened in the past few years. It is uncommon for a relatively small country with about 12 million inhabitants.
Furthermore, this community is well-connected and active all year long thanks to their meet-up events and Facebook group.
Internet speed in Tunisia
Internet connection is almost available anywhere in Tunisia, yet mostly on DSL lines. This makes it sometimes unreliable and slow. Although fiber-optics technology is being used, it is still used only in big spaces like companies or internet-cafés.
That is why I recommend getting an E-SIM with enough volume of data as a good backup plan. Mobile data in Tunisia is high-speed and more reliable than DSL lines.
SIM cards are easy to buy, can be activated right away, and are affordable with a proper volume of internet data
Cost of living in Tunisia
Tunisia has witnessed a high inflation rate over the past few years. Nevertheless, the cost of living is still not considered very high for digital nomads with international income.
The Tunisian Dinar is about $3. That makes the cost of life way cheaper in the country.
Depending on your lifestyle and standards, I would say that a month of living in Tunisia will roughly cost anything between $1500, including transportation and leisure activities.
Accommodation can easily be found through the expats’ network, where you can also find good advice about where to live. There are also many local accommodation platforms where one can look.
Transportation is challenging as local buses and tramways are unreliable (yet cheap). That is why most people use their cars or taxis.
Tunisia Digital Nomad Visa
Tunisia is visa-free or offers visa-on-arrival for most western countries. If you intend to stay more than 90 days in the country, then you need a long-stay visa, which is not very difficult to get.
Americans who wish to stay more than 90 days in Tunisia must apply for a visa. In the traditional application process, you need to apply for it in a Tunisian embassy in the US personally.
Still, this year, Tunisia changed its visa requirements for citizens of the United States to a simple e-visa process. It’s really fast, and you can get it within days from the comforts of your home!
Tunisian visas used to be very hard because of the bureaucracy of the country but since digital nomadism is becoming more and more acceptable, many countries are adjusting and re-inventing their visa policies.
