Whether it’s drum dancing on the edge of the dune in Merzouga or wild camping under the olive trees in Ouarzazate, these exhilarating adventures restore the childlike sense of joy and freedom in me.

“But what does true freedom mean to you?” Thomas asked. I stood there with no answer. That was May 2017 in Morocco. Not until a year later, when my feet touched the white sand and calm water of the Mediterranean sea in Alicante Spain, I found the answer.