A few questions

[sand1980]

I do not know much about North Africa but I am trying to arrange a meeting to meet my love. It is a lot to travel to Algeria. I am wondering if it might be less expensive to travel to a neighboring country. Is it hard for Algerians to get travel visas for Morroco? Any ideas? I know they were also occupied by the French. It would be much easier to travel to Europe but again I am not sure about a visa for him. Are there times of year that are less expensive to travel there? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Felicity]

I don't think Algerians need visas for Morroco, please see the following webpage:
Algerian passport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is not very easy to travel to Europe for Algerians (I dont think from the amount of documentation required for various visas), unless they have friends on family who are willing to support and vouch for them.

If you use masterfare (Masterfare.co.uk :: Home - Your Flight Partner) it is quite cheap to travel there off peak (meaning any time other than easter and summer [June-September]), from Edinburgh to Algeria, off peak, I've had British airways flights for about £330 average.

[Tasha]

Hi Sand1980

I have never been to Algeria but do know a bit about flight costs and visas. As far as I am aware your partner won't need to have a visa for Tunisia or Morroco. It would be much cheaper for you to get a package holiday to one of these countries for a really good price if you go offpeak, try dealchecker.co.uk Doing it this way should make it much cheaper as I presume from your message you aren't married so would probably not be staying at his house (correct me if I'm wrong). My partner's tickets back home cost from about £300-£400 throughout the year, there are no bargains to be had as it's not a tourist destination. Not forgetting you would be paying for a hotel on top of the cost of the flights. As for your partner meeting you in Europe. It is possible for him to do that but I have written letters of support for my partner's family to come visit and it doesn't always work. It also takes a long time to get the visa. Not forgetting that this might make your trip cheaper but it's going to make your partners much more expensive.

Hope this helps

[BACK2MYROOTS]

I do not know much about North Africa but I am trying to arrange a meeting to meet my love. It is a lot to travel to Algeria. I am wondering if it might be less expensive to travel to a neighboring country. Is it hard for Algerians to get travel visas for Morroco? Any ideas? I know they were also occupied by the French... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Dear SAND '80

Bells are ringing in my head...Shouldn't your fella be able to answer many of your (legit) questions?!
It seems to me you're doing all the thinking and planning. This 'luv of yours', is he doing his bit or just sitting and waiting...? Am I missing something here? Are you sure what you're doing?

I hope you don't think I'm being nasty. Just concerned. Your knowledge of Algeria is minimal!! Know your man and the country well before you jump. I urge you (friendly advice).

B2MR

[sand1980]

Thank you Tasha and Felicity for your replies. It was really helpful.

[sand1980]

Thank you for your concern B2MR. He does answer a lot of questions but I am trying to do this as much on my own as possible. I am learning about the culture, history, etc. little by little. I will admit there are some things I wish he was working on. I have asked him to make sure his passport is in order and things like this. He tends to romantisize things and I am sure he is thinking it will all just fall into place. I am planning to go to Algeria sometime next year. We will know each other much better by then and things like this. I have known him close to a year now but still need some time to get to know him better. My plan is to stay in the capital because I don't know the country well and I have asked my brother to go with me.I know it all seems crazy and I do not think you are being nasty at all. Thank you again,

[New_Friend]

Hello Sand1980,

Please DO listen to your intuitions and if ANY red flags go off inside of you.....take a long pause. Having "been there, done that" as a woman who once stretched myself to the edge for more than one North African fellow, I can honestly say this: They love to be 'pursued', particularly by 'Western' women, but in the end, odds of getting dropped like a hotcake are high, since it is inherently NOT cool in North African culture for women to pursue men. If this fellow is really 'the one,' sit back a bit and let HIM take 99% of the initiative....let him prove to you that nothing in the world will stop HIM from trying to meet up in person with you. Let HIM be the one to arrange for a mutual meeting in Morocco or Tunisia, and let HIM be the one to send you, via certified mail, notarized copies of all of his papers, air tickets, tourist visas to cross the border, etc. Most of all, suggest that you'd like him to include an official copy of his "carte de famille" from Algeria so that you'll know whether or not he is married, single, divorced, etc. If he's hesitant to provide any of the above...consider it a red or redder flag.

On an optimistic note, suppose that you do meet, it all goes well, and he proposes marriage to you, like in a year or so....it's good to know that you cannot marry him in Morocco or Algeria or any other country unless you have legal residency in that country (e.g., you're working there or have some other legal status, other than visiting on a tourist visa). Well, of course you can marry, but it won't be recognized in any way as by the U.S. government....you'd still have to go through the paperwork to bring him to the U.S. in the future as a spouse, which currently can take years. If it all goes well, encourage him to try to get to Canada...still the easiest door into North America!

Best wishes for a successful relationship....bringing your bro along is one of the smartest things you can do.

And a final p.s. -- if you haven't ever read the book, "He's Just Not That Into You," get a copy from your local library, spend a day with it, and then make yourself a good list of what you MUST have from this guy or any other. It's good stuff!