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{"id":3175,"date":"2024-03-06T12:05:39","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T12:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/notripophobia.com\/?p=3175"},"modified":"2024-03-08T01:26:57","modified_gmt":"2024-03-08T01:26:57","slug":"how-not-to-travel-to-algeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/notripophobia.com\/how-not-to-travel-to-algeria\/","title":{"rendered":"How Not to Travel to Algeria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Algeria is a country that has been on my wish list for nearly a decade. Years ago, I went through the lists of the top destinations to visit there, diligently marking all the great places that I could see on Google Maps. Based on this, you would guess that I developed a kick-ass itinerary that scheduled all of my days and weeks to the very minute. Or that I would at least have a rough idea of what I wanted to do while I was there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in true Krissi fashion, I waited until the very last minute to come up with a rough itinerary of the places that I would go and the things that I would see. I compiled this using other people\u2019s trip reports in the Facebook group Every Passport Stamp (if you are a hardcore traveler but haven\u2019t joined that group yet, I highly recommend it!) and by googling the best things to see in Algeria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclaimer<\/strong>:  I have to admit that Algeria felt very hard for me and I have no idea why. I don’t know if it was the constant language barrier, the lack of vegetarian food, and the fact that I couldn’t go out alone at night and had to plan my day around that, or that I\u2019m simply tired of traveling but it was hard. Really hard. This overall feeling impacted my experience there and I would like to go back later after I have had a break from traveling for a while. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My biggest mistakes: <\/strong>I kind of wish I had hired a rental car and done the entire trip on my own. The major reason that I didn’t was that I was scared of doing the really long drives on my own AND I didn’t want to have to worry about police checkpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My trip to Djanet was also kind of awful because I had a lecherous tour guide and a terrible travel companion. I could have handled one of those but not both together. I also didn\u2019t really like my guide for Ghardaia to Bechar as he was very condescending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also wish I would have traveled with a man. It would have made many parts of the trip much easier and I probably wouldn’t have had to sit at home eating cashews for dinner so many nights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall costs<\/strong>: I tried to pay around $25 per night for a hotel which generally got me quite comfortable accommodation with private bathrooms and good wifi. I also hired taxis to take me between cities which cost roughly $7 per hour of driving. Although there were buses that could take you between many of the cities, for me, the taxis were the better way to go in terms of time management, my long legs and my luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety:<\/strong>  The golden rule of Algeria is not to go out by yourself after dark as a woman. I felt completely safe during the day but had some unfortunate experiences at night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hotels:<\/strong>  It is really difficult to book hotels in advance in Algeria so I mostly just showed up in places and headed to places that looked decent on Google Maps. The only exception was the airport hotel that I booked in advance because I wanted to make sure that I had some place to stay in the middle of the night. Many of the hotels also have What\u2019s App numbers where you can make a reservation but it\u2019s hard to figure out what the What\u2019s App number actually is until you go there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visas:<\/strong> As an American, you can get a two-year multiple-entry visa for $160. I applied in person at the Algerian consulate in New York City and got it within a week with no issues.  Alternatively, you can book a tour of the south and get a visa on arrival through your tour operator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visiting Algeria as a Solo Female<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although I predominately traveled by myself throughout Algeria, I did have a tour of Djanet and Ghardaia. This is necessary as there isn\u2019t really a way to do it on your own. Below is a breakdown of how I spent my time there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tunis to Annaba<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With a very loose itinerary in hand and an Algerian visa that I had gotten the year before in New York in my passport, I headed from Tunis to the Algerian city of Annaba. According to Google Maps, the drive time should have taken around four hours. However, thanks to my happy-go-lucky taxi driver who stopped frequently along the way and the hour-long wait at the Tunisia-Algeria border, it ended up taking us close to 8 hours. Luckily, I had decided to splurge on a private taxi for $50 rather than cram myself in the back of a shared taxi which made the long journey much more bearable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n