Hi Tom:
Welcome. We're happy to have you here. Your first step is a little education. I'd spend a few hours going through all of the archives. There you'll discover what most of us have gone through - the good, the bad and the ugly - over the past eight years or so. It'll give you some perspective on what to do, what to avoid and how to spot red flags. Once you read the stories, they'll answer your third question quite effectively.
Next, you need to think about what country you want to look in. That's quite individual, and will depend entirely on what you are looking for and what kind of lifestyle you lead. While some guys may say this or that country is best, they're really saying that country is best for them. What is best for you may be entirely different.
Taking this path is not quick or inexpensive. It's likely you'll invest a lot more time and money than you will finding a girl next door, but along with the risks come the rewards. It's truly the path less traveled, and be prepared to invest in it. It won't be horrible expensive though - plenty of blue collar, average income guys have done this successfully. Mechanics, nursery workers, martial arts instructors, musicians, farmers, and the like are as represented in the archives as much as lawyers, engineers and businessmen. No one can predict how much time it will take or how much money you'll spend, but if you can spend a half dozen hours a week part time, a couple weeks a year full time, and a few thousand a year, there's no reason you can't be happily married to a foreign bride in a few years.
Happy hunting, and congratulations on finding the best support group anywhere for this endeavor. We're all happy to offer our opinions, but of course opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks. The rest is up to you.
- Jeff
