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The coronavirus has sent shockwaves through the world, causing us all to re-evaluate all kinds of things in our lives. This has especially been the case for expats. I was surprised to learn that around 336,000 expats had to drop everything and return to Australia because of the virus. Many families did so within days because if they did not they would have run the risk of being stranded in a foreign country, without work. To get home and resettled they had to overcome the following challenges.
Finding transport to get home
For many, even finding transport to get them back was a struggle. Most governments told their citizens to return quickly but did not provide many, if any, repatriation flights. So, if you do live abroad you need enough funds in the bank to get everyone back to Australia. When disaster strikes prices soar, so it is wise to put aside at least triple what you think you need. If that is not possible, get yourself a credit card that you only use in case of this kind of dire emergency.
Financing your return
In fact, having a financial plan in place for your return to your home country is a good idea regardless. Knowing how to send money from UK to Australia, or between other countries, at the best rates can potentially save you a lot of money.
It means that as soon as disaster strikes you can immediately move cash back to Australia, before the Australian dollar crashes and starts to lose its value. Some expats that did not quickly transfer funds lost 5 to 15% as a result of currency fluctuations.
Helping your children to adjust
Being suddenly ripped from their home is going to be a traumatic experience for your child. They are leaving everything that is familiar to them. Including their friends and school. It is a huge change and one that you may not have had time to prepare them for. Use the information you can find in this excellent article to make it easier for them to cope with the situation.
Try not to worry
Of course, you are also going to find having to suddenly move countries to be traumatic. It is a worrying time. There is a huge amount to sort out and the decisions you will be making, often under time pressure, are going to affect your lives over the long-term. That is going to be stressful. So, be careful to look after yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you do not, you can easily fall ill, which would make a bad situation much worse.
Hopefully, none of you will ever have the experience of suddenly having to move countries unexpectedly. But if you do, I hope this article will prove to be helpful.
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