Getting home again after an expat placement

Historically it’s been pretty easy to get home after an expat placement, you just organise packers and book a flight. But these days it can be harder and harder to repatriate, especially if you come from somewhere like Australia or New Zealand which has implemented strict repatriation rules.

1) Keep your options open. You may not be able to get a direct flight back to your home country so it’s a good idea to keep your options open around multi-stage journeys to get home. While it might be painful to manage and involve a long flight, its generally cheaper and easier than waiting for direct flights to restart. Many of the expats who have been returning from South America in the last few months have been using charter flight through an agency called XTravel rather than more traditional commercial flights. By having some flexibility around options, you are much more likely to be able to find a flight home.

1a) is to make sure you have the right visas for any of these stops. The USA is particularly finicky in this regard and you need an ESTA even if only transiting through the airports in the US.

2) Make sure you are signed up with your local embassies list of nationals in the country. While most countries are progressing with their vaccination program, things can change at any point and most governments will run some repatriation flights if things get really bad.

3) Check the changing legal requirements. While we were planning our move to Canada the rules on hotel quarantine changed and while we have been in Chile the rules for returning travellers to Chile (in terms of PCR tests and quarantine) have changed multiple times. Do not assume that the rules that were in place when you booked the tickets will be the same even a few days later. I find that the ministry of health for each country tends to announce any changes on their twitter feed, so this is useful to follow.

4) Research the quarantine requirements ahead of time. If you need to quarantine at home, check which sites will deliver groceries and which work with foreign bank accounts or credit cards. Social media can be a great way to locate local shops that can work with you, as many other travellers have been in the same boat.