Emergency Travel

Life happens.  I recently traveled from Kuwait to my hometown of Toledo, Ohio in the USA to be with a loved one who passed away shortly after my arrival.  While I was devastated by the loss, I was very grateful to have the means for this travel.  I can attest to the fact that the desire to get home quickly can cloud the thinking process.  Your mind is consumed.  Here are some things that may be helpful if you live overseas or far away from friends and family and need to travel on short notice.

     1.     Have an emergency fund

Hopefully you have heard the statement “A failure to plan is a plan to fail”.  There are some things we just can’t plan out exactly, but are bound to happen.  It is wise to have money set aside in case of the car breaking down, a need for emergency travel, or the water heater malfunctioning.  The idea is that one emergency can be handled without “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul” and causing another emergency.   My emergency fund is enough money to cover airfare to the US and things like ground transportation and a couple night’s stay in a hotel, if necessary.  I don’t use it to pay my routine bills, travel, or to make impulse buys. ( OK, I have used it for an impulse buy before, but I’m getting better at this)

      2.     Your emergency fund needs to be accessible in an emergency

This one seems kind of obvious, but it is definitely something to think about.  I have some savings in an account that requires 2-3  days for a wire transfer to my primary bank account. Hello?  Emergencies don’t wait that many days!  The primitive sock or envelope full of money may not be your best bet either unless you plan to walk into an airport and purchase a ticket at the counter with cash.  That may work if your anticipated flight is not already sold out.  Not to mention, Kuwaiti banks have strange hours that really don’t cater to working people. I’m talking 10am-3pm and everything closes on holidays/holy week days.  This is a difficult concept for us to understand as US citizens where we can deposit cash at multiple walk up and drive through atm machines and have access to it within seconds or 24 hours at the latest.  While I have noticed atm machines here, I don’t know whether depositing cash is an option. Any plan that would involve physically walking into a bank branch to access money or deposit funds would be subject to these factors. In my situation, I needed to travel during a local holy week.  Banks were closed.  Thankfully, I had money in an account that was easily accessible for me to purchase my ticket online. 

      

     3.     Bookmark the sites for cheapest flights on our computer. Ask for a bereavement rate if your are traveling for a funeral

Some suggestions are skyscanner.net, google.com/flights for international travel and expedia.com or kayak.com for domestic travel

      4.     Keep your toiletry bag stocked inside your carry on

      Sometimes you are traveling with just 1 or two carry on bags.  You may not have time to get to a store and stock up in their travel aisle.   You can’t throw your Dove body wash from the shower into your carry on because the airport limits liquids to 3 oz. Remember that this is the rule in the US even if you are traveling from a country that doesn’t limit.  If you make if from the first country with your 12 oz. body wash, customs in the US will make you throw it away.  When I traveled home recently, I flew for about 20 hours, arrived at the local airport, and went straight to the hospital. I was able to freshen up using my toiletry bag and change clothes with the change of clothing from the carry on.  Also, if you are traveling for an event like a wedding or funeral, you should pack your dress clothes in your carry on.  Airlines lose bags. You don't want lost wardrobe to be another emergency. 

                                       

      

      5.     Have a packing list

This is not advice that I have followed myself recently, but in retrospect, it would have been nice to reference.  It’s so easy to pack up the laptop and leave the charger or pack two pair of pants but forget undies.   A list helps. 

    

  

      6.      Always know where your passport is

If you have 2 hours to prepare for a flight, you can’t waste 45 minutes searching the house for your passport.  A passport is absolutely necessary to fly between countries.   I suggest a designated spot for your passport and US specific cards (Car Insurance, AAA, Kroger Cards) that you can always pick up quickly and throw into your carry on at a moments notice

7.     Check your country’s policy on travel for non-citizens

Many expats, like myself, move to a country where jobs sponsor you so that you can acquire a long-term residency status.  Without this status, you are not free to come and go in and out of the country freely.   If you leave your country without acquiring the long term residency status, you may cancel out your job’s sponsorship. You may not be allowed to return to the country where you are employed.  Do the research.

8.     Know your job’s policy for absence and who to call when you will be absent

Did you read your contract thoroughly?  Do you have sick days, personal days, and bereavement days? My job did share this information with me during a 20 minute presentation on a week full of staff development and countless presentations. I didn’t remember every step 1.5 months later when my mind was already consumed with worry about my grandma’s life.  Write these things down.  Save it electronically on your personal flash drive or in a manner you can access from home. In my case, I needed to have a conversation with a representative from HR to discuss the Visa process before travel.  When you live overseas, it is impossible to keep work and home life completely separate.  The lines are a bit blurrier. You might not have a convenient phone tree to use for contacts. Save the essential numbers in your phone. 

9.  Remember how travel effects your body

International travel means crossing time zones.  It means going to bed when you would normally be wide awake.  You will experience jet lag both ways.  Factor this in when deciding on your return date.  I lose a full day because flights to the Middle East from my home town take a minimum of 18 hours but can last 26 or more hours with layovers.  Know that you may return to work dealing with the same jet lag effects that you endured during the first 2 weeks of your initial move.  You may be unable to fall asleep before 2 am and still wake up at 4am. You probably want to consider this if a deadline or important meeting is approaching.