COVID-19 can't go home

[CrystalDeCanter]

Thought I'd start a thread for us Internationals who are stuck O/S and unable to get back to the UK for any reason.

I'm in Australia and was due to come back to the UK for a trip in April - all booked in Jan, first time home in almost 3 years.

I consider myself to be really lucky to live where I do, as things are really pretty normal here (for now) and I look at what's happened in the UK in horror. I am just so desperate to get back and see my parents and family. Parents are elderly and I fear they will become ill and I'll be so far away.

2 siblings have had COVID, one was ill in March and one has just tested positive for antibodies, but had no symptoms.

If I could get a flight to London then I would have to quarantine for 2 weeks on my return at a cost of $3,000. Which makes any trip even further out of reach.

Anyone else in the same boat?

We're in Asia. I don't even want to go to the UK right now because I have no faith that I would get decent treatment if I caught coronavirus and it is far more prevalent there than where we live. I'd have to quarantine for two weeks on my return too.

My parents haven't met my baby yet, but it'll just have to wait. It's too risky for them to come over here (most of the cases we have now seem to be being caught by people travelling by plane) and they'd have to pay for the government quarantine as they obviously don't have a residence visa.

We're in the Middle East and could technically leave if we had our son's passport. We sent it for renewal in March and it's still 'processing'. The trouble is, we couldn't really see or spend time with anyone. Both sets of grandparents are high risk. We normally stay with them so can't. I don't want to spend XXXX on renting somewhere when we can't see those we love and we've got strict and expensive quarantine getting back into our host country.

With all of that in mind, I started off the school holidays in a really positive state of mind. We'd finished home schooling reasonably well, have a lovely big villa, pool and the majority of our friends are staying too. Apart from the intense, heat, I can't really complain about much. Our host country is doing a good job looking after us during this time.

But it's week 3 of the holidays and I'm feeling trapped. Friends are beginning to bicker like family. I'm beginning to suffer from anxiety again ( which I think is hormones mainly) and over thinking things terribly. I determined not to let these feeling spiral and to try and give my kids they 'best summer ever' full of memories of 'that year we stayed.'

But as I said, life is good and I'm trying my hardest to be grateful for everything we've got going for us. In fact as I lie here in bed writing this, it's put me in a better mood to start the day.

So thank you OP for starting this post.

I'm in Western Australia, and I am very glad to be here as its practically Covid free, and our lives are practically normal. I already hadn't seen my mum for three years, so not much change there, but I do worry about when I will be able to see her again. Its worse for my husband, we found out in January that his brother has a severely life limiting illness, and we were going to go back around now to see him, now we don't know if we will see him again. I'm hoping that things will be easier by this time next year, but who knows really? And to be honest, I would rather be stuck here than in Europe.

I’m stuck in Europe. Haven’t seen DH for four months or the DC for five. DH jumped on a flight home when there was an outbreak of CV at DD2’s university and she had to clear her stuff out in 48 hours. The idea was that DD came home from her uni and they all head out here. Except flights stopped and borders closed.

We are also in Australia (Sydney) and it feels like a gilded cage at the moment. Day to day life is pretty normal, and we love our life here, we’ve been here for 14 years, and have two children born here. However, as many have said, part of the ease of living here was the knowledge that you could be on a plane and back home in a day.
We were due to be there now, having not been for a year and we normally went back 1-2 times per year.
It’s making us re evaluate everything as on one hand our life here is so great and enjoyable and we’re really happy here, but if we can’t go back for visits regularly then we don’t want to be trapped here.

Another one feeling trapped here. We’re in Switzerland so not that far and we could fly back except DS was born during lockdown and we need a passport for him. Although they’re now accepting non emergency applications we have no idea how long it will take. We’ve lived abroad for 5yrs and I’ve never missed home as much as I do now.

I'm in Singapore and my worst nightmare happened as my mum got diagnosed with cancer earlier this month. I am in the process of figuring negotiating my way out and back in again, but we will certainly be moving home to the UK next year, even if there is a recession.
I don't like being an expat enough to be a prisoner in Singapore.

Nowhere near as far as you but in Guernsey and from the UK. Were going back and forth regularly but Guernsey has a two week quarantine for new arrivals, did it once with 2yo DS and can't do it again. Really miss my family and feel like we may as well be on the other side of the world.

In Switzerland too, desperate to see my mum and dad (more so because my dad has dementia and I have no idea what state he will be in next time I see him). Plus which my husband annoys me each time he opens his mouth and I want to get away from him for a bit.

But, no way am I getting on a plane and going through airports. I could drive, I suppose, but a bit itchy about quarantines and the fact that the kids have been in camps for the past few weeks.

Hi, just wondering if anyone’s bitten the bullet and decided to go home? I’m seriously thinking about booking a flight and working UAE hours from the U.K. for a couple of weeks in quarantine and then taking a week off. The only thing stopping me is the thought of borders closing again and not being able to get back here.

I wish. I can't leave.
Here is what it is like for us stuck in Australia
www.smh.com.au/world/europe/i-am-on-prison-island-australia-s-travel-ban-tearing-families-apart-20200707-p559z4.html#comments

I am flying back from JFK to Heathrow on Tuesday night. I'm going home for two weeks and five days, and will be quarantining in a family house. We are all in agreement that I will spend my time in my room, have my own bathroom, kitchenware etc If the weather is good, we will sit SD in the garden. The plan is that for the last five days of my trip, we can relax a bit and it will be like I'm back for a 'long weekend'. I will then need to self-isolate for two weeks when I get back here.

We've had many discussions over whether to go ahead with this trip but on balance, I will be going. We had a trip cancelled in December, then again in March and July. It is now a year since I have seen my family and we strongly anticipate numbers rising as we get further towards Autumn. So there is a feeling of now or not for months.

I am going on my own. My husband is encouraging me to go as he can tell my mental health will suffer if I don't get back. I am on a Green Card so can return here.

@dammitjanetsigh I feel like I might be doing the same thing in the not too distant future though don’t have the luxury of extra living quarters at my parents house, just a spare room. I really want to take the kids too but also staring at 18months of not seeing my family and think better just me now than none of until next summer...

Ha I will also be in the spare room but luckily it's at the end of the hallway so I can keep myself to myself.

It's one thing as an adult to go knowing I will be spending 14 days pretty much in a room without expecting my very energetic and sociable 11 year old to do the same. As hard as it is, we will have to wait for a family trip. But I agree with you 100%, I'd rather go now on my own than wait however long for us all to go. It's so hard to know what to do.

What an insight this thread is.
My daughter is in Melbourne, has residency and lived there for 3 years.
At the very start of lockdown & Oz borders were open I offered to fly her home to England. She said no, but on hindsight she wishes she had.
She's so homesick. Job & money wise all's ok, her job is in government services so still working.
I visited her at Xmas so we've seen each other, but she's pining for her cancelled trip in July. Her refund came through today.
She really has no idea when she'll be able to visit us.

Hi, how’s everyone getting on. With stricter rules in the U.K. now, I doubt we’ll get home for Christmas now. This is the longest I’ve gone without seeing my children or parents. There‘s just no end in sight.

I’m in Australia and feel so trapped. Husband is Aussie and I wish I’d never agreed to come here. I have just had a new baby and no idea when family at home will meet him. My 3 year old misses her Granny. Am so angry that I’m being held here against my will. Can’t just move home as have jobs here and my step daughter is here. So over it.

I am in New Zealand and also feel really trapped. It’s been so helpful to read of others’ experiences and to know that I’m not the only one. We moved here at the end of last year and I know that we are so lucky to have everything that we have here, especially our relative freedom, I cannot stop thinking about how much I just want to pack up and go home to Scotland!
I could leave with my son to travel home but we would have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival both there and here. Flights are a lot more expensive.
The problem is that my Dad is dying so we need to go back within the next six months... I am seriously regretting our decision to move here to be completely honest.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

Am I the only one who's glad to be in a safer country with my children? I feel uneasy about my parents but as if I'm in a safe haven. My children were born outside the UK and are teenagers now so I feel as if the UK is my heritage rather than my home. I vaguely miss some things and will be pleased to be able to travel again, but unless either of my parents have an unforeseen medical emergency I can wait - I feel lucky to be better off where we are.

Snowoctopus sorry to read about your dad a seriously/ terminally ill parent is obviously the situation everyone dreads when living in different countries, and more so under travel restrictions.

Thanks so much.

I'm in NYC, parents are in the UK. I haven't been back in almost 2 years and my parents haven't been here since DS was born 15 months ago.

We were supposed to go over for Easter, then when that was cancelled, re-booked for Christmas, but we just canceled those flights too and got a refund. I don't want to risk the borders closing, and self isolating with a toddler for 2 weeks either side would be hell. To add to that, my Mother is very vulnerable, and I think it would be too high risk to go and stay with them.

I'm so sad though - I really want to take DS to the UK, and none of my friends have met him

We’ve just had our 3rd exit exemption request turned down :( we’re dual citizens (AU/UK) and trying to leave Australia for France (permanent move) but we can’t get permission to leave.

If we can’t get to France before Dec 31st our future plans will be ruined.

@MaitlandGirl, that's so ridiculous, you must be so frustrated. If you are migrating permanently, I don't understand why won't they approve your exit exemption - I thought the primary purpose of the travel ban was to minimise the risks of returning holiday-makers bringing Covid back into Australia.

France. We missed a 3 week trip to the UK in July, and my parents have planned / cancelled 3 separate trips to France (they have a holiday home here and we visit) since this all started. So we haven't seen them since February, despite being only a couple of hours away. DHs parents have really been through the mill: his elderly mum was quite ill during summer (non-Covid) and has gone straight to a nursing home, and he hasn't been able to be with them at all.

We have tickets to go at Christmas but we won't know until the last minute if we can actually go. And we can't risk getting stuck either in quarantine or stuck in the UK due to a lockdown travel ban - DH is a teacher, he needs to be back in France for the term starting.

It's just crap all round.