How to Handle Home Emergencies While Traveling

Life doesn’t care if you’re thousands of miles away, living out an Eat, Love, Pray fantasy — it’ll happen anyway. Because life wouldn’t be nearly as fulfilling without indulging in our hobbies, frequent travelers and expats need to develop a plan for dealing with home emergencies while away. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Define Emergency Before Leaving Home

Tell family and friends, what kind of situations you’d want to know about right away. For example, you probably won’t be devastated if news of a broken car doesn’t reach you right away but you would be if a loved one was hospitalized and no one told you.

Have a Solid Line of Communication

Use Skype, email or a free phone app to make sure people at home can reach you in any time zone.

Keep an Emergency Stash

Keep about $1,000 in reserve. If the worst-case scenario happens and you need to get home right away, you won’t have to scramble to fund a last-minute flight.

Inform Local Acquaintances Before Leaving

If you are an expat, take a second to tell friends, neighbors and employers what’s happening and when or if you’ll return. Employers and landlords are less likely to give grief over absences and late payments if there’s trouble back home. They might be able to hold your position or watch your home while you’re gone.

If you are backpacking, or don’t have enough time to pack everything, trustworthy friends or neighbors can store belongings or forward them along.