JRB

Hi there
We are a family of 4 - dual British and Australian citizens. We lived in Perth for 5 years and then came back to UK 14 years ago. Overall have been happy back here and my kids have done school here and are now in their final years. However Covid, Brexit and Boris Johnson have come along and we now just can't stand it here and it feels like every day is getting worse here, and things changing for the worse. It's almost becoming unbearable and I just cannot stand the direction this country is going. We would ultimately like to move to NZ and for my kids to do uni there - starting in Feb 2023. However we are thinking firstly to move back to Australia and live there for a while until the Aus/ NZ border opens again. Looking to move mid to late 2022, with the hope the world is in a better place with covid. Obv it would be great to fo straight to NZ first but not sure if that will be possible then.
However I am a it confused on how to get back! I had a quick look at flights and they seem to be costing about £6k per person at the moment. Also how do you book quarantine? Does it have to be booked in advance or does the airline do it and does the cost of the flight include quarantine? Is the Government doing cheaper flights for returning citizens? Or is this the current going rate? We are a family of four so not really wanting to pay £35k for flights, quarantine and dog to get over there! Luckily we aren't in any immediate rush and it's a plan for 1.5 - 2 years time. Thanks in advance for any advice or any infor from returning ctizens.

Beoz

First and foremost, the UK has had a rough trot the past year, but its not the first time in history the UK has had a rough trot and it won't be the last. The British people are a resilient bunch and will come out of it stronger than ever. Look at some of the positives. Brexit has meant you have not had to put up with the EU nonsense of vaccine roll outs and the UK is one of the leading countries in the world on the roll out. Hang in the 6 months. You might see a vastly different UK emerging.

Secondly you talk mid to late 2022. That is a year and a half a way. Why are you even considering quarantine, £6k flights (not sure how 4 x £6k = £35k - it = £24k) when so much can change in the next year and a half. The Spanish flu lasted 33 months. Should the Chinese Flu take the same course you should be good to go without any of your fears by the time frame you have set.

I think you need to look through the information you provided and line it up with some solid fact.

dfjordan

Flights to Aus have never cost £6000. Also you cant book more than 11 months ahead, and why would you want to ?

spouse of scouse

You're in a great position, you have Australian citizenship so you can take your time with your plans to return. As mentioned, things can and undoubtedly will change in the next 1.5 - 2 years. My advice is to make the most of where you're living now, remember better times are ahead.

I very much doubt that you'll be required to quarantine by the time you're ready to travel. The Australian government did fund several repatriation flights early in the pandemic but it doesn't subsidise commercial airline fares. Although no one knows what 'normal' airfares will look like in two years, it's pretty much a given that economy class will still be there and you won't be paying 6,000 per person for that.

Flights absolutely have and do cost 6,000 pounds. That's been about the going rate for business class flights for several years now, and from all reports it's those with business class tickets who have the best chance of not being bumped off a flight currently.

JRB

Thanks for the replies guys! Maths has never been a strong point! I think it's because we want to bring our dog and I thought that might be £10k (he's a shih tzu (snub nosed breed) and only 2 airlines will take him and he may have to go a special route) When I looked this week just to see how much flights are and it does seem to be between £3-£6k so I was looking at worst case scenario, and heard so many seats are cancelled that you're better off booking business class. Anyway - there's some great advice here - that basically see what the world is like in late 2022 and worry about it then! I think I had a desperate want to escape this week (some days are very hard here) but got to try and stay optimistic that with the vaccine things will get better. Up until the last year I hadn't really thought about returning but I have two kids finishing up school and worrying about their quality of life- futures -and wondering if it might be better for them in Aus/ NZ. Last academic year the uni fresher kids here were locked in their rooms - in a new city, not knowing anyone, some with secutiry guards not letting them out, covid running riot, doing online learning - all at a cost of about £18k a year debt to them (tuition and manintenance loan) and thought they at least can have a normal -ish life in Aus or NZ as I want them to enjoy their young days - not just be isolated in a room! Just got to be patient and see how the world is then, and hope we all stay safe and well, and life improves -in all countires . Thanks

JRB

Thanks! Hope so - 2022/23 is the plan! I joined a FB forum for Aussies who want to return home and realized there's thousands who want to come home and are stuck, some are in some really dire situations - stranded all over the world or family seperated or may lose their jobs and homes. The flights back to Aus are very limited as each flght only has 30 or so people due to the lack of quarantine places. The airlines are charging a fortune as the flights are so empty so need to make their money. The Aussie government occasssionally puts on flights which go to high priority people and sell out within minutes! So realizing our situation isn't urgent by any means and just going to re look at everything again in 2022. In the meantime let's hope many Aussies/ residents in urgent situations can manage to get home and that the world will be in a better place soon.

Beoz

Sadly the Australian government have to pander to the state leaders with their caps. We could be doing a lot more to bring people in with the degree of safety which has been working pretty well in place for a year from a health point of view. The odd escapee here and there, and a Melbourne fiasco - lots of lessons learned there. From an everything else point of view the caps are a farce and the Oz government will be having many eyes on fixing that. Give it 6-12 months with vax happening in both countries. The UK - Oz airbridge should be open. It's an evolving and changing situation. The Australian constitution needs some serious re-work.