How often does beneficiary return to hometown?

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I can't imagine only seeing my family once a year, that would be very hard and sad for me.

Me too! As it is I don't see them enough. Maybe four times a year, except for the year I lived in Minneapolis. I could probably never live overseas for more than 2 or 3 years at a time unless I could spend at least three weeks a year with my family. I don't know how people are able to do live far from family; I couldn't find the strength without getting depressed.

We just visited Rey's brother in Spain last week, and his other brother spent Christmas with my family in Minnesota, but he hasn't seen his mom or sister in 14 months!

Ironically I saw more of my family (who live far away in MI and SC) when I lived abroad than I do here. That's the luxury of 5-6 weeks vacation.

He has gone back once a year so far - we need to get back more, but work doesn't always allow it.

[Alex+R 0]

I guess that's the appeal of moving to the UK for me...

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

We would probably shoot for every other year. Vacations are limited (America really sucks with off time) and expensive and I don't want to have to go to the same destination every single year. There is so much here that I would want to show my new family. The first place Alla wants to go is Florida (the real Florida, i.e. the beaches, keys, not the Orlando money trap!)

[maya62 7]

My husband and son have been here for nearly 2.5 years and we've been back once, last summer during school vacation, and we plan to go back this year during his winter school break in December, if we can swing it.

Like Pattu Rani said, it's EXPENSIVE, and there are 3 of us! My husband is not crazy about spending all that money, but I am determined that our son see his birth mother, grandparents and relatives as often as possible while he's growing up, and I really want him to keep "checking in" with his culture/heritage/homeland/language, too. And I really need my Nepal fix! We plan to retire there (only about 13 more years to go!).

[tom&tata 2]

We are going back to Indonesia this year together - for 2 weeks this year. It would be 2 years for me when we go back in July. It cost around $1,500-$1,800 per person for tickets alone on high season. And we both only got 3 weeks vacation time.

We are planning to go back together every 2 years. In between years, either I go alone or we travel in us/other places or my family will visit. My sister already booked us for summer 2009 as she will try to come with her husband & 2 kids.

[chri'stina 190]

Sujeet is lucky that he gets 20 days PTO a year at his job here, but still the cost of going to India is a lot. If we want to go other places, I still don't want it to interfere with him being able to see family. So if I have to sacrifice going to a bunch of different places so he can see his family, that is ok. We have lots of time left in our lives to travel to other places, for now India is top priority so trip money saved goes mostly towards those trips. We can't afford to go to Europe or go out to places in the US that are far from here right now b/c of India trips. We do less expensive, shorter, drivable trips together here though. But we are both frugal so it's trips that cost us as little as possible. Like I said, we still have the future for better trips.

Edited March 26, 2008 by stina&suj

[Saddle Bronc 124]

We wanted to go this year from 4/10-5/17, but due to new job (started 2008/03/10) can't.

We're praying right now that my MIL will get an appointment, and that we'll know about it in time (she had one that failed, due to us getting notice only 2 days before the appointment--hardly enough time to get documents over--in 2006).

[Imua 0]

The big reason I have stayed in my dead-end, low-paying(for NYC) job for 8 years is I now get 4 weeks vacation plus the week off between Xmas and NY's, all paid. Plus I have a cool boss who has let me do comp time so I can go to Nepal for a longer period of time. Last year I was away for 7 weeks, this year it will be 6.

:dance:

[Kamaboko 0]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for participating here! Glad to tell u guys that my fiance and I had an agreement already, that we will go every other year together , and I will go by myself in year between. How's that sound??

YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! Now I feel better than before

[Kang Lang 7]

we are planning every other year as my husband has not traveled outside of thailand much and much of my family is still in hong kong. but mostly so we can see more of the world.