What To Do When A Loved One Dies Away From Home

The passing of a loved one can be traumatic, but added stress is placed on surviving family members when a loved dies away from home. If you have received news that a friend or family member has died while traveling, you will need to arrange for transport of the body back home before you can make funeral arrangements.

Here are some tips to help you get started with the transportation process.

When A Loved One Dies In A Different City

If your loved passed away while traveling to a different city, it's relatively easy to arrange for transport of their body back to your town. Contacting a funeral home in either your town, or the town where your loved one passed away is a good place to start.

Funeral homes will often transport bodies via hearse from one city to another. Calling a few different funeral homes will help you find the funeral home willing to transport your loved one for the lowest rate.

When A Loved One Dies In A Different State

While cremation provides the easiest way to transport a deceased loved one from one state to another, you can choose to have an airline transport your loved one's body from out-of-state if you want a traditional burial. It's important to know that the body must either be embalmed or sealed in an air-tight casket prior to boarding an airplane.

If you choose to have your loved one's body flown back to your hometown, you can expect to pay anywhere from $275 to $1,500 (plus any taxes that may apply). A funeral home in the city where your loved one passed away should be able to help you make the necessary arrangements.

When A Loved One Dies In A Different Country

It's reported that an estimated 6,000 Americans die in foreign countries each year. If your loved one's death occurs while he or she is traveling abroad, you may feel overwhelmed when confronted with the process of bringing his or her body home. Fortunately, you can rely on the help of representatives from the U.S. Consulate Office in the country where your loved one passed.

The representative will assist you with identifying the body, making the necessary arrangements so that the body meets U.S. regulations for importation, and obtaining a copy of the Death Certificate and any police reports in English.

Dealing with the death of a loved one is difficult enough without adding the additional worry of transporting the body back home. Contact a local funeral home, like Sosebee Funeral Home, for further help.