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We adopted both of our boys from S. Korea where having an escort is fairly common, and both of our children were escorted home. We chose not to travel for many reasons, and for us I know it was the right decision. It was nice to be able to go to he airport, bring home our children, and start the bonding process in the calm of our home, without the jetlack and stress of trying to get home, and a very long trip.
It ended up costing us less then traveling as we only payed for the escorts ticket and a small travel fee, rather then 2 adult tickets and a weeks worth of hotel costs, food, etc.
The escorts usually bring the children to the "nearest point of entry" which for us was L.A. Then we could either fly or drive there or have a social worker from our agency fly there and bring him to our local airport. It will really depend on your agency if they provide the second option.
I know in Korean adoptions, if you travel you only get to meet your child once briefly during the trip, and then they hand you the baby once you get in the van to head for the airport- so all of those first moments with your child are in a crowded airport and on a 16 hour flight trying desperately to keep your beautiful new child from screaming for most of the flight. I know several families who traveled and are glad they did, and others who's children were escorted and they're glad they did that as well. We do want to visit our children's birth countries one day, but we decided to save the extra money and take a trip to Korea as a family once our children are old enough to remember it.
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