How do “Astronaut Families” balance career and family across borders?

January 2026

6 mins

In recent years, some families have chosen to live across borders, with one parent working in Hong Kong while the rest of the family lives overseas. In this episode, we speak with Isaac, an astronaut parent, about the realities of living apart, how to maintain family relationships, and the psychological and financial preparation required.

Key insights:

Isaac has been part of an “Astronaut Family” for six years, working in Hong Kong while his wife and three children live in Australia.
One of the biggest challenges for astronaut families is long-term separation, including limited daily interaction and increased emotional pressure. Isaac initially planned to move to Australia with his family, but after considering differences in income levels and career opportunities, he chose to stay in Hong Kong to work. Isaac also shares that the hardest part of being apart is missing key moments in his children’s growth. To stay connected, he makes regular visits and maintains daily communication with his wife and children across time zones.
He emphasises the importance of preparation before relocation. Families should consider whether the new environment is suitable, plan for at least a year of financial buffer without income, and be ready for differences in exchange rates, cash flow, and living costs.
Isaac agrees that without proper financial planning, living apart can create additional pressure and affect how well families adapt after relocation.
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+ The Flexible Withdrawal Option contains the market-leading features, which allow Policyholder to partially surrender the policy in the form of regular withdrawals, and transfer to one designated payee to receive such partial withdrawal payment. Additionally, transfer made to overseas bank accounts will be executed without incurring any administrative charges. The “market-leading” statement is based on our interpretation of currently available market information, by comparing our Plan with other similar publicly available long-term participating insurance plans issued by other Hong Kong SAR market players as of October 2025.

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