The last phone call that you ever want to receive when a loved one is away from home on a trip is that he or she has passed away. Whether the person was in an accident or died of natural causes in a hotel room, you'll be in for a severe shock when you're notified by the authorities. Decision making in a period of stress is a challenging enough, but when you're also deeply surprised by this news, you may feel frozen as to how to proceed. While you'll hopefully never have to go through such an experience, it's useful to have an idea about how to manage it. Here are some steps to pursue:

Call A Local Funeral Home

You don't have to get worried about finding a funeral home in the city/state in which your loved one has passed away. Get as much information from whoever calls you to notify you of the death, and then call a local funeral home that you'll arrange the funeral through. One of the supremely helpful services that funeral homes provide is liaising with funeral homes in different cities to help people in your situation. Your local funeral home will talk to someone at a funeral home near where your family's body is located, and make arrangement to pick it up and transport it home.

Consider Traveling

Some people, upon learning that a loved one has passed away while on a trip, wish to travel to that area as quickly as possible. This may occasionally be necessary if the authorities need a family member to identify the body, but there are other cases in which family members want to be close to the body, including on its trip home. Figure out your plans and share them with your local funeral home. For example, you might wish to fly to the city, meet the funeral home employee when he or she arrives, and ride home in the hearse with the body of your loved one.

Begin Working On Funeral Plans

It's never too early to start thinking about funeral arrangements. This is especially true if it might be a day or two before your loved one's body returns home, as you'll likely need to have the funeral soon after that. Talk with a funeral home director about how you envision the service taking place, and discuss the core topics such as burial versus cremation with your immediate family members.

Contact a company like Thomas Funeral Chapels Inc for more information and assistance.