Exchange now at her bank here, however much she will need while in her home country. Then, when she gets to Australia, she can do a transfer to the bank there. She needs to find out what she will need to do in order to close her us account while overseas.

Where is her money parked now? Is it at a US bank like BOA? If so, can’t she just keep it in the bank and only withdraw what she needs while in her home country, and then when she gets to Australia she can transfer all assets directly from her US bank account to an Australian bank account?

Our au pair is from a country that lies about the exchange rate and will take a lot of the value of the money she has saved when she returns. Additionally she plans to leave her country to study/work in Australia for a few years. It seems a shame for her to have to deal with exchange rate fees multiple times in the next year. Does she have any options other than transferring her money back to her home country? Any advice?