I believe bitcoin is better that Western Union in transferring small amounts abroad and with very low fees. But with big amounts, one should choose a time that has stable prices because if the btc value declined rapidly and suddenly during the transaction and exchanging it , it will be a significant loss!!
In where I live, an exchange site, lets you convert your bitcoin into money first before sending it to your recipient.. that way, the amount is not affected anymore when processing takes place in sending it..
