Planning a Family Summer Vacation After Divorce

 Posted on July 02, 2018 in Child Custody

After the stress of completing your divorce, you deserve a summer vacation to help yourself relax and find some enjoyment. Just as importantly, your children need the positive experience of a summer trip as a consolation for the turmoil in their personal lives. However, it is different to plan a family vacation as a single parent after divorce. You must consider the rights of your co-parent and your own financial limitations when deciding on a trip.

Parenting Schedule

Before you plan a long vacation with your children, you should remember that the parenting schedule from your divorce dictates when your children must be with their other parent. The schedule may conflict with vacation plans because:

• It is uncommon for parents to have a block of uninterrupted parenting time that lasts more than four or five days; and
• Child exchanges often happen during weekends, which is an optimal time for vacations.

Rather than trying to fit their vacations within the limits of their normal parenting schedule, many divorced parents agree to alter their normal schedules during the summer to allow for vacations. You can include your alternative summer schedule as part of your parenting agreement, either during your divorce or as a modification later.

Trip Costs

You may have a lower budget for this vacation if you have limited disposable income after your divorce. You can search for discounts on travel and hotels or invite friends and family to come with you and share the expenses. However, you may still be unable to afford the same trips you took while married. You will need to be more creative in your planning to come up with vacation ideas that are fun and affordable. Remember that creating happy memories with your children is the most important part of your vacation.

Communication

Though you will be responsible for your children during your vacation, your co-parent has a right to know about the details of your trip. Your parenting agreement may require you to inform your co-parent if you are planning to take your children out of the state and most likely requires you to receive permission to take them out of the country. These requirements exist because:

• Traveling with children without receiving the other parent’s permission may be child abduction; and
• The other parent may object to you taking your children to a place that he or she believes is not safe for them.

As a show of good faith, you can give your co-parent an itinerary of your trip, contact information for where you are staying and a scheduled time that he or she may talk to the children.

Advanced Planning

You must give your co-parent ample prior notice when you decide to take your children on a vacation. A Kane County family law attorney at Goostree Law Group can advise you of how to schedule a vacation while also following your parenting agreement. To schedule a free consultation, call 630-584-4800.

Source:

https://www.divorcemag.com/blog/post-divorce-summer-vacation/