Taking a short or extended vacation is a great way to enjoy time with your children, especially after you have just gone through a stressful divorce and can use the break. Your children are excited to leave and you have everything planned out – but will it go exactly as you’ve wished? With an order now standing in your way of many things, will you be able to move forward and take your children for a fun time that you all deserve, or will the details regarding your vacation be too much after your parenting plan has been decided? As you can see, traveling with children is not always easy after divorce, and you want to be prepared.
What Stands in the Way of Family Vacation?
Controlling Document: When you and your spouse have gone to court over custody matters, you probably have some type of order or parenting plan in place that states who has what time with the children, and what you are permitted to do. You should have every aspect of your arrangements in writing, down to vacation time, because it is obvious that either parent will want to sometimes go on vacation with their children.
There are sometimes travel provisions inside an order that state certain things, such as notifying a parent when you would like to take the child out of the state. There may be other things standing in the way, such as trying to take the child on vacation over holiday time but not being able to because this coincides with plans by the other parent.
Not Planning Enough: Sometimes parents will go ahead and plan a vacation without consulting with the other parent, who may have already scheduled plans of their own. One of the biggest issues is a parent who schedules many of their important trips over the other parent’s time. You want to attempt to schedule vacation over your specific time so that it doesn’t interrupt the time of the other parent. If it is absolutely vital, there is room to talk to your ex-spouse.
Thinking About Security: Maybe you have concerns because the other parent in your parenting relationship has been known to cut corners or break the order. In this case, you may be scared that your ex will leave with your child and won’t return, or break other rules, such as subjecting them to people you don’t want them to. This is something you want to talk about with your attorney.
Planning trips with your children is always fun, because you will get to enjoy time with them away from home. But it is not always as easy as it seems after divorce. Call us today for more information on how we can help if you have gone through divorce and want to travel, or want to know your options.