It’s Summertime. What About Traveling with the Kids Post-Divorce?
Taking family trips should always be fun and memorable, but what happens after your divorce takes place? These trips should still be enjoyable. Families benefit when the parents work out and stick to a solid plan for how vacation time will be spent with the kids. Parenting time during holidays and summer vacations are usually addressed as part of a parenting plan in order to create a stable co-parenting relationship that works. It should address decision-making and logistics on behalf of the children. It can also address any restriction on travel depending on each parent’s concerns. Some questions that may come up are who is allowed to travel with the child? How will communication with the parent that is not traveling take place? Should a parent’s significant other be included?
Developing a travel plan gives each parent an opportunity to communicate any ideas, thoughts, and concerns. The amount of detail can vary between agreements. Once a parent’s vacation is set with the children, a basic itinerary is exchanged and should include departure dates, methods of transportation, hotels, and contact information. Parents find it helpful to discuss how and when communication between the children and non-traveling parent will take place. This discussion can provide the opportunity of discussing any safety concerns.
International travel may be more complex than domestic travel to plan out due to internet availability or international calling plans. Many agreements state which parent will be responsible with holding the children’s passports, or ensuring they obtain one in the first place. Parents may also want to weigh in on any possible destinations for their kids and consider things such as the current political climate and the State Department’s alerts and warnings to determine whether a specific country would be safer than another. Or if the traveling parent may wish for the kids to meet him or her at the destination, the non-traveling parent may want to discuss this type of arrangement or place limitations on the issues involving children traveling alone.
Another important discussion regarding travel involves any expenses relating to the trip with the children or what excursions or activities are to take place at the vacation destination. These can be addressed easily within an agreement and can lessen the burden and stress on each parent. Even though a parenting agreement may not be able to include every single travel detail, there are many things that can be included prior to vacation time. Life after divorces truly exists and that includes traveling with the kids.
If you would like to address any post-divorce issues, or parenting agreements, contact The Kendrick Law Group at 407-641-5847 in order to have a consultation with our family attorney.
