Even though the summer seems far away, it is a good time to start thinking about what you will do for your first vacation of the new decade. It is understandable that you want to make memories with your children, but if you have a child custody order governing what you can do, you will have to plan carefully before you go anywhere on vacation with them.
The first thing that you have to do is to review the child custody order to determine where you can go with them and what stipulations there are for this case. This might include limits on when you can travel and what types of notifications you have to make to your ex.
Once you know when and where you can travel, you can start to make the plans. As you think about the itinerary, remember that you need to leave time to make it to the airport if you’re flying. Having a schedule that’s too tight can lead to considerable stress. Your goal of the trip is probably to minimize the amount of stress you have to deal with.
Make sure that you work with your ex if the trip is going to impact their parenting time. While many custody arrangements allow this to happen, it sets a good precedent if you are respectful about what’s going on. This also gives you a chance to get any documentation you need for the trip. This is especially important if you are traveling internationally because you’ll likely need your ex’s permission to get the passport.
Your vacation should be filled with fun memories for the children. Having everything in order ahead of time is greatly beneficial and can help you meet that goal.