Planning your vacation after a divorce is harder than a vacation with your whole family. You don’t just need to arrange for time off of work and to ensure your destination is somewhere the children will have fun.
You also have to make sure that you work that planned trip around your parenting plan schedule. In some cases, you may even need to confer with your ex before committing to major travel plans. Will you be able to take your kids on an international trip to bond with them and make the most of your vacation together now that you share custody with your ex?
Your parenting plan should discuss travel
The standard parenting plan document used in the typical Colorado divorces includes a section for travel. Some parents will prearrange with their ex to allow certain kinds of travel. Others will handle it on a case-by-case basis and require approval before any travel out of the state or out of the country.
If you already negotiated certain travel rules with your ex, then you simply need to defer to those rules when you plan your vacation. If you do not have rules already in place, then you may need to talk with them about your plans to get their permission. If they do not agree with your travel plans, then you might need to go to court. A judge may agree with your request to take the kids abroad and may approve a modification that permits you to travel out of the country this specific time.
Cooperating is often the better solution
Rather than assuming your ex will disagree with you and preparing for court, you may want to try to discuss the plans with them ahead of time. They might agree to cooperate now in exchange for a concession in another area, such as you allowing them to take the children on a trip next summer. If you do have to go to court, demonstrating why the travel would benefit your children can help you convince a judge that allowing the trip would be good for the whole family.
Understanding the rules that govern shared custody arrangements in Colorado can help you make the most of your parenting time after a divorce.