When two parents live near each other, custody schedules are often very simple. Each parent may have the children for a week, and they just exchange the kids at the beginning or end of the school week.
But things can get more complicated when one parent travels frequently. For instance, perhaps they are a professional athlete, so they spend the season traveling around the United States to compete. Or perhaps they’re an international business owner, so they often take long trips to Europe or other parts of the world, where they are thousands of miles away from home. In these cases, custom custody schedules may be necessary.
2 things to consider
The first thing to consider is simply the use of visitation rights. Rather than having joint custody for the majority of the year, one parent typically has the children all of the time. But when the parent who travels often is home, they have visitation rights so that they can come and see the child, spending time together and building their relationship.
The next thing to consider is if there are any breaks in this travel schedule. With the example of a professional athlete, for instance, they may have a few months off during the off-season when they could spend far more time with the child. That parent may want to have custody at these times, rather than merely visiting.
A situation like this can be very complex, but planning in advance can help things go smoothly. Co-parents need to know what legal options they have when creating a parenting plan that works for their family.