Holiday Travel & Time-Sharing in West Palm Beach: A Practical Guide for Parents in 2025

When time-sharing is clear, children feel secure and supported. The holidays can still be tricky. Travel, school breaks, and family visits often stack up at the same time. A simple, written holiday plan inside your Parenting Plan lowers stress and protects your child’s routine.

Our shared goal is the same as yours: helping you protect what matters most.

What Florida law expects in your plan

Florida requires a Parenting Plan in every case with minor children, and it must include a time-sharing schedule. Florida Statute 61.13 lists what needs to be in the plan. Since 2023, Florida starts with a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing is usually best for kids. A rebuttable presumption means the judge treats equal time as the default. However, with specific facts, a parent can ask the court for a different plan, as long as they can prove that equal time would be unsafe, impractical, or not in the child’s best interests. Common examples would include safety issues, school stability, long distance between homes, or a parent’s work schedule.

Holiday travel is not the same as relocation

In Florida, relocation means moving 50 miles or more for at least 60 consecutive days. Short trips for vacation, school, or medical care do not count as relocation. Most holiday travel is temporary, so it is not relocation. Still, your Parenting Plan should explain how travel will be handled, including notice, sharing plans, and cooperation between parents.

Two issues that cause avoidable conflict

“Verbal-only agreements that later “never happened.”
I have seen parents agree on travel by phone or in person, only to have the other parent deny the conversation later. Keep travel communications in writing. Use a co-parenting app that timestamps and stores messages. OurFamilyWizard and Talking Parents create searchable, downloadable threads that can help if you ever need to show the communication history in court.
Flights booked, but details came late or not at all.
In another case, a parent purchased tickets but didn’t share the itinerary until the last minute. The other parent had no flight number, no pickup plan, and no way to arrange transportation. That uncertainty created panic and almost triggered emergency filings.
Require each parent to share airline, flight number, departure and arrival times, layovers, confirmation numbers, where the child will stay, and an emergency contact, promptly at booking, and to update right away if anything changes. Your Parenting Plan should make these timelines and updates mandatory.

What to put in your Parenting Plan for holidays and travel

Keep it simple. Keep it in writing.

Written notice window. Set a firm deadline to share holiday travel plans and a second deadline for any changes.
Required travel details. Include airline, flight number, departure and arrival times, confirmation number, where the child will stay, and emergency contacts.
Communication method. Choose a co-parenting app, such as Our Family Wizard or Talking Parents, so all travel messages live in one place.
Exchange plans. List pickup and drop-off locations, who handles transportation, and what happens if a flight is delayed or canceled.
Make-up time. Add a clear rule for restoring lost time if a trip overlaps the other parent’s schedule.
Costs. Explain who pays for flights, baggage fees, and similar costs, and how reimbursements work.
International travel. Address passports, consent letters, and when paperwork must be shared. Talk with a lawyer about your specific situation.
Adding these details now helps you avoid problems later.

Palm Beach County practical note

Follow any case management orders or local rules from the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. If your judge requires a parenting app or sets rules for exchanges, include those rules in your plan so it matches local practice.

Simple example clauses to discuss with your lawyer

“Holiday travel plans must be shared in writing through the agreed app no later than 30 days before departure. Parties must promptly upload any changed itinerary.”
“For any air travel with the child, the traveling parent must provide airline, flight number, times, layovers, confirmation, and destination contact within 24 hours of booking.”
These are starting points. Your lawyer can tailor them to your family.

FAQs

Is holiday travel the same as relocation in Florida?
No. Relocation means moving 50 miles or more for at least 60 consecutive days. Most holiday trips are temporary and do not count as relocation.

Does Florida require a Parenting Plan with a holiday schedule?
Yes. A Parenting Plan with a time-sharing schedule is required in every case with minor children, even if both parents agree.

Does Florida favor equal time-sharing now?
Yes. Florida law creates a rebuttable presumption for equal time-sharing. A judge may order a different schedule if the facts show equal time is not in the child’s best interests.

What is the best way to confirm travel plans?
Keep everything in writing. Use a co-parenting app like Our Family Wizard or Talking Parents. The timestamped record protects both parents and creates a clear communication history if needed.

What flight info should I share?
Provide the airline, flight number, departure and arrival times, layovers, confirmation number, who is picking up or traveling with the child, and a backup contact. Update the information promptly if anything changes.

Bottom line

A clear, written holiday plan reduces conflict and cost. Put travel details in writing, share full itineraries, and update plans quickly when they change. This protects your child and keeps both parents accountable.

If you want help reviewing or updating your Parenting Plan for holiday travel, our West Palm Beach team at The Law Office of Eric C. Cheshire, P.A. can help you create clear, court-ready language that fits your family.

Helping you protect what matters most.