Whether they’re missing one day before a four-day weekend or two full weeks of school for an extended trip, I have never thought twice about taking my children out of school to travel. Here are five tips that have helped me do this over the years without making enemies in the front office or classroom.

When my children were young, it was easy to take my children out of school to travel. Missing a day of preschool to visit the zoo or missing a week of kindergarten to visit family in New Mexico wasn’t a big deal. Missing two weeks of middle school, even if it’s to travel to Europe, is much more significant.  

But even as they’ve aged, I’ve never felt guilty about taking my kids out of school to travel. Whether it’s adding an extra day of padding to a school break or taking a full week off when school is in session, I’ve found that supplementing classroom learning with real-life field trips keeps my kids curious about the world and interested in the subjects that they otherwise would experience only from textbooks, the Internet, and movies.

That said, I believe it’s important that my children are doing their part to earn these enriching travel experiences and that our family’s travel plans don’t cause additional work for their teachers.

Here are five tips that have helped me take my children out of school to travel without making enemies in the front office or classroom.

1. Ensure They are Succeeding in School Before Taking Your Child Out of School to Travel

There’s a reason this is number one on the list. If your child is struggling at school — not turning in his homework, not performing well on tests, not meeting your grade expectations — it’s important to address these issues first.

Because it can be tied to the school’s budget, ability to recruit talented teachers, and standing in the community, educators monitor key metrics like standardized test scores, grade point average, and class ranking. If your child isn’t at least above average in all of these, any frequent or extended absences are likely to be flagged. In some cases, the school may even have an obligation to report them to your state’s board of education.

If you plan to travel with your kids by car, put packing on auto-pilot by subscribing to Everyday Wanderer. You’ll get a free downloadable packing list that will ensure you have all of the essentials and more.   

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2. Plan Around Existing Breaks to Minimize Disruptions When You Take Your Child Out of School to Travel

Our public school calendar has several three and four day weekends throughout the school year, roughly one per month. So we begin our annual family travel calendar by first leveraging these opportunities.  But since it’s nearly always cheaper to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday, I often let the kids miss an extra day or two, as needed, around these planned school breaks.

3. Before Taking Your Child Out of School to Travel, Give Their Teachers Plenty of Advanced Notice

Since I keep a rolling six to 12-month travel calendar, there is plenty of time for me to notify my children’s principal and teachers of our upcoming travel plans.  The first week of school, I already notified Louise’s middle school teachers of our travel plans during the fall semester and reinforced the next point below.

Related Article:  Planning Family Travel with a Full-Time Job and School-Aged Children

4. Describe the Educational Experiences Your Child Will Have When He or She Misses School to Travel

Teachers understand the benefits of travel and the importance of supplementing classroom learning with other experiences. That’s why they organize field trips!

Even so, I’ve found that detailing the ways my child will benefit from travel — just like teachers are often expected to do when proposing a field trip to administrators — goes a long way in gaining their support.

Louise missed a few days of school to visit Atlanta shortly after her 5th grade class studied the southeast region of the United States. When communicating with her teacher, I outlined the ways I’d be reinforcing and building upon her recent classroom studies.

• Math – Plan our sightseeing experiences within an established budget
• Technology – Keep and record receipts in Excel; take photos of her travels
• Social Studies – Tour the Atlanta History Center; taste grits, black-eyed peas, and okra
• English – Create and present a PowerPoint to share her experiences

5. Have Your Student Turn in Assignments and Take Tests in Advance Before You Take Your Child Out of School to Travel

Teachers have their hands full. I know I couldn’t do what they do every day! That’s why I insist that my children turn in any assignments, papers, or special projects before traveling. Because big tests often fall just before school breaks, the kids are also expected to take those in advance. My kids should not be granted additional time to do the work compared to their classmates, and they are expected to be organized and proactive to earn the opportunity to travel.

6. Don’t Make Extra Work for the Teachers When You Take Your Child Out of School for Travel

Our family’s decision to travel should not cause additional work for my children’s teachers. If they are going to miss a class lecture on cell reproduction or a lesson on multiplying fractions, they need to be prepared to teach themselves the material and it’s my responsibility to help, as needed.

Proof That Taking Your Child Out of School to Travel Enriches Their Classroom Experiences

When my son, Bo, was in 8th grade, an incredible opportunity presented itself — two weeks in Europe visiting Amsterdam, Paris, Normandy, and London.

The catch?

The trip was during the school year and he would miss ten days of class. Fortunately, when I presented the travel itinerary to Bo’s principal and teachers, they went above and beyond in support of this incredible educational opportunity.

Related Article:  What Every American Should Know Before Visiting Europe for the First Time

Understandably, his math teacher required Bo to teach himself the lessons he would miss at school. After all, you can’t really miss two weeks of math nor supplement those lessons with an alternative lesson plan. Fortunately, math is one of Bo’s natural talents and this was a piece of cake for him. But every other instructor came up with a special lesson plan that allowed him to fully embrace this educational opportunity.

For example, his English, social studies, and introduction to architecture teachers allowed him to write about his experiences in lieu of the planned lessons. For his English class, Bo wrote about the different foods he tried in the Netherlands, France, and England. After touring several historic sites in Normandy, France, and the Churchill War Rooms in London, England, he wrote a paper for his social studies teacher from the perspective of an eighth grade boy living in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. And for his introduction to architecture class, he documented three different types of architecture he saw during our travels with photographs and descriptions.

Bo’s French teacher was most excited about his opportunity to travel to France, and I insisted that he order every meal in France in the local language. I warmed up each waiter in French explaining, “My son is 14 and just learning, but I’d like him to order his meal in French. Thank you for your patience!” Most responded with an expression that was just short of a teenage girl quality eye roll, but clearly signaled a very limited patience for his budding French skills.

As Bo started to place his order with a tentative, “Je voudrais…” even the most standoffish Parisian waiter softened and was more than accommodating. At one sidewalk cafe, a waiter with a son the same age as Bo thoughtfully added plenty of conversational opportunities during our refreshment break like:

Comment ca va? (How are you?)

Comment appelles tu? (What is your name?)

Quel age as tu? (How old are you?)

Related Article:  9 Phrases to Know in the Local Language Before Traveling Abroad

Do You Take Your Kids Out of School to Travel? 

Do you have any hesitations about taking your kids out of school for travel? Why or why not? If you have signed your kids out of school to travel, what techniques have worked best for you? Share your experiences in the comments section below.