Ahhh, the School calendar, the imposing schedule many of us have to arrange our lives around. The school calendar often gets in the way if you like to live with flexibility and freedom; add in sky-high holiday rates and hoards of holidaymakers, making vacationing during the school year incredibly appealing.

However, it can be tricky to arrange this with the school without breaking school policy or affecting their education. Thankfully, there are some techniques you can use to utilize and maximize the school holidays and take your youngsters away on vacation, even during the school year. Let’s discover some top tips on navigating, planning a vacation in term time, and dealing with your school.

1. Plan Well in Advance 

No matter how spontaneous you are, the school calendar makes that last-minute all-inclusive deal to the Caribbean a little tricky. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go. Traveling with your kids in school requires some extra planning. Not only can you score cheaper flights when planning, but hotels and all-inclusive resorts are often more affordable outside school holidays.

Most importantly, planning allows you to communicate with your school and let them know your child will be absent for x days in x month. A great alternative to randomly grabbing your kids at lunch and whisking them away for two weeks, at least in the eyes of the school.

Sit down at the start of the year to work out the cheapest and best times of year to visit the destination you plan on visiting. By planning like this, you not only get to create the best vacation ever for an affordable price but maintain a good relationship with the school and teachers.

2. Communicate 

Excellent planning allows you to communicate with teachers and school staff to inform them you’re taking your youngsters out of school before you do it. Many schools in 2022 understand travel’s value and can support you in taking your children overseas and homeschooling while traveling. This can be just as beneficial in education as sitting in a classroom. So communicating with staff and building a relationship with them is an excellent way to add more flexibility to your school schedule and keep things in order with the school.

3. Consider School Policy 

Schools differ significantly regarding their absence due to travel policies, which is worth considering. Some schools may be lenient, whereas others could be much tighter on the rule.  If your kids aren’t yet in school and you plan to travel with them when they start, this is worth considering before choosing a school.

4. Ask the Children 

Something often overlooked, especially as your children grow up, start making more established friends and join after-school clubs, is asking your children what they want to do. Do they want to travel and explore, or would they rather stay home? Something worth considering is if taking them away may be detrimental in terms of socializing and enjoyment.

5. Maximize the School Holidays 

School holidays are generous, especially compared to the working world. However, it can still be tricky to vacation during these periods. You’re paying high rates, sharing popular spots with hoards of tourists, and the experience is often worse than if you’d relaxed at home.

However, you can utilize this school calendar and integrate planned school closures and public holidays into your vacation plans. For example, if there’s a public holiday on Monday or back-to-back weekends, book a few days off in the week, pull your kids out of school for three days, but be away for seven days. Add an after-school flight and a red-eye return, and you’ve almost scored a 10-day trip with minimal work and school absence. Winner.

You can also use the holidays to minimize your vacation time and get as much time away as possible. And after a packed holiday schedule, you may even find you want to get home and relax by the time term comes back around.

In Summary 

Taking your children on vacation during the school year is a fantastic experience and can enrich their lives in more ways than any school classroom could. But that said, education and school are critical elements to any child’s development, and working with staff closely to navigate absence due to travel is the best and only way to get the best of both worlds.

If you’re considering your next vacation outside the school holidays, think about booking an all-inclusive resort package and take all the stress out of your vacation. Once you’ve arranged things with your school, chosen your dates, and booked your flights, visit one of our all-inclusive resorts throughout the Caribbean, and we’ll do the rest.

p.s. Related posts:

How to Make Family Vacations More Educational

San Antonio Family Vacation: Where We Ate and What We Did

Family Vacation in Quebec City, Canada

Family Vacation in Costa Rica

What Kids Can Learn From a Family Vacation To Disney World

Family Vacation: How to Prepare for a Happy, Stress-Free Summer

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