Most parents agree to set time for each parent to enjoy a vacation with the child.  Whether you are traveling for vacation or just staying home, your child will enjoy spending any time you can take away from work with you.  Vacation parenting time is intended to allow each parent the chance to either travel or stay home and spend an uninterrupted period of time with their child. 

Scheduling phone calls to the other parent during a vacation can help reduce anxiety for both the parent and the child without causing a disruption to the vacation.  If both parents are sensitive to the needs of their child, they can find a balance between contact and too much contact.  If a long vacation period is going to be spent at home it might make sense to break it up with a short visit with the other parent.  Parents need to make all of these decisions ahead of time to reduce conflict between them and to provide predictability for the child.

It is important to provide the other parent with details about when and there travel will occur, because of issues that can arise with weather, transportation, etc...  Details should include flight number and times, where you will be staying, and telephone numbers.  If an emergency arises, a parent should be able to contact the other parent or the child.  If you are traveling with the child outside of the United States, a notarized consent to travel form should be brought with you.

Communication about when each parent will use vacation time needs to take place well in advance of the vacation.  Most parents plan vacations in the summer and will often set a deadline to communicate the dates of their vacations well in advance.