Is It OK to Pull Kids From School to Travel? Here’s What Experts Have to Say

A mother and daughter walk through an airport.Credit: ozgurcankaya/Getty ImagesSchool breaks seem like the obvious time for a family vacation—until you start looking at crowded destinations, full flights, and peak-season prices. Traveling even a few days outside those windows can open up more options, whether that means visiting a destination without the holiday crowds, attending an important family event, or taking advantage of an experience that simply doesn't fit neatly into the academic calendar. The trade-off, of course, is that the kids may have to miss school. For parents, that decision can be complicated, which is why we tapped several experts—a pediatrician plus several travel advisors, including a former teacher—to advise on what families should consider before booking a school-year trip.

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How much school a child can reasonably miss depends in part on where they are academically and developmentally. Dr. Michael Glazier, pediatrician and chief medical officer at Bluebird Kids Health, says the impact of an absence can depend on a child's age and grade level, how long they'll be away, and what they'll miss while they're gone. "The decision to pull a child from school requires multifactorial considerations and is never 'one-size-fits-all.'" Parents should also consider extracurricular commitments and whether their child already struggles academically or with transitions.

Missing school isn't just about missed lessons and assignments, either. "School provides a wonderful environment for learning—both from the formal teachings that occur in class and from the informal daily interactions school affords children to have with other adults as well as their peers," Dr. Glazier says.

For older students, a heavier workload can make an absence harder to manage. While some assignments can be done during a trip or made up afterward, it's not always as easy to catch up on the lessons themselves. Former teacher and current travel advisor Kaylee Stith says this can leave students juggling old and new work at the same time. "After a prolonged absence from school, many students struggle with the combined load of makeup work and missed lessons on new concepts—and all of this can compound and become overwhelming for some students."

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When kids miss school can matter just as much as how much they miss. With that in mind, Dr. Glazier advises avoiding trips during exams or standardized testing, since both can be difficult to make up. Parents should also review the school's attendance policy, as absences can sometimes affect participation in extracurricular activities.

If you have some flexibility with your dates, Stith suggests using the school calendar to your advantage. "If you're able to choose the dates for your trip, I recommend traveling during school breaks and long weekends as often as possible. You can get creative if you know where to look in the calendar!" Her rule of thumb is missing no more than one week of school per year, if possible, to give most students their best chance of staying on track.

Even a day or two can make a difference when planning the trip itself. Fora Travel cofounder, mom of three, and Travel + Leisure A-List advisor Henley Vazquez points to Thanksgiving as a prime example: Some families can pull their kids from school and leave Wednesday morning, while others have to wait until Thursday or Friday. That difference can determine where they can realistically go, which flights work, and how long they can stay. With her own children, Vazquez communicates with teachers ahead of time, makes sure they keep up with their work, and is selective about when she takes them out of school. "But if there's a genuinely special opportunity, I go for it; some trips are just too good to pass up."

The classroom offers something travel can't replace, but the reverse can also be true. Visiting relatives, experiencing another culture, or navigating an unfamiliar place can give children opportunities to learn outside of school. "Children learn through exploration at every age, and real-life experiences often lead not only to new learning, but also to the creation of lifelong memories," Dr. Glazier says.

Those experiences can also help kids become a little more independent. Dr. Glazier says exposure to unfamiliar surroundings can encourage curiosity, while learning to navigate new situations can help children develop greater self-awareness, independence, and confidence. Family trips also offer something that can be harder to come by at home: uninterrupted time together to connect and share new experiences.

For travel advisor Sariah Gutierrez of Away We Globe, cultural immersion and heritage trips can be worth missing a few days of school. "I always say that I want my kids to grow up as citizens of the world. I want them to be comfortable in unfamiliar places, curious about people who are different from them, and open to perspectives beyond their own." That doesn't mean she pulls her children from school for every trip. "I'm intentional about it rather than using travel as an excuse to miss school. School is important, but I also want them to understand that learning doesn't stop when they leave the classroom."

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Once parents decide to take the trip, Dr. Glazier recommends letting the school and teachers know ahead of time. That gives families time to learn about upcoming assignments, tests, or other commitments and decide what work, if any, should be completed while away and what can wait until they return. Once the child is back in school, he advises checking in with teachers again to identify anything they missed and make sure they get any additional help they need.

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