Read the custody order. The first thing to do is to look at the custody order from the court. The order will act as your roadmap to what the court expects of you. If the court or your attorney thought to address the issues then the answers might already be there. This guidance would be ideal. Follow the order to the letter and this will make the question a lot easier.
Look to local statutes Many times the custody order is silent as to who is responsible. So, the next option is to check what the rule is in your local jurisdiction. Many states address the issue in their custody statutes by even breaking up who pays to get the kids there and who pays to return. Some states even go so far as to determine the responsibility by who moved, whether the non-custodial parent is in the military, or by who can afford more. Searching on the Internet is usually a good place to start. The links at www.divorcesource.com, the lawlink at www.abanet.org and www.courttv.com are good places to start. These sites have links to take you to divorce and custody statutes for your state. Remember, that each jurisdiction is different, so check with your state for the rule.
Talk to the non-custodial parent about splitting the costs. Sometimes, the key is communication. It may be very possible that the non-custodial parent wants to see the kids just as much as they want to see that parent. Talk to that parent, try and work out an arrangement. Make some reasonable suggestions like "I'll pay this time, you pay next time", or "Let's buy tickets in advance, you pay 1/2 and I pay 1/2". Another suggestion is to suggest that it might be cheaper for the non-custodial parent fly to visit the kids instead of the 3 kids flying there. Perhaps a suggestion that the parent pay $5-$10 extra in child support and that by the time that summer visitation rolls around the price of the ticket will be covered.
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