For some entrepreneurs, travel is a must. A business owner may travel to buy or sell inventory, to meet with investors or potential investors, to raise capital, or simply because the nature of the business venture requires it. If you have children, these travel requirements can complicate custody issues.
The simple answer to the question posed above, is that yes, your business travel can affect your custody case.
A judge will not be inclined to issue an order on custody that includes a schedule that simply is not workable. So, if your business venture requires that you travel three weeks out of every month, a custody schedule that gives the entrepreneur parent visitation every other week simply is not workable. An entrepreneur who travels on weekends to visit trade shows and expos wouldn’t be able to abide by an every-other-weekend visitation schedule.
The judge will reconcile your travel plans with the child’s schedule and come up with a custody schedule that is workable. If you travel a lot for business, chances are your former spouse will be awarded more custody than you simply because you aren’t around to exercise visitation.
That being said, sometimes divorce acts as and eye-opener for entrepreneurs and they consciously decide to cut back on the entrepreneurial lifestyle in order to spend more meaningful time with their children. If you are one such entrepreneur, keep in mind that if your initial order or agreement on custody leaves you with an unfavorable amount of visitation, it can always be modified. If you chose to cut back drastically on your travel obligations, you can file a motion to modify custody and seek a schedule that allows for more visitation.
