Most families I know don’t want to sell everything and homeschool their kids while living out of a campervan, and neither do I. My kids are in school, my husband and I have jobs we actually like, and yet – we still manage to carve out more time for travel. Not by quitting, but by using unpaid parental leave wisely.

In the UK, unpaid parental leave is job-protected, flexible, and wildly underused.

For us, it’s become a brilliant way to be able plan 3 to 5 week trips over the summer without blowing up our lives. Even better? When you use it strategically, you can travel in most school holidays, rather than just one or two trips a year. A bigger trip in the summer, plus a few bonus weeks at Christmas, Easter, and most week-long half-term breaks.

This post is for any parent who’s thought, “I’d love to travel more, but it’s just not realistic with work and school.” I hear you. I’ve found ways to stretch time off and travel affordably – including some surprisingly comfy budget accommodation options (like the Bolzano youth hostel that, yes, had better aircon than the boutique hotels)!

If you’re curious about family gap year alternatives, how to stretch the budget when you travel with kids, or simply how to make more of the time you already have, this post is for you.

I’ll walk you through how UK unpaid parental leave actually works, how you can plan and budget for travel as a family, and how it’s possible to do this even when your partner can’t come too.

Because the truth is, nobody ever says on their deathbed they wished they’d worked more!

What is unpaid parental leave in the UK and how can you use it?

In the UK, each parent is entitled to up to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child, which you can take any time up until that child turns 18. It’s part of your statutory rights and designed to help you care for your child in a way that works for your family.

Most parents don’t take the full 18 weeks in one go. In fact, many don’t take any of it. But even used sparingly, a couple of weeks here and there can make a huge difference.

We’ve used it to stretch the summer holidays into proper adventures, and to tag on extra trips throughout the year. We’re looking at a proper 3–4 week summer getaway, plus shorter holidays during Christmas, Easter, and half-term breaks.

If you’ve been wondering how to take unpaid leave in the UK for more adventurous family time, especially during school holidays, this could be your answer.

A few key rules:

  • Give your employer at least 21 days’ notice
  • Leave is usually taken in one-week blocks (unless your child is disabled — then it can be taken in days)
  • Each parent can take up to 4 weeks per child, per year — unless your employer agrees to more
  • Employers can postpone it once, but not deny it outright

It’s unpaid, yes. But with a bit of planning, it can be one of the most cost-effective ways to build in longer trips with your family. The official guidance is worth a look.

Why use parental leave to travel with kids (in the UK)?

Parenting can feel like a bit of a treadmill. School runs, packed lunches, work deadlines, after-school clubs… on repeat. We don’t travel during term time unless it’s approved. But here’s the thing: UK school holidays actually add up to quite a lot of time off. These breaks are built-in opportunities to step out of the usual routine; and we might as well make the most of them.

For us, it’s not about ticking off tourist sights, it’s about having an adventure and enjoying the journey. When we have longer, we can slow down, spend more time in one place, and we love picking up bits of a new language and seeing how other people live.

If you want to travel more without giving up the structure of a traditional job and kids going to school, this is the answer. You don’t need a sabbatical.

  • A group of cyclists, including adults and children, posing on a paved path surrounded by green fields and a wooden fence. The backdrop features a picturesque alpine landscape with forested hills and distant mountains under a sunny blue sky. The riders are wearing helmets and colourful gear, exuding energy and enthusiasm for their outdoor adventure.
  • Two smiling children sitting in a wooden lookout structure with a bright blue sky and a picturesque alpine landscape in the background. The scene features lush green hills, tall pine trees, and jagged mountain peaks under a sunny summer day.
  • A group of six people sitting at a wooden table in a cozy room, enjoying plates of pasta. Two guitars hang on the wood-paneled wall behind them. They are smiling and have drinks in front of them, including a glass of lemonade.
  • A scenic view of a canal in Venice during sunset, featuring colorful buildings on the left with a green-domed church. Small boats are docked along the waterfront, while a few boats navigate the canal. The sky is a blend of warm hues.

A few well-planned weeks off during the summer, Easter, Christmas, or even half-term can open the door to proper adventures, without derailing everything else.

For many UK-based families, this is a practical and realistic approach to UK family travel that doesn’t require quitting your job or deregistering from school.

And yes, there are trade-offs. Taking unpaid leave often means spending less money elsewhere. But for us, experiences beat stuff every time.

We’d rather have a few weeks of family hikes in the Alps, cycling through river valleys, taking exciting overnight train journeys and eating good food and make savings in other areas. It’s not all about the kids either. This is travel that’s adventurous, refreshing, and enjoyable for the whole family.

Talking to your employer about parental leave for travel

This is the part that makes a lot of people nervous, but it shouldn’t be awkward. Framing your leave request clearly and respectfully can go a long way.

How to raise the conversation professionally

Approach the conversation just like any other request for time off. Explain when you’d like to take leave, how long for, and how you’ll ensure handovers are smooth. Give plenty of notice (at least the required 21 days, ideally much more) and frame it as part of a longer-term commitment to your job.

Show how planned leave = less disruption than surprise sick days

Unplanned absences can be more disruptive than a well-structured break. By giving notice and preparing properly, you’re actually making things easier for your team, not harder.

Real-life example

When my husband asked to take two weeks of unpaid parental leave in the summer, he gave his team a few months’ notice, arranged cover for key meetings, and checked in with HR on the right paperwork. They were supportive – not because they didn’t need him, but because he made it easy to say yes.

Reframe it as smart, not slack

This isn’t about ducking responsibility. It’s about using your entitlements in a way that improves work life balance and overall productivity. If anything, it’s a sign of good planning and self-awareness which avoids burn out and job resentment.

How we use leave in a way that works for our family

We don’t take full parental leave blocks or head off for months at a time. I am freelance, so my job is fairly flexible, but I still have work that doesn’t disappear when I do! My husband enjoys his job and doesn’t want to leave his colleagues in the lurch too much.

But each year, he uses a few weeks of unpaid parental leave to stretch out our travel time, allowing an extra couple of weeks of travel in the year. We usually use the parental leave in the summer, to turn a regular family break into something bigger.

We’ll typically combine his parental leave with annual leave (in the UK that’s typically 4 or 5 weeks a year – sorry Americans, I know you don’t have it as good over there!) to get a 3–4 week summer trip. The rest of his annual leave then also gives us a week or two at Christmas, Easter, and sometimes during half-terms.

Used across the year, it means we travel in most school holidays, not just one. For us, this has been a realistic, flexible, and enriching alternative to a family gap year.

And when he can’t come? I take the kids on my own. It’s not always easy, but it’s doable, actually usually really fun; and definitely better than sitting around at home! I have a post about travelling as solo parent with kids here – it’s worth a read.

The key is flexibility. It’s not a grand once-in-a-lifetime family gap year type opportunity, but it’s just a useful way to stretch the school holidays and make a few more trips happen than we otherwise could.

  • A child grooming a Haflinger horse on a farm with a mountainous backdrop, a memorable hands-on activity. This unique experience is one of the 15 best things to do with kids in Lienz.
  • A family of four stands on a rocky shoreline with clear blue water and a small island in the background. They are dressed in casual summer clothing and smiling under a sunny sky.
  • A child wearing colorful striped pants and a backpack trekking through a rugged landscape in the Dolomites, with the iconic Tre Cime di Lavaredo rising dramatically against the clear blue sky. This captures the unique beauty and excitement of a hut to hut hike with kids in the Dolomites.
  • A family posing in front of the Golden Roof in Innsbruck’s old town, a historic landmark.

Planning trips without a full family sabbatical

You don’t need to take a year off to have a meaningful adventure. Some of our best trips have fit into a 3 to 4 week window.

Want to see exactly what a 4 week trip could look like?

Or combine

Take the overnight train from Venice to Stuttgart, a fast train to Paris and then a Eurostar back to the UK for extra adventure! If the budget stretches spend a night in Paris.

What adventures would fit into a 3-week trip?

For a 3 week trip, you could combine

Or

  • Tourists gather on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica under a cloudy sky, a must-see destination when visiting Montmartre in Paris with kids.
  • Three small sailboats float on the calm blue waters of Lake Ledro, with mountain slopes covered in dense greenery in the background. A few other boats and paddleboarders are visible in the distance.
  • Two children smile down from the upper bunks of a sleeper train compartment. The room has blue bedding, a metal ladder in the center, and a window showing railway tracks and graffiti outside.
  • A tranquil bay on the island of Vis, Croatia, with multiple sailboats anchored in the calm, crystal-clear waters. Two children swim near the rocky shore, with a backdrop of green hills and a bright blue sky.

Budgeting and planning tips

How to afford unpaid leave

Start by working out what a few weeks of unpaid leave would cost – then set that as your savings goal. For us, it’s about cutting back in other areas (fewer takeaways, less stuff) so we can invest in longer trips. Even one parent taking unpaid leave while the other works remotely can unlock big chunks of time.

Smart swaps that save money

We’ve stayed in youth hostels (private family dorms are a brilliant budget option), used public transport instead of car hire, and prioritised self-catering. Bolzano’s hostel, for example, was our most comfortable stay on that trip – it had air con (and it was 35 Celsius outside), unlike the much more expensive boutique hotels!

Eating on longer trips

Depending on budget, you could cook your own meals at hostels or self-catering apartments, look for market stalls (e.g. delicious sausage stands in Austria or hole-in-the-wall pizza places), and make packed lunches from supermarkets (Austrian shops often have deli counters that’ll build you a sandwich and charge by weight — brilliant value). Or even make lunch out of the hotel / hostel breakfast (cheeky but we’ve done it!).

Take unpaid parental leave to travel more as a family

You don’t need to overhaul your life to travel more as a family. If you’ve got school-aged kids, a bit of annual leave, and access to unpaid parental leave, you’ve already got the pieces. It’s just about using them effectively.

Start small – maybe one longer summer trip, or an extended Easter or Christmas break. Look at what you’re already entitled to, talk to your employer early, and see where you can be a bit strategic.

Over time, you might find you’re heading off during most school holidays using a combination of UK parental leave and annual leave, and travelling more than you thought possible with traditional jobs and kids in school!

And if you’re not sure where to begin, I’ve got plenty of resources to help – from family travel tips and itineraries to train routes and multi day hiking and cycling ideas.

FAQs about using unpaid parental leave for travel

Can both parents take unpaid parental leave at the same time?
Yes — as long as both meet the eligibility criteria. You’ll each need to give your own employer notice, and you can coordinate your time off to travel together.

Do you need to take all the leave at once?
No. The leave can be taken in blocks of one week (or even single days if your child is disabled). Many families spread it across several school holidays.

Does unpaid leave affect pension or benefits?
It can — check with your HR or payroll team. National Insurance contributions and pension payments might pause while you’re unpaid, so factor that into your planning.

Is travel the only valid reason to take unpaid parental leave?
Nope! You don’t have to justify how you use it — it’s about caring for your child, and travel qualifies if it supports their wellbeing or your family life.

What if your employer says no?
They can delay the leave once (for up to six months), but not deny it outright. If that happens, ask for a written explanation and suggest alternative dates.

Where to next? More info for your adventures:

Bea Searle is the creator of Wild Bee Outdoors. Having lived in Austria as a kid, she fell in love with the mountains early on. Passionate about sustainable train travel and outdoor adventures with her family, Bea shares local insights, detailed routes, and plenty of tips for hut to hut hiking and multi-day cycling trips in the European Alps and beyond; along with ideas for worthwhile detours to make every journey unforgettable. Her goal? To inspire you to embrace the mountains, dodge the tourist traps, and explore with confidence.