Vacation : a mirror for gender inequalities
At the start of the webinar, Agustina Serrano pointed out that vacations are not a break from social dynamics: on the contrary, they often replicate the same patterns of inequality seen in everyday life.
Even before departure, numerous tasks require advance planning: choosing a destination, booking travel and accommodation, packing, organizing activities, gathering medication, and managing family logistics. During the trip, meals, shopping, tidying up, childcare, and daily scheduling continue to demand significant—and often invisible—effort. Upon returning home, unpacking, laundry, and getting back into the daily routine extend this burden further.
Observations from the network of over 500 organizations supported by Vacances Ouvertes align with national study findings: in the vast majority of cases, women shoulder the bulk of this organizational work. The only responsibilities that remain predominantly male are usually related to driving.
This unequal distribution goes beyond the time spent on household chores. The speakers emphasized that the "mental load" also encompasses the anticipation, planning, and coordination essential for a successful vacation: and it is precisely this invisible aspect that is largely carried by women.
The consequences are numerous : unequal rest quality, less personal time, a sense of unfairness, relationship tension, and even the decision to forgo a vacation altogether when the prospect of managing all the logistics becomes too overwhelming. Vacations thus risk reinforcing gender stereotypes rather than serving as a genuine opportunity to recharge.
Designing stays that foster a better sharing of responsibilities
In light of this situation, Vacances Ouvertes does not merely identify the challenges; for several years, the association has been developing practical tools that enable professionals to take concrete action.
The recommendations presented during the webinar cover the entire holiday experience.
In the planning stages, key measures include making all the tasks required for the trip visible, explicitly assigning responsibilities, involving men in planning meetings, avoiding communication that reinforces gender stereotypes, and including all family members—including children, according to their abilities.
During the trip itself, the speakers recommend rotating responsibilities, simplifying arrangements wherever possible, and ensuring that everyone has genuine time for individual rest.
Finally, upon returning, a review session helps identify any observed imbalances and improves the sharing of responsibilities for future trips.
To support this initiative, Vacances Ouvertes has created the "Égali'Vacances" kit. This resource includes guides, educational activities, photo-based discussion tools, and facilitation aids that allow professionals to address gender stereotypes with various audiences. The kit is available for free on the association's website.
Parental respite: an innovative response to parental burnout
The second part of the webinar focused on a particularly innovative initiative developed by Vacances Ouvertes: parental respite stays.
Drawing on feedback from its network, the association identified a recurring phenomenon as early as 2016: many parents, and particularly mothers, returned from vacation more exhausted than when they left. This observation led to the launch, in 2017, of a pilot program offering stays without children, accompanied by targeted work on childcare solutions and family support. Since 2023, this pilot has evolved into a formal call for projects integrated into Vacances Ouvertes' permanent programs. Over nine years, 67 projects have enabled 866 parents to benefit from a parental respite stay.
Laure Pourcin emphasized that parental respite is not merely about having someone look after one's children for a few days. It is a time intentionally dedicated to personal rebuilding, rest, and restoring psychological balance. To be truly beneficial, this time must allow parents to shed both the physical and mental load, without simply swapping one set of responsibilities for another.
The observed results are encouraging: improved well-being, a boost in self-confidence, better parent-child relationships, greater autonomy for children left in the care of others, and the rediscovery of a personal identity that had sometimes been overshadowed by parental responsibilities. Testimonials illustrate how these stays allow some mothers to reclaim their identity as women, beyond their role as parents.
Removing barriers to developing new practices
The speakers also outlined the main obstacles encountered in developing parental respite breaks: difficulties in identifying needs, funding issues, childcare arrangements, parental guilt, organizational constraints, and a lack of resources among support organizations.
To address these challenges, Vacances Ouvertes now provides professionals with a comprehensive suite of resources, including research reports, a methodological guide, practical fact sheets, thematic webinars, and support tools. New additions include the "Parental Burnout Gauge" (*Épuisomètre parental*), a self-assessment tool that helps parents identify their level of exhaustion and find suitable solutions.
Webinar participants were introduced to the many resources offered by the association, such as:
Inspiring ideas for tourism operators
The discussion following the presentation highlighted how strongly this work resonates with the current concerns of ISTO members.
Several participants explored how tourism operators could incorporate these issues into the design of their offerings: such as trips that encourage a more equitable sharing of responsibilities, products tailored to women seeking genuine respite, and initiatives regarding childcare arrangements or support for single-parent families.
The speakers emphasized that there is no single answer: depending on the context, trips involving mixed groups or women-only groups may be appropriate. The key is to start with the needs expressed by the target audiences and to design experiences that truly foster empowerment, rest, and equality.
Coralie Marti also shared the example of Terres des Andes, a member of the Association for Fair and Solidarity-Based Tourism (ATES), which has been piloting women-only trips in Peru since 2025. These trips facilitate encounters with local women's organizations and foster dialogue on empowerment, illustrating how these ideas can inspire new forms of fair tourism.
To instill best practices within the ISTO network
By giving the floor to Vacances Ouvertes, ISTO pursues its goal of fostering the exchange of social innovations among its members and strengthening the capacity of organizations committed to more inclusive tourism.
The work presented demonstrates that holiday planning is not merely a matter of logistics or commerce; it is also a question of equality, health, well-being, and social justice.
All resources presented during the webinar are available on the Vacances Ouvertes website, including the Égali'Vacances toolkit, publications on parental respite, calls for projects, and the calendar of upcoming webinars and discussion sessions for professionals. ISTO extends its sincere thanks to Laure Pourcin, Agustina Serrano, and the entire Vacances Ouvertes team for their insightful contributions and their commitment to sharing these tools with the entire international network.
Attend the webinar presenting the Parental Burnout Gauge
As part of its initiatives to support parenting and prevent parental burnout, Vacances Ouvertes is hosting another edition of its webinar dedicated to presenting the "Parental Burnout Gauge" and its associated support services.
📅 Monday, September 21, 2026
🕒 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
This webinar will provide an opportunity to:
• gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding parental burnout;
• discover the "Parental Burnout Gauge," a practical self-assessment tool;
• outline the support options available to organizations and professionals.
⚠️ Participation requires prior registration. Login details will be sent to registered attendees.
