Family holidays with no mental load

What about Villages Vacances?

A good tip for parents and children: Villages Vacances ! The principle is simple: in the daytime, you can at last get some time to yourself while the kids have fun in the pool or the playground, on the tennis courts and pétanque grounds or the pingpong table and enjoy the different forms of entertainment. The Sud has over 60 centres and Villages Vacances. From the azure light on the coast to the gentle climate of the Provencal hinterland or the magic of the Alpine heights, the only thing on your to-do list will be to choose what suits you best. No meals to prepare: put your feet under the table in the restaurant or order your picnic baskets. Organising open-air activities is made easy: rent your bikes on the spot before an outing in the Mont-Ventoux Natural Regional Park, and be guided in your choice of nautical activity on the Frioul Islands or a snowshoe outing in the Queyras Natural Regional Park. All you have to do is enjoy it! The little extra: many Villages Vacances are labelled Valeurs Parc naturel régional, Accueil vélo, Clé verte or Famille plus. Just what it takes to make it easier to choose your type of stay.

The City Pass reflex

When you’re on holiday with the family in a big town in the Sud, take it easy with City Pass. Valid 24, 48 or 72 hours, the pass gives free unlimited access to transport, to wander around wherever you want, with no traffic jams and no need to find a parking place. And above all, it includes a selection of activities. Less time spent on organising, more time to enjoy!

• City Pass Marseille
  Discover the Corniche Kennedy and the Marseille1 coast during a sunny outing aboard the little train or a panoramic bus, or set sail on a crossing to the Frioul Islands. You can even dive into the thousands-of-years-old cave at Cosquer Méditerranée2 and be amazed by the Mucem and the Musée Regards de Provence…
• City Pass Aix
  Time to learn together on one of the 24 guided tours proposed in Aix-en-Provence3, explore the historic centre aboard a little electric train, solve a mystery on the theme of Cézanne4 in a treasure hunt or discover one of the unavoidable 16 museum and tourist sites.
• French Riviera Pass (Nice and the Côte d’Azur)
  Make the most of an enchanting break in a Belle Époque décor on a visit to the Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa and Gardens, watch the sun’s reflection playing on the water during a bike ride, an electric bike ride or on a Rosalie along the sea. No need to spend hours scrolling, just look at the list of 60 sites and activities.
• And for the tribes of budding historians, the Pass Monuments Arles gives you access to the historic sites of the Roman town which are absolute musts: the amphitheatre, the théâtre antique, the Saint-Trophime cloister or the Cryptoportiques…

Choose agritourism

This year, the family break will be back to nature. For REALLY restful holidays, on a farm in the middle of natural surroundings, to completely let go. Forget the time and all the washing to be done. To help you unearth your little piece of paradise, the label « Bienvenue à la ferme », created in 1988 by farmers, has listed 70 farms in the Sud which share the values we love: a quality welcome and sustainable and responsible farming rooted in the local terroir. Forget shopping and preparing meals, go with the flow: the fermes-auberges labelled « Bienvenue à la ferme » welcome you to their table. On the menu: dishes prepared with love and only fresh products. As for activities, there are some lovely moments with the family in store: feeding the animals, stroking them, sowing and harvesting, and understanding how the food gets from the farm to your plate. The little extra: your host knows the surrounding area backwards and will share their tips for successful family outings. It’s not worth getting lost in interminable Google searches, and it’s also a good base for recharging.

Dare forest bathing

And what if mental load’s worst enemy was… the forest? Explanation: Your body gets a lot of good things from contact with trees, plants and forest soil – reduction of stress hormones – including adrenaline and cortisol – improved nervous system equilibrium, blood pressure and sleep. An experience which comes to us from Japan, where they call it Shinrin yoku, forest bathing is a guided practice. For two hours with a guide trained in reconnection with nature, you’ll forget the worries of everyday life during a slow, contemplative walk and a series of experiences linked to trees. A lovely moment for all the family to share, away from their screens. And an opportunity to remember that being happy together is made of simple things. So this could be the key to getting rid of your mental overload, even when you get back home.