Micro-trips: these French people who travel more often, but for less time

Flying to Corsica for three weeks to explore the Isle of Beauty without limits? While some vacationers prefer to spend their holidays in the same place for several days, others have a different plan for the months of July and August: visiting a city or region for a long weekend.

The concept isn't new, but it's shaping up to be a trend for the 2025 summer season. According to a press release from tour operator Sunweb, which operates in seven European markets, travelers are opting for shorter vacations compared to the same period last year. The reason? Reasonably priced flights to Italy or Spain allow travel enthusiasts to plan multiple excursions.

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Aline, 27, has just returned from a long weekend with friends in Valencia , Spain. Beach, sun, sangria, and a festive evening... She's still under its spell. " It felt like a week; I didn't even know what day it was when I got home, " says the social worker from the Paris region. She'll be heading off at the end of the month with a 72-hour French getaway to La Baule, then to Sicily in August.

For Véronique, there's no question of staying in the same city forever either. " I'm planning a week-long trip to the seaside in Aquitaine and I'm using the rest of my vacation time to explore different destinations ," shares the 53-year-old sales director. Since the beginning of summer, the Parisian has already visited the beaches of Marseille... and Miami , for just four days. " There were promotions on flights, so I thought, why not? " she explains.

Up from last summer

This vacation option is becoming increasingly popular. The Kayak search engine notes a 15% increase compared to last summer for short trips. " Despite a 13% increase in airfares (+13% compared to 2024), with an average basket of €181, we are seeing real enthusiasm. Searches for 2- to 3-day trips in July and August have jumped by 15% ," confirms Clément Bourguignon, manager at Kayak. This applies to both French cities and easily accessible European capitals. Barcelona tops the list of most searched destinations for three nights, with a round-trip ticket costing €154, followed by London and Nice.

The online booking platform Hellotickets also notes a craze for nearby and affordable cities. Porto, Naples , Edinburgh, and Berlin are among the most popular among the French. " The general rise in prices is pushing people to shorten their vacations, but not to give them up. Two weeks abroad gives way to several short breaks throughout the year, and we are seeing low-cost airlines increasing the number of direct connections to medium-distance destinations ," Jorge Díaz Largo, CEO of Hellotickets, told Le Figaro .

Combining short and long trips

Are these quick getaways really enough to disconnect? For psychologist Fanélie Raban, the ideal would be to combine the two formats: going away for the weekend to unwind, and longer to experience a greater change of scenery. " Completely eliminating longer vacations would be counterproductive. Around two weeks of rest are necessary each year, to cope with the mental load and fatigue, because it often takes three days to truly disconnect ," she emphasizes.

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She's clear: these short breaks don't provide the same type of recovery, particularly on a physical and cognitive level. Still, the psychologist sees a real benefit: " These micro-trips allow you to regularly recover and unwind. They are useful for emotional regulation and stress management ," she concludes. However, it's better to set some limits. Because while these regular getaways allow you to unwind, they are not without consequences. Taking a series of round trips by train or plane, multiplying your trips for a handful of hours of escape, ends up seriously increasing your carbon footprint. A weekend in the sun can quickly become ecologically nonsensical. By wanting to get away too much, we sometimes end up missing the essential point: slowing down, really.

Also read: Towards more responsible tourism: Europeans ready to change their habits in 2025

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