VIDEO. Like a holiday area

You stop here on your way to your vacation, at noon or midnight. Thousands of travelers pass through the highway rest areas every day, but what do they know about the people who work here? Serving your vehicle and ensuring your comfort, they form a small, unique community, along the long stretch of asphalt.

For several days, "Envoyé spécial" set up its cameras at the Arzens rest area on the A61 motorway in the south of France near Carcassonne, on the road to Spain and the Lourdes pilgrimages. Behind the gas pumps, parking lots, and fast-food restaurants, hides a veritable small community, with its own habits, solidarity, and unexpected events.

Françoise is the catering assistant; Philippe, with 38 years of service, is the longest-serving employee at the rest area; Nathalie and Audrey work the night shift while everything seems to stop around them. But Tajik truck drivers are also stuck there, far from home, because heavy goods vehicles are banned that day.

Behind the scenes at the motorway service station, this report explores the often-overlooked professions of those who provide round-the-clock passenger service. Between moments of solidarity, the exhaustion of long nights, and the frenetic pace of busy periods, this immersive experience offers a human perspective on these roadside "temporary villages," mirrors of a society in flux.

A report by Julien Fouchet, Lou-Ann Auvray, Augustin François-Poncet, Claire Combaluzier and Mikael Bozo, broadcast in " Envoyé spécial " on June 26, 2025.

- Motorway company: key figures for French motorways, ASFA .

- Key figures 2024, AFSA .

- Dyneff .

Non-exhaustive list.

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