Non-resident fathers’ holidays alone with their children: experiences, meanings and fatherhood

Research on family holiday experiences is largely informed by feminist gender representations. True gender scholarship requires a critical appraisal of gender relations that is inclusive of the male voice in family tourism. This exploratory study extends previous research into separated families and their leisure experiences. Our research focuses on the experiences of non-resident fathers who holiday alone with their children and the meanings of these experiences for those fathers. The study is interpretive and informed by a grounded theory analysis of eight semi-structured interviews with non-resident fathers living in Auckland, New Zealand. Our findings reveal the importance of family holidays to family leisure for separated families and for non-resident fathers’ relationships with their children. Leisure-based holidays shared with their children are special times for these non-resident fathers to have fun, to teach skills and negotiate values, to explore the meanings of their lives, to (re)build and maintain family relations and to experience fatherhood.