Ania Grabowska, a 43-year-old self-employed teacher from Olkusz, Poland, has defended her decision to spend up to two months a year on holidays without her two sons, saying the breaks are necessary for her mental health and enable her to better support her child with autism.
Grabowska said she uses the vacation allowance available to the self-employed and carefully plans and saves for trips, which she described as a "huge mental escape" that recharges her and gives her "the strength and peace to be a good mother." She said critics who call her "irresponsible" or accuse her of "abandoning" her children misunderstand the pressures of caring for a child with special needs and the need for parental respite.
Grabowska has two sons, Kuba and Maciek, the latter of whom has autism. She said she travels bothsolo and with her partner, Marek, and also makes a point of travelling with her family when possible. "I travel to avoid going mentally crazy; it's my way of dealing with stress," she said. "Life can be tough. I have my own worries about Maciek, but also those everyday, ordinary problems we all know. Travel recharges me with so much energy that when I return, I can once again fight for Maciek and for a better world for him."
She described online responses to her choices as sometimes "absurd and sometimes downright malicious," and said she has faced hurtful judgments that she is abandoning her children. Grabowska countered that support and time for herself are "the foundation for loving and helping even better," adding, "You have to be a little selfish to avoid going crazy. If we have a happy mother, the children are happy, that's why it's important to think positively about ourselves and find time to pursue our passions."
Grabowska said she has travelled widely, visiting almost every country in Europe as well as the United States, the Dominican Republic, Bali and Zanzibar. She said a weekend trip to Dubai was being planned for November and that she intended to travel to Egypt with Maciek for Christmas. Her travel goals for 2026 include Sri Lanka and the Seychelles, though she said the final decisions were yet to be made.
She emphasised that travel can be valuable for children, allowing them to experience other cultures and learn languages, and said Maciek particularly benefits from environments of change and novelty. "He's not content with just packing; he wants to fly right away!" she said of her younger son, while saying her older son Kuba enjoys a more leisurely pace.
Grabowska described practical steps she takes to make travel affordable on a teacher's budget, including buying tickets in December for summer travel when prices are lower and saving and planning in advance. She said her income is not large but is sufficient to "fulfil my travel dreams" with careful budgeting.
Commenting on the broader debate over parental respite for caregivers of children with special needs, Grabowska framed her breaks as part of a strategy to maintain her capacity to care for her family. She said her solo trips are in addition to family travel and that the priority is ensuring everyone is happy when they travel.
The accounts and quotes were given by Grabowska in coverage by national media. Her statements have prompted discussion online about parental mental health, caregiving responsibilities and what constitutes appropriate respite for parents of children with disabilities.