The ultimate guide to workations | plan your perfect change of scenery

As remote working becomes the norm, we have more ways to travel than ever before. Why work at home when you can work from a sunny beach, a vibrant city or a mountainside retreat? The growth of remote working in recent years has given rise to the ‘workation’ (also known as a ‘workcation’), as many embrace this opportunity to combine work with travel. But what exactly is a workation, and how do you take one? We explain all in this guide to workations, including tips on how to plan one, what to pack, and destination ideas.

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What is a workation / workcation?

A workation is when you visit a destination and combine your trip with working remotely while you’re there. It’s a chance to clear your head and enjoy a change of scenery while you work, and use your downtime to relax or explore.

Workations aren’t a completely new concept – they were already around before the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal was writing about them years ago. But until recently this was a niche travel trend, and mostly just a privilege for a small proportion of people.

Today, the world of work has changed. With so many more people now able to work remotely, workations have found their way into the mainstream. Not only this, but the growth of virtual learning has also made it easier for families to take workations together.

Not all jobs are location independent of course, and so it’s not possible for everybody to take a workation. If you’re a plumber or a police officer or a factory operative, you can’t exactly do your work from hundreds of miles away.

But if your job can be done entirely from a home office, then why not from a sandy beach, a trendy city coffee shop or a comfy hotel suite? Especially if it’s only for a few days, which can give you the perfect headspace to focus on a big project.

Workations can promote wellness in your professional life and help you find a healthier balance of work and play, among other benefits. Let’s take a closer look…

5 reasons why workations are a great idea

1.  You don’t use up your vacation or holiday allowance

At Career Gappers, our focus has always been on how to take travel career breaks and why time off work is good for you. That’s still very important to us. But at a time when working life has changed for so many people, workations offer a great alternative to build more exploration and relaxation into your life without leaving your job or taking a long break.

When taking a workation, it doesn’t eat into your annual leave for vacations and holidays, because you are doing your job while on the trip. This means you can still take your regular time off work throughout the year to travel, wind down, or however you want to use it.

It’s very important to actually do this; if you take a workation but then don’t use your regular leave allowance, it defeats the purpose. Treating it as actual time off, when in reality you are working, could be a quick path to burnout. In the USA, in particular, lots of people don’t take their assigned annual leave, and evidence suggests they are missing out on the many benefits of taking a break.

So: take workations, but take complete breaks from work as well!

2.  Your workflow isn’t disrupted

A workation provides a way of taking a trip without the disruption to work that a typical vacation can create. That frantic feeling as you scramble to get everything done before setting your out-of-office autoreply? Rushing to brief your colleagues on what needs to be done while you’re away? Coming back to a inbox filled with hundreds of emails that need sorting? You avoid all of that.

Of course, when taking a regular break, you can navigate around these things by planning well. But by mixing some working trips into your calendar too, you can enjoy visiting new destinations now and again without having to worry about those aspects of it.

3.  It can boost your productivity

It might seem counterintuitive that working while on vacation would make you more productive. Indeed, paranoid bosses might assume the opposite: “are you really going to get anything done if you’re in a sunny resort by the beach?”

But there are many reasons why a change of scenery can help you to get more work done. This doesn’t just apply while you’re on the trip, but when you get back home as well. Many studies have shown that taking breaks, in particular getting outdoors and among nature, can restore your attention and enhance your productivity.

A change of working environment can give you the headspace to focus on a particular project, away from your regular distractions. Workations are also a great enabler for balancing your time between purposeful working and valuable downtime. Organising tasks into sprints can help you get more done in less time, while recharging in between.

4.  It helps with bigger-picture thinking

The perspective-altering qualities of workations are similar to the benefits of taking a sabbatical, but on a smaller scale. One of the major benefits of taking a sabbatical is the unique perspective you get by taking a step back. Removal from your daily working environment allows you to assess things from the outside in a way that’s not possible while stuck in your regular routine. This is also true with workations.

A change of scenery gives you a different kind of workspace to focus on big-picture problems and explore new ideas. Meanwhile, unfamiliar surroundings and the opportunity to discover a new place can stimulate your imagination and inspire creative thinking. So, it’s a good idea to take a workation when you want to focus on strategic planning or creative work.

5.  You feel refreshed when you return to work afterwards

Although a workation is not the same as taking a holiday or vacation, you still get some of the same benefits. Even though you spend time working, the change of environment and opportunity to clear your head can leave you feeling refreshed and recharged after returning home afterwards, almost as though you had taken a complete break.

I have experienced a similar thing when travelling overseas for conferences in the past. Although on those trips I worked more hours than I usually would back home, the combination of seeing a new place and using my off-days to explore left me feeling energised and ready to go again when I returned to the office.

You can read more about the wellbeing benefits in our collection of real-life stories from people who have taken a workation.

How to ask your boss for a workation

This is often the trickiest part. Even if you have the flexibility to work from home in your job, not all managers will be immediately open to the idea of allowing a workation. You need to be well prepared before approaching your workplace to have the best chance of being granted your request.

Workations are becoming more common, and a growing number of companies and organisations are open to them. Some now even actively encourage it. Still, it’s best to do your groundwork before having that conversation.

Our guide to how to ask for a sabbatical from work covers a lot of the same challenges you will encounter when asking to take a workation. It’s possible your workplace already has a policy or a precedent for it, but if not, there are few helpful things you can do to prepare.

The crucial thing is to think about what your manager’s biggest concerns are likely to be, and have some solutions ready. They may wonder, what if I can’t contact you easily? How will I know you are getting work done? What happens if everybody else suddenly wants to do this too? All of these concerns can be allayed with a well reasoned case.

At the same time, be ready with positive points about why a workation would be beneficial to business. The productivity angle is a good one. If you are responsible for a particular project, explain how a different environment will help you focus on it and make progress.

Just as with a sabbatical, timing your workation can help in having it signed off by your boss. Consider how you can plan it to fit with your organisation’s priorities and work programme. If you can show that you have considered how to bring maximum benefit to the organisation, it will work in your favour.

Finally, give some thought to the logistical arrangements and put forward suggestions on how it will work. Prepare a plan for your work schedule on the trip, what you will be working on, and how people can contact you. Once you have your case ready, write down some notes, rehearse the main points, and raise the question with your boss. It’s a good idea to use a regular meeting if you can, for example if you have weekly one-to-one catchups.

Planning a workation: the basics

Planning a workation isn’t quite the same as planning a vacation or holiday. While some aspects are similar, there are a few extra things you need to consider, especially when deciding where to go.

Some hotels and resorts are now offering special workation packages and deals, which makes planning easier. But if you would rather go independently and craft your own workation experience, these are some of the top considerations:

• Accommodation. What kind of setup will give you the best comfort for a rewarding workation? We often choose to go self-catered for a remote working trip. Check out our favourite alternatives to Airbnb for some ideas.
• Working space. Think about what your ideal work setup would look like on a workation and plan accordingly. Would you prefer a hotdesk in a coworking space or hopping between coffee shops? A hotel with working facilities, or a quiet beach where you can work offline?
• Connection. If your work requires being online, then a location with strong wifi is essential; good mobile coverage likewise if you need to make calls. Check reviews of your accommodation options to see whether you can expect a good connection, or look for somewhere close to a suitable coworking space.
• Work arrangements. Do you plan to work a full schedule, or could you intersperse some leave days into your trip? When Lisa and I took a family workation to Wales, we split our week fairly evenly between work and time off, which worked out nicely. Also, make sure your lines of contact with your workplace are clear, so they know how to reach you if needed.
• Timing. When will be the best time for you to take a workation? The answer to this will be different for everybody. Would you prefer to travel during the off-season or shoulder seasons when it might be quieter? Also, as outlined above, think about the timing that will fit best for your workplace and job responsibilities.

Our guide to travel planning has lots of general tips for designing a trip of any kind, and you can read on below for some of our destination ideas for workations.

Tips for getting the most out of workations

Once your workation plans are all in place and your flights booked, there’s nothing else to worry about, right? Well, there are still a few things to bear in mind if you want to get the maximum benefit from the experience.

If you haven’t worked remotely before, it may take a little getting used to at first. When I went self-employed and started working from home, it was difficult to find an effective routine and develop good working habits.

Our collection of remote working tips from travel experts includes some brilliant hacks for maximising your productivity while making the most of your leisure time.

Establish a routine

Setting a structure for your working days will help to give you focus and divide the lines between work and play. The 90-minute rule is one very effective way of doing this, as described in the productivity tips article linked above. This organises your work into 90-minute sprints, which is optimal for productivity before your brain starts to tune out. Taking breaks in between these shifts will then enable you to recharge.

Whatever structure you use, it’s vital that you do factor in some break time. It doesn’t mean you’re bunking off; taking time out throughout the day will help you to stay fresh and focused when you’re working.

While it’s helpful to have a structure, your routine can still be flexible. If your boss is ok with it, why not mix up your working times while you’re on the trip? For example, on some days you could get up super early and have your work done by midday, allowing you the afternoon to do your own thing.

Switch up your surroundings

The ability to alter your environment is one of the main reasons why workations can be so effective, so make the most of it, including with your working space if possible.

If you’re using a coworking space that has hotdesks, don’t stick to the same spot for the whole time. If you’re in a town or city, try out different spots, even if it’s having a couple of short sessions in a café during the trip. Mix it up on your breaks and downtime too. Recent studies by universities in New York and Miami have shown that new and diverse experience can make you happier and enhance brain activity.

Try to avoid working where you sleep. I can tell you from personal experience that this will lead to poor sleep, waking up in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning worrying about work. So, don’t set up to work in your hotel room – make sure you have a dedicated working space.

Set boundaries

If you are travelling with other people on your workation, it will help everyone to have the best possible time if there is a common understanding of your work boundaries. Let others know the times you intend to work, so they can make their own plans accordingly.

On mine and Lisa’s recent workation in Wales, we travelled with family and stayed together in a holiday cottage. Lisa and I were the only ones working on the trip. By making everyone aware of our working hours, it avoided causing disruption to anyone else’s experience. At the same time, everyone else knew when we would need space for working.

As with anything in life, good communication makes life a lot easier for everyone.

Make it count

If you are taking a workation for the first time, you have a lot to gain from making a success of it. When your boss sees how effective you can be when working remotely, then they will probably be happy to allow similar arrangements in future.

So, enjoy yourself, make the most of your new surroundings, and hit your work goals – and build a world of possibilities for your future work–life balance.

6 great destinations for workations in Europe

Not everybody’s perfect workation will look the same, so choosing the right destination is not an exact science. Maybe you will find the ideal headspace for productivity at a private beach resort or off-the-beaten-path village where there are few distractions, or perhaps a funky hostel with working pods in a bohemian city will energise you better. Everybody is different.

Here are a few destination ideas for a workation in Europe to help get you started.

1.  Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is a vibrant city brimming with art, colour and flavour. Nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Catalan mountains, it’s a place that really has a bit of everything, from sunny beaches to breathtaking hilltop views. Its architecture is mesmerising, characterised by the mark of the legendary Antoni Gaudí.

With a modern infrastructure and laidback culture, Barcelona is also a great place to take a workation. You can spend your days working in quirky cafés or creative coworking spaces like Aticco, and then explore the city’s stunning Gothic buildings and taste its famous tapas and seafood.

See our guide to taking a workation in Barcelona to begin planning your trip.

2.  Malta

The small Mediterranean island nation of Malta brings sunshine all year round and offers a compelling alternative to your home office. Whether it’s the sandstone streetscapes of the compact capital Valletta or the rolling countryside and azure coastline, there are many ways you can mix up your working days with meaningful exploration.

With the main island only 27 kilometres long, it’s very easy to get around Malta. The lively areas of Sliema and St Julian’s are now riddled with coworking spaces, characterful accommodation and independent coffee shops, providing a variety of environments for working remotely.

Read our review of a workation at Hilton Malta to find out how you can enjoy a luxury remote working experience. We also took time to visit several coworking spaces in Malta to see what they have to offer.

3.  Cornwall, UK

Cornwall is one of the UK’s most remote and scenic regions, perched on the southwestern tip of England. A spectacular walking path wraps all the way around its coastline, incorporate some of the most breathtaking beauty spots in the UK. It’s an amazing place to visit, work and cleanse your mind.

Cornwall has become one of the UK’s most ahead-of-the-curve regions for remote working. Many of its vibrant historic seaside towns have seen recent growth in new coworking spaces, which is strongly linked to its adventure and watersports culture. Imagine heading out in the morning for a swim, a surf or a clifftop hike before arriving at your desk refreshed and ready to go. 

Our ultimate guide to taking a workation in Cornwall gives a complete overview of the remote working scene, from the best hotels with work desks to the most suitable towns and villages for a workation base. You can also read our guide to 8 of the best coworking spaces in Cornwall to learn more about the remote working community and facilities.

4.  Hamburg, Germany

Cities with a lot of water features make great remote working destinations. This is one of the reasons why we loved taking a workation in Hamburg, as it has more canals than Venice or Amsterdam! Taking walks along the waterside or hanging out by one of the city’s lakes is a restorative way to spend your downtime.

Hamburg is also a hotbed of culture and art, which means a creative and inspiring environment to work among. On your days off you can explore its museums and galleries, and maybe take a cruise on the river to unwind.

This is a city with a long history of coffee culture as well, which is clear to see in the many places you can sample it. Check out our guide to cafés in Hamburg for a working coffee and also see our review of two Hamburg coworking spaces to find the right remote workplace for you.

5.  Lisbon, Portugal

Spread across seven lofty hills, Lisbon is one of Europe’s most picturesque cities. Getting around is both fun and easy, utilising its labyrinth network of trams, lifts, funiculars and more modern metro and buses. The infrastructure is excellent for staying and working, and this is blended with a fascinating historical footprint as well as vibrant art and food scenes.

Lisbon is also one of the friendliest places we’ve ever visited. Everyone is so welcoming, and you will soon feel at home and find community. Known as the ‘City of Light’, it also has more than 300 days of sunshine per year, so you can enjoy good weather for a workation pretty much anytime.

Few cities have more coworking spaces than Lisbon; there are literally dozens spread across its various neighbourhoods. Here’s our review of 9 coworking spaces in Lisbon to help you find one. For all your other planning needs, read our guide to taking a workation in Lisbon.

6.  Mallorca, Spain

Mallorca is the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, and has a wealth of scenery and history to explore. The island is world-renowned for its brilliant beaches, but flies under the radar when it comes to many of its other advantages: captivating old towns, scenic mountain roads and outstanding gastronomy.

Palma de Mallorca, the island’s capital city, is a convenient base for exploring – set within an hour’s drive from pretty much anywhere on the island. It’s also brilliant equipped for remote working, its cobbled old town riddled with coworking spaces and cosy coffee shops. Our guide to coworking in Palma looks at some of the best spaces in the city to find focus and community.

The relaxed Mediterranean pace of life in Mallorca is the perfect vibe for a refreshing and productive remote working getaway. Intersperse your work shifts with walks on the seafront, afternoon tapas and drives into the countryside. For an in-depth guide, see our article on taking a workation in Mallorca.

What to pack for workations

Packing for a workation is a little bit different to packing for a regular holiday or vacation. You don’t just need to think about the clothes and accessories you need for your leisure time, but also the requirements for your working setup. 

With this in mind, these are some of the items to bring that will help you stay productive:

• A good lightweight laptop. Check out our guide to the best laptops for working remotely for some ideas.
• Portable laptop stand. Bringing one of these will help you set up comfortably and keep a good posture.
• Headset with microphone. Vital if you will be joining any virtual meetings or calls, especially if you will be using a coworking space. 
• Mouse and keyboard. While it’s fine to just tap away on your laptop, bringing the full complement of desk gear can make your setup more comfortable.
• Wifi dongle. You can use this as a backup if there is any disruption to your internet connection.
• Personal planner. Great for setting goals and tracking your progress. It could be fun to use on your outward flight to map out your workation timeline and objectives.
• Travel lock. This may come in handy for keeping your valuables secure, particularly if you stay in a hostel or other shared space.
• Travel insurance. Protect your trip against unforeseen circumstances. We recommend SafetyWing, which is designed for people who work remotely and travel. You can buy policies either on a long-term subscription basis or for specific dates for shorter trips. See our SafetyWing insurance review to find out more about how it works.

Are you planning a workation or do you have a story to tell about taking one? We would love to help, or even feature you in an interview series we are planning. Please feel free to drop us a line.

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