Answering emails or checking transactions while on a beach somewhere hot and lovely in the world was the dream of many. However, with the rise in the remote working trend, the script we just gave as an example is becoming a reality.
Hence the concept of workation. The word itself kind of tells you what it’s about. A workation is a vacation in which you also get work done. Basically, mixing business with pleasure.
It may be that for some people “work” and “vacation” are contradictory terms. They don’t like mixing the two concepts together. And that’s fine. But with the rise in remote working and with the norms of working in constant change, it’s good to at least consider the thought.
We are going to see when workation started to be a thing, what types of workation are out there, and we are going to top it off with some advantages and disadvantages.
When did workation become a thing?
Like many other working trends, it all started in the year 2020, a year we are always going to remember. There is no need to remind you that we were all sent home and remote working was born.
Even though 2 and a half years have passed since then and the situation is better, many companies realized that employees are more productive when working from home. For once, they figured there is no need for harsh supervision or for teams to work from the same place in order to be creative or to get things done. This is why nowadays we see many companies that encourage remote or hybrid working.
With people realizing they can work from their homes, they started to consider switching places from time to time. Yes, our homes are nice and cozy but what if we went and worked from a small village, the beach, or a cabin in the mountains? Wouldn’t a literal change of scenery be good for us?
This train of thought led us to the concept we are now talking about – workation. It came as a fine way for freelancers, business owners, creatives, or remote workers to go on vacations while also taking care of work and business. With remote working, the line between personal life and work has gotten thinner and blurrier, so this concept comes as no surprise.
Types of workation
Workations come in different shapes and sizes. They are like clothes: they are here to fit you and to suit your needs.
Workations are categorized based on length.
Short-term workation
This is only for a couple of days. Let’s say it’s the middle of the week, and you were not very productive. You found it hard to focus so you think a change of background might help.
So you hop on a train or in your car and drive a couple of hours, where you rent an apartment or a small home and work from there for 2 or 3 days while enjoying the silence and taking long walks in the evening.
And you just turned a dull week into an exciting one.
Medium-term workation
When talking medium-term, we are thinking of at least one week. This is when you might book a flight for another destination and you also pack up your laptop.
It may be going to the beach or visiting a new city. This is when you see people going in Bali or Thailand for 2 or 3 weeks to get work done while relaxing and visiting new places.
Long-term workation
Long-term workation is what we’re seeing on social media: people relocating for 6 months or even a year to work and live in another country.
It is best suited for freelancers or business owners, but you need to keep in mind that the costs are higher, as you need to pay rent in two places. There are many countries that are workation friendly and that even offer remote working visas.
Advantages of a workation
As for every trend, there are advantages and disadvantages. After all, it’s all about what works best for you.
Some advantages of workation include:
Increases productivity
The same as remote working, a workation may increase one’s productivity.
Sometimes, breaks in the pattern are necessary for increased productivity. Routines are great and healthy, but from time to time it’s good to give the brain a bit of change. For creatives especially, changing the workplace may come as a great way to come up with new ideas, find inspiration and step up the creativity game.
Broadens personal horizons
Travelling is fun, it gives pleasure and it broadens personal horizons. When travelling, you become curious, want to experiment with all sorts of things, and have a great thirst for knowledge.
If you are working at the same time, all of the above will reflect on your work as well. You’ll be more inclined to come up with new ideas, experiment more or broaden your professional horizons as well.
Gives individual freedom
We all want to feel like we’re our own masters. Being able to travel while working is one thing that offers personal freedom to the individual. If we feel that we have the liberty to make our own choices, we will show more courage and independence in the workplace as well.
Causes less stress
You are not allowed to b stressed out on vacation. The whole mood and scenery will help you be more relaxed and happy. Hakuna Matata.
Disadvantages of a workation
It requires strong discipline
In order for you to maintain your productivity, you need to have strong personal discipline. Getting distracted by everything going on in the background won’t help with your productivity. You must have your priorities in order to be able to get things done.
Can cause a lack of clarity
If you’re working with a team and you decide to take a medium or long-term workation, it may be confusing for others. What time can they find you or at what time do you log in? How do different time zones work and how is this collaboration going to go?
Make sure you have all of these in order so as not to complicate things for your team.
Lead to loss of work-life balance
If you’re a person that values work-life balance, workations may not be for you. However, if you like mixing business with pleasure, you won’t have a problem.
Workation can lead to the loss of a work-life balance as you may find yourself thinking of work when you’re supposed to relax and vice-versa.
You have to take care of personal logistics
When travelling and working, you need to take care of personal logistics. Equipment, internet, a place to work, taxes, talking with your clients, and everything else.
You’re not going to be welcomed in that place like you are in an office. You need to take care of those logistics and you need to make it well if you don’t want complications.
Looking for a place to work while traveling? Try Nooka. You can now find it at Cluj Airport as well.
