What is a "Workation"? | Everything You Need to Know

As communities around the world continue to implement social distancing guidelines, employees are forced to stay at home to work remotely. At the beginning of the pandemic, both companies and their staff feared what this might mean for productivity, but as time goes on, more and more people are figuring out the benefits of being able to work outside the office. While it’s true, many are itching to get out of the house, few are eager to return to the workplace. Instead, dreams of being able to travel around the world while experiencing new cultures seems to be gaining momentum, and while it may seem hard to fit both work and travel into your schedule, one of this year’s biggest remote work trends makes it easy: the workation.

What is a Workation?

The workation definition is simply a combination of work and vacation. It’s taking a trip while continuing to work online. They can be just a long weekend or last for several weeks, making it one of the most flexible remote work trendsto date. If you’re dreaming about spending the day on the beach without taking time off from work, here’s everything you need to know about how to work remotely on a workation.

What it means for the average worker:

For most travelers, a workation means working online during the day and then heading out to explore the city in the evenings and on the weekends. A work vacation also has flexibility, so if there’s a performance or tour during the day, you can often work around it. However, figuring out how to work remotely can be tricky. It requires advanced planning and coordination with your coworkers, but with digital documents and video calling, more people are finding ways for how to work online without missing a beat.

Where Should You Book a Workation?

While you may want to trek off to a remote corner of the jungle, the key to how to work remotely is to have a reliable internet connection, so you’ll want to book your workation at an established hotel or resort. To be able to focus while working on vacation, you should also make your travel plans during the destinations off season when crowds of tourists have headed home and loud parties won’t disrupt your work day. Plus when you book your work and travel at an all-inclusive resort, you won’t have to worry about cleaning or cooking after a day of working on vacation.

Cabo San Lucas, and other beach destinations in Mexico, are great for workations. Not only do they have some of the top all inclusive resorts in North America, but they also recently received the Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council. In addition, the country as a whole has been downgraded from a Level 4 Travel Advisory to a Level 3 by the U.S. Department of State, meaning you can feel confident in booking your work vacation on the sunny shores of Mexico.

How Can You Balance Work and Vacation?

The workation definition includes both work and vacation, so it’s important to have plenty of both. Rather than rushing out the door and filling every day with tours and activities, it’s important to create a work schedule that lets you stay in touch with your coworkers and feel accomplished at the end of your work vacation. This way, you won’t return home to a long to-do list and a inbox full of emails waiting to be answered. However, the point of combining work and travel is to have a vacation without taking time off, so when it’s time to clock out, shut down your computer and turn off your email notifications. Spend the rest of your work vacation lounging on the beach, touring the city, and enjoying leisurely dinners. This way, when you return home, you’ll be feeling well rested and ready to get back into your daily schedule, making all your coworkers ask “What is a workation?”

This year’s biggest remote work trends aren’t just for full-time digital nomads. The workation definition creates another option for how to work online for more people. By working on vacation, you’ll be able to travel the world without using up all your paid time off, and when you come home, you won’t feel like you’ve fallen behind. By making a clear plan with your coworkers and boss for how to work online, you’ll be able to clock in from paradise and spend your day answering emails while looking out over the ocean.

Everything You Need to Know about "Workation"