How to Take a Workation
Explore the world while you work during a workation to your dream destination. Learn about the concept, why you should give a working vacation a try, my recommendations for a successful workation and more in this post!
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I have always been fortunate to have the flexibility to work remotely, even in the early days of my corporate career (like… 15 years ago… ooofff).
Thanks to this flexibility, I’ve taken many workations, from long weekends in the mountains of California to weeks with family in France, Canada and Brazil, as well as more than a month in Portugal, and so on.
Luckily, in today’s world, working remotely has become possible for many people and so has the idea of workationing.
In many types of work that can be done remotely, employers can see that a successful workation has a positive impact on employees’ mental health. It also can increase productivity and job satisfaction. Not to mention, a new setting tends to help people’s creative juices flow.
In fact, some companies have even started to organize group workations.
But, in my opinion, the best workations are the ones you just take with your family or by yourself.
Read also: Tips for Taking a Successful Workation, 10 Things to Pack for a Workation – My Favorite Equipment for Remote Work.
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What is a workation?
The word workation combines the words work and vacation.
It’s basically when you travel somewhere but keep working remotely – like, working while on vacation.
Sadly, not every job is a good candidate for a workation. You need to be in a line of work that can be done remotely, as well as, have a flexible team and schedule.
Why are workations so popular?
Would you not prefer to work from a fun location instead of your usual office space?
Exactly! One of the reasons why workationing is so popular is because people who have the flexibility to work remotely are finding it’s a way to experience different places on reduced PTO since you continue to work while away.
This is also a great opportunity to spend more time with family who live farther away, or vacation with your family more often.
How is workationing possible?
In addition to a work that can be done remotely and can be flexible, all you need to workation is a good internet connection and your work equipment (like your laptop, etc.) and ta-da, you can log in and get to work!
In some situations, you won’t even need your cell phone to work. If you have a good internet connection, you can just jump into Teams, Zoom, Slack and any other online platforms you might already use.
Should you need your cell phone, make sure to check that your plan includes international coverage. If it doesn’t, your carrier can help you add that in for a fee.
How much time can you spend on a workation?
That’s up to you and your employer!
You can take a workation for a long weekend in a nearby location, or you could take a couple of weeks, several weeks or even months(!!!). That’ll just depend on your employer and your personal finances.
How does workation really work?
1. Research and pick the right location
Whatever destination you pick, make sure it has all the things you need to be able to do your work without major interruptions.
Having reliable internet is a no-brainer so you can stay connected.
But you’ll also need to choose accommodations that will provide you with a good working space. Whether you’re looking at an Airbnb or a hotel, make sure to consider what else you’ll need to get your work done in the space before booking.
For example…
- Some people absolutely need a desk, while others are fine with a bar top and others are OK to bury their computers in the sand…
- Do you need absolute silence to concentrate and take your calls? Or can you work from coffee shops?
There’s no right or wrong answer. Just choose an accommodation that will work for what you need.
2. Negotiate at work
In some jobs, you may not even need to do this because you already work remotely and that’s that. Some employers don’t care where you are as long as you can do your work in the allotted time.
In other jobs, you may need to discuss a plan of action that can work for both you and your employer, especially if you’ll want to get some PTO on the books.
Talk with your boss to decide if you’ll take some PTO, how much of it you’ll need and how you will be working differently, if at all, while away. Think of things like if you need to adjust your work hours and availability to make up for being in a different timezone, etc. (I have more on this below.)
What I always tried to do when I worked a corporate job was maximize my time to have to take the smallest amount of PTO possible in a way that didn’t disrupt my and my team’s working routine.
For example, I would work roughly a normal day, but leave work an hour early when my schedule allowed. Or, I would request to use an hour or two of PTO to be unavailable for a period of time so I can go and explore. Getting in later, taking longer lunches, etc. are all ways to get creative with this. Obviously, always being conscious of my schedule, responsibilities, the time I was committed to be working, and most importantly, what was agreed upon back at work.
Using PTO Creatively
When I worked for a company based in California and was workationing in Portugal for a month and a half, I used my PTO in a way that worked for me and my employer. This meant I used my PTO in mixed blocks of a couple of hours/day, half days and full days.
Here’s an example of what I did: Monday-Wednesdays, I took 2 hours of PTO and committed to working only 6 hours/day, from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. European time (5 a.m. – 11 a.m. California time). In those 6 hours, I committed to being available for meetings for 3 hours of California time — from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m., which is 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. European time.
This mix left me with a full morning to explore, and plenty of time to enjoy a dinner — all using just 2 hours of PTO/day.
On Thursdays, I worked half days, which meant I committed to working 4 hours/day. I was only available for a California time overlap for one hour, from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. On this day, I worked from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. European time (5 a.m. – 9 a.m. California time). And sometimes, I’d shift this if I wanted to spend the entire day out, including the afternoon. I would just come back and get to work after dinner — say, from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. or 8 p.m. -12 a.m. And if I didn’t have any meetings scheduled, I’d do my 4 hours in the morning, then take the rest of the day off.
On Fridays, I took the whole day off for a 3-day weekend. This way, I could explore farther away in the city, go on road trips, etc. without having to worry about checking in with my work.
Every week of that month and a half was different. I would adapt and change my schedule when needed. So, if an important meeting came up, etc., I was able to shift my schedule. My work was flexible with me, so I was flexible with my work, too.
3. Make a solid schedule.
Workations are about finding the right balance between work and play. Having a solid schedule helps you track your responsibilities and fun activities side by side. (See my examples below.)
Establish how much time you want and need to spend working productively. Then, start to pencil in some fun around your work responsibilities.
Start with the easy, little things like taking a longer lunch by the hotel pool, going on a stroll around the hotel… Then think of things like taking a walking tour of the city!
See two schedule samples below to get a visual of what I’m saying.
Here are two examples of how to plan a workation schedule:
During my corporate life, when I workationed at a new place for more than a week or two, I always requested Fridays or Mondays off. Ensuring I had a 4-day work week and a 3-day weekend was always where I started.
Then, sometimes, I tried to get Thursdays off, too. It all depended on my work schedule.
Here’s an example:
This way, I only used a fraction of the PTO that I would have needed to use to go on a full-time vacation.
This was particularly great when I only had 10 days of PTO per year.
I could budget to use a handful of days throughout the year to go snowboarding or to attend someone’s wedding in San Diego or anything in between. Doing this helped me visit multiple places, as opposed to only taking one vacation per year.
Here’s another example. This one includes taking Monday off, instead of Friday:
I do know set ups like these may not be possible to accomplish for everyone in every work place and situation.
These are just to illustrate some scenarios. The possibilities could be endless. It’ll all just depend on what works for you and your work.
I am sharing this because I didn’t know I could do this until I tried talking about it at work. I negotiated, and it worked for everyone.
4. Bring the right equipment!
A workation will really only be successful if you bring all that you need to be able to do your work productively. Otherwise, buddy, you are just on vacation. lol
So make a list of whatever you need to get your work done, and be sure to also check out my list of 10 things to pack for a workation!
Is a workation for you?
That depends on the type of work you do, your employers’ flexibility and YOU! If these stars align, then definitely yes!!
If you manage your time well, you can plan your workation wisely so you have time to work and play, and you can switch between work and play quickly.
While some may say that workationing can disrupt one’s work-life balance, I think it actually increases my work-life balance. It provides me with more opportunities to relax and change settings, as well as see new things, and not let my work determine where I can and cannot go!
What do you think? Did I miss anything?
Have you taken a workation? How was it? Tell me below in the comments!!
