PROs & CONs of Workations

As “The Workation Concierge” & founder of the Executive Remote Worker community, I’ve spent the past few years educating & helping business professionals take workations.

My definition of a workation is: traveling somewhere interesting to live & work remotely for extended periods of time (like longer than a typical vacation).

Below are my thoughts on the PROs & CONs of workations.

?

?5 PROs of Taking Workations

?1) Increased productivity

Business professionals find a boost of creativity & productivity when they switch up their work environments. They discover a new energy with a laser-focus on value-add tasks which ultimately leads to increased productivity & job performance. This fresh perspective & point-of-view also help them solve the problems they’ve been struggling with back in the office.

?

2) Work-life balance

Going through the process of planning a workation inherently lends itself to improved work-life balance while on a workation. The successful business professionals I’ve worked with are very mindful about allocating sufficient time for both work & play. It’s important to ensure business professionals taking workations have everything they need to be successful & effective at work while also scheduling enough time to do all the fun stuff when they’re not working. When it’s time to work, they work. When it’s time to play, they play.

?

3) Reduced stress

A well-planned workation has a clear schedule that sets expectations & boundaries before, during, and after a workation. Clarity is the best remedy for alleviating stress. Engaging in leisure activities and exploring the local destination ultimately leads to a sense of relaxation & rejuvenation.

?

4) Cultural immersion

Business professionals who can work remotely can travel for longer periods of time than their typical vacation by bringing their work with them. This additional time gives them more opportunity to immerse themselves in the local culture, experience local cuisine, and learn about local history & traditions. These authentic experiences are the reason why people are so passionate about traveling.

?

5) Networking opportunities

There’s little doubt that exploring the world opens the door to expanding your personal & professional network. Travelers invariably meet & become friends with people they cross paths throughout their travels. The caliber of new people workationers meet while traveling is world class – from diverse backgrounds, places, and industries.

?

?5 CONs of Taking Workations

?1) Distractions

While workations offer a change of environment, they can also introduce new distractions. Being in a new place can make it challenging to focus on work, especially if you’re tempted to explore. In my experience, the people who struggle with distractions most are the ones who have not made the mindset shift from ‘vacation’ to ‘workation.’ A month-long workation is not just a 1-week vacation times 4. A workation is not a vacation and it is not an opportunity for slacking or working less than normal.

?

2) Dependency on Connectivity

The cornerstone of workations is the ability to work remotely. Therefore, access to fast, reliable internet is critical. It’s essential business professionals on a workation have stable internet connection to avoid disruptions in work-related tasks. If not, they risk a successful experience as well as their professional credibility. Unfortunately, internet & wifi can vary wildly from city-to-city & accommodation-to-accommodation. That’s why it’s so important to do sufficient research & due diligence when planning a workation.

?

3) Limited time for relaxation

Balancing work responsibilities with vacation activities can be challenging. It’s important to allocate sufficient time for relaxation, leisurely activities, and to disconnect from work obligations. With a thoughtfully-created & effectively-communicated plan, workationers can mitigate the risk of their work overtaking your fun.

?

4) Increased planning and coordination

While some people think travel agents can help them plan their workation, there are some unique nuances to planning a workation vs planning a vacation. First off, workations are longer than typical vacations. They also require additional planning and considerations like finding accommodations with kitchens & comfortable workspaces, navigating time zone differences, and managing work-related tasks effectively. Remember, a 1-month workation is not just “a 1-week vacation times 4” – normal, everyday living & working has to happen too.

?

5) Cost considerations

Workations are longer than a typical vacation so it stands to reason workations might be more expensive than a vacation. Additionally, there are other costs unique to workations like accommodations with kitchens & suitable workspaces, coworking space fees (if desired), and any extra equipment you need to work remotely. However, there are several strategies you can employ to minimize and/or off-set these unique costs. In fact, in many cases, a 4-week workation can cost the same (or less) than a typical 1-week vacation!

?

?Conclusion

Any organization that wants to be relevant in the future will need a laser-focus on attracting & retaining top talent.

To do so, I believe they need to incorporate some version of workations as an employee benefit.

Each organization will need to consider their unique company culture, employee base, & competitive landscape to implement a customized & suitable workation offering for their employees.

Did I miss any workation benefits &/or challenges?

If so, please leave them in the comments below!

??? Also, if you're ready to take a workation but need some help, click?HERE ?to shoot me an email or DM me on LinkedIn to get started!