Ten commandments about workation

Nothing is done without effort, and nothing happens if you don't start.

After working for some months remotely from Southeast Asia, an exploratory step in our innovation in human resources and work organization, I learned ten essential rules if you want your team (and your company!) to benefit from a workation period of your staff.

Commandment #1: Are you fluent in English?

A short period working for your company abroad is not enough to learn English. If the objective is to become fluent in English at a basic level, a workation period doesn't work. You won't be able to improve because you won't be able to chat with your local colleagues in English.?

Commandment #1 says: encourage English-speaking team members for a workation period!

Commandment #2: Which is the expats' target?

Expats are between 25 and 35 age. This is the core target. You can find younger people and some older ones like me (in the center of the photo). Even though I was the grandfather of the community, it is not easy for a Baby boomer to get readily accepted by Millennials.?For example, according to the International Welcome Desk in Barcelona, 80% of the expats arriving in the city are under 40 years old.

Contrary to your opinion, coworking members aren't below twenty and above 35. Expats are people with working experience, entrepreneurs, explorers, self-employed or business owners. All of them are very inspiring people; you won't find students, but all I met had an academic degree.?

Commandment #2 says: encourage your 25 to 35 aged team members for a workation period!

Commandment #3: Should I go west or east?

If you'd like to take advantage of your workation period, make sure you have time to explore the destination. If you only get your weekends off, then during a month, you will only have eight days to explore. If the weather is terrible during one weekend, your spare time is reduced by 25%.

Your perfect destination is always going east: consider Europe if you live in the USA. If you live in Europe, consider Asia. If you live in Asia, consider Australia or Tasmania, and so on. Always going east will give you free time during the mornings. In the east, it dawns earlier than for your colleagues at home.?

Coworking spaces indeed offer better prices for people working during the opposite hours. Still, being alone at night with all the mosquitoes (and even bigger animals) attacking you is not very funny!?

Commandment #3 says: travel to the east!

Commandment #4: Don't go alone

A short workation period will give you little time to make best friends. Humans need time to get confident with each other, which is longer than your stay. Going together for remote work will allow you to explore from the very first day and doesn't stop you from making friends. If this is not an option, consider (or negotiate) staying longer.

Commandment #4 says: better don't go alone, especially if it is a short stay.

Commandment #5: How long should the stay last?

One month is short; four are a bit too long, at least for me as a business manager. It depends on your role in the company, the domestic economy, and the patience of those waiting for you.?

What is clear to me is that a workation period for only a month is too short, especially if your flight is over 10,000 km from your home. A month flies by. However, four months is slightly too long, especially if you have a management role like me and you need to meet your team, clients, and partners physically from time to time. So, let’s say two and a half months is perfect!

I met a Polish business owner with over 250 employees in Poland, much younger than me, and he was already working remotely from Asia for eight months. There are always better examples in the world; keep them in mind.

Commandment #5 says: stay more than one month and less than four.

Commandment #6: Internet speed is key

Search for low latency (<40ms) +20 Mbps symmetrical and stable internet connection. If not in place, don't risk it. Remember: you are on workation for your company and colleagues; you are far away. There will be much envy back home. You can't afford to have internet interruptions. Imagine their mood if your video and sound get frozen.

Remember: workation is understood by your colleagues, providers, clients, and FFFs as vacations, not work. It doesn't matter how much you work. It doesn't matter how productive you are. You have a fucking extremely long break in their view! So you better ensure an excellent internet connection. Try to be always neat, attentive, and stressed.

Commandment #6 says: only select destinations with guaranteed low latency and a symmetrical fast internet.

Commandment #7: Coworking, not coworking cafe

Professional coworking companies have a highly unfair competition of coworking cafés, stores, shopping malls, consumer brands, and even banks offering what they call a "coworking" space. These are spaces where different persons use sequentially the same table, but this is not a coworking space. This is a flexible office space or just a café with an Internet connection, enough said.

A coworking space is a place where the relationship between coworkers is pushed forward. The real benefit of coworking is not the "flex" tables. The benefits are meeting other professionals, other companies, complementary services, or just inspiring points of view. At our agency, the eureka moment of solving our traceability between purchases and sales occurred during lunch, sharing the table and exposing our Achilles heel in our invoicing process.?

The picture of the Café Coworking is what you should NOT allow for your employees if you want to get inspiration beyond the latte art of a Cappuccino.

Commandment #7 says: get a table at a real coworking!

Commandment #8: Attitude

Workation abroad to learn from others and enlarge our vision needs a collaborative and open-minded attitude. A real coworking space is not an anonymous office where I work. If you encourage your staff to work remotely and you want to enrich your company culture, you need members open for socializing. The same rules apply to companies that believe in the benefits of a coworking instead of a closed and locked traditional office.

Commandment #8 says: only for open-minded spirits.

Commandment #9: Don't forget a good backpack

Workation far away from your home exposes you to surprises: extreme weather conditions, heavy rains, unexpected storage needs... What was my office survival kit:

• Multiple plugs (much better than a socket strip is a cube, even better two)
• A generous extension cable (more than 2,5m)
• A massive power bank; 5000 mAh, is not enough
• A laptop with an integrated numeric keypad and 15 inches screen
• As a contingency measure, I also had an iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard and compatible mouse
• A laptop stand
• A wireless mouse and batteries
• A mouse mat
• A decent USB hub
• A VPN subscription
• Dual SIM or, even better 2 mobile phones
• Flashlight! (especially in Indonesia)

Keep in mind that you should only fill half the suitcase. Living abroad reduces drastically your needs and, if you reserve space for the return, you can bring memories back home.

Commandment # 9 says: a (waterproof) backpack with a IT survival kit.

Commandment #10: Get a modern debit card (better two)

It is not my intention to promote a specific financial brand. But, if you experience a debit card like Revolut, Wise or N26, you will understand the difference. These are payment cards and financial technology banking services with compelling mobile apps. I would never again travel without such a facility.

Nikolay Storonsky, one of the founders of Revolut, was told that his idea was impossible to succeed in a conservative sector such as banking. Now, it is considered the most valuable UK tech startup. Please read about the risk before loading the card with all your savings.

Commandment #10 says: you need a solid payment method

Conclusions

These learnings were collected and observed during my stays in Asia for almost four months in 2022 and almost three months in 2023. I hope it will be helpful for your own experience.

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