Going on a workation has become a firmly established part of modern working life. Combining two concepts – work and vacation – a workation can seem contradictory at first glance. Surely if you are working, you are not on vacation? However, the growth of remote and hybrid working, and the freedoms that this allows, has led to the development of a distinct travel phenomenon: the workation.
This article explains what is meant by the term workation and why it has grown in popularity so quickly. It then outlines the different types of workations and the destinations that are best suited to this type of ‘holiday’, before discussing the advantages and disadvantages of a workation and finishing with some tips on how to have a successful workation.
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What is a workation?
A workation, also sometimes spelt workcation or worcation, is an out of office experience that encompasses both work time and leisure time.
To put it simply, a workation is a combination of work and a vacation. The idea is that you can take a break somewhere, but still continue to work as you do so.
As workation is still a relatively new term, there is no single formal definition. It isn’t entirely clear how much ‘work’ one must do to be able to claim to be on a workation. Does picking up a few emails once a week count? How about producing 50% of your usual output? Or do you need to work the same or more hours than you would at home? And does it even require travel, given the popularity of the staycation?
Because these questions remain unanswered, the term workation remains somewhat subjective. As with many tourism concepts (most notably the definition of tourism itself), a working definition is useful. The following definition has been proposed:
‘A workation can be defined as a holiday, during which a substantial amount of time is dedicated to work.’ Dr Hayley Stainton (2020).
The growth in popularity of workations
The COVID-19 pandemic was devastating in many ways. Millions of lives were lost, the global tourism industry was all but shut down for much of 2020, and the world experienced an economic downturn not seen since the Second World War.
However, the pandemic also accelerated changes that had already begun. Technology has made remote collaboration far more efficient, and many workers are no longer tied to an office desk in the way that they were in 2019.
The concept of the workation has evolved in response to the new freedoms that many workers have gained. Remote and hybrid working have shown that many employees can work independently, and many employers now support remote working, in part to reduce overheads such as office rental. Research by MBO Partners found that around 18 million American workers described themselves as digital nomads in 2024 – more than double the 7.3 million recorded in 2019.
Technology has changed the way that people work. Video calls can replace some commuting and long-haul business trips, reducing both costs and environmental impacts, and workers can connect with colleagues virtually from almost anywhere with a reliable internet connection.
As a result, the working world is unlikely to return to the way it was before the pandemic. People can work from more rural areas, or even from other countries, and some researchers suggest this could help to reduce economic disparities between regions, as remote workers spend their incomes in the places where they live.
Remote working has caused the boundaries between work and home life to become blurred. For some, this is ok, and for others it is not. But what it does allow, is for us to design our own lives- a liberty that few workers had prior to COVID-19. Many now have the flexibility to work at the time that suits us best- not a morning person? No worries. Want to be there to collect the kids from school? Sure. Prefer to work Sundays instead of Monday? Do it. Want to find a cheaper way to live? A workation could just be the answer.
These blurred boundaries have worked their way into our vacation time too. Workers can merge their holidays with their work and design this in a way that suits them – and this is the workation.
Types of workation
Not all workations are the same. In fact, they can take many different forms and come in many different shapes and sizes! Generally though, we can categorise workations into the following three groups:
Short-term workation
A short-term workation is one that only lasts a few days. It could be a weekend break or a three day mid-week trip, for example.
Short-term workations are probably taken relatively close to home. It may involve taking a train or a short flight to a nearby area. A person who is based in London may, for example, travel to Cheddar in Somerset, Murcia in Spain or maybe even to New York for a few days.
Medium-term workation
A medium-term workation is likely to last a few weeks.
A person based in London could choose to spend some time by the coast at Burnham-on-Sea or they could spend a month in Iceland or Thailand, for example.
Long-term workation
Long-term workations are the most talked about. A long-term workation is when a person temporarily relocates to another area, using this as their base from which they can work.
Long-term workations often require special visas or permits, depending on the destination. Fortunately, many parts of the world are now offering remote-work visas in response to this new trend.
A long-term workation could take place anywhere in the world, from the east coast of the USA to the beaches of Fiji. This type of workation usually lasts anywhere from a few months to a couple of years.
The best places to go for a workation
Now that many people are familiar with the concept of a workation, they want to go on one! And the first place to start is deciding on where to go…
There are many wonderful places around the world that would make perfect workation destinations. Each person is unique and has their own personal preferences, however, common things that people are looking for in a workation include:
- Peace and quiet
- Low cost of living
- Excellent internet access
Where a person can spend their workation will depend on a number of factors, including:
- How much money they have to spend
- How easily they can access the destination
- Whether they have any other commitments
- Whether they will require any special visas or permits
Countries that offer remote-work visas
Remote-work visas are increasing around the world. They are often called digital nomad visas, but since the pandemic you don’t need to be a digital nomad to be able to work remotely. Remote working has opened up a wealth of opportunities for people in all sorts of lines of work to operate from their laptop from any location that they choose.
More than 50 countries and territories now offer some form of remote-work or digital nomad visa, and the number continues to grow. These visas are not given to everyone though- some require a minimum monthly salary and proof of income, amongst other requirements.
Examples of countries and territories that offer remote-work or digital nomad visas include the following (requirements change frequently, so always check official government sources before applying):
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Brazil
- Cayman Islands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Estonia
- Greece
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Portugal
- South Korea
- Spain
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates (including Dubai)
The benefits of a workation
Going on a workation can be a brilliant idea if you know how to work abroad effectively. Workations can have lots of benefits, from helping workers to relax to increasing the quality of their output. Here are the main benefits of a workation:
Increased productivity
Going on a workation can help to increase productivity. If a person is more productive, then the company can make more money- so this is a significant benefit for employers as well as workers.
A person can be more productive for two main reasons. The first, is that they do not have many of their home commitments- no/fewer chores to do, no unexpected visits from friends and family, no daily commute.
Secondly, there are often fewer distractions when on workation. There are no colleagues knocking on the office door and no extended lunch breaks with friends.
Of course, an element of self-discipline is required on a workation, but a growing body of research has found that remote and hybrid working can maintain or even increase productivity for many types of work.
Enhanced quality
Workations can also help to improve the quality of work. When people have fewer distractions, less pressure and are more relaxed they produce better work.
There is a reason that people go away on ‘writing retreats’….
Increased creativity
People can also be more creative while on workation. Again, this is because there are fewer distractions.
Many people claim that being amongst nature can help to enhance creativity. It is for this reason that rural tourism areas are often popular workation bases.
Improved staff retention
When people are happy at work they are less likely to leave.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is often used to explain motivation at work: when employees’ needs for wellbeing, belonging and esteem are met, they tend to be more engaged and less likely to leave. This applies to digital nomads, the self-employed and those who are employed by an organisation.
Flexible working arrangements can make a measurable difference – a 2024 study published in Nature, based on a randomised trial at Trip.com, found that hybrid working reduced resignations by a third with no loss of productivity. Improved staff retention saves companies money on recruitment and training. It also enables employees to undertake staff development to make them even more productive and successful at what they do.
The disadvantages of a workation
While there are certainly many benefits of a workation, it does also come with its disadvantages. The lines between work and leisure become blurred, you may not have all of the necessities that you need to hand and the required paperwork may be more than a person is willing to commit to. Here are the main disadvantages of a workation:
Loss of work-life balance
Aren’t we supposed to have a break from work when we are on holiday? Nope, not with a workation.
The reality is, that by amalgamating the two concepts the boundaries between work and leisure become increasingly blurred. When does work time end and leisure time begin?
Whilst some people are great at separating the two, by creating schedules, not checking emails after hours and having days off, others begin to merge their home and work lives.
Having a break from work is good for productivity and quality. If workers don’t have this time, a workation may actually have a negative effect on their work.
Away from home comforts
When a person is away from the office they may not have access to things that they need. Whether this is a strong Internet connection, a printer or computer software, not having these things to hand may hinder the worker’s ability to get done what they need to.
Personal logistics
There are also personal logistics to take into consideration, such as mortgages, schooling etc. Not everyone can just uproot and head off to a new location for a few weeks or months.
Visas and work permits
Legally working overseas can be a bit tricky. Most countries that will allow people to enter on a tourist visa, do not provide rights for these people to work.
Now, exactly what constitutes ‘work’ is subjective. Can a person check their emails whilst lying on a beach in Thailand? Can they catch up on the task they they didn’t quite finish while sat around the pool in Costa Rica? In most cases, the answer is technically no, however this rule is infrequently enforced.
As outlined earlier, many countries now offer remote-work visas, and this trend is expected to continue, opening up the world to remote workers in a way that has never been seen before.
Taxation
Taxation is another tricky subject. If you are living overseas, should you pay your taxes in that country or in your home country? Or somewhere else? The rules are not simple and this will really depend on where the person is based for their workation.
In some instances, the person may be required to pay taxes in both countries- so this is definitely something that the individual needs to research before travelling.
How to have a ‘successful’ workation
The final section of this article offers some tips on how to have a successful workation – that is, how to maximise the advantages and minimise the disadvantages.
Plan your time
Planning your time is one of the most important things that you can do in order to have a successful workation.
Setting specific working hours and taking at least one full day off each week helps to keep work and leisure separate. Using a digital calendar to plan how long to spend on each task, and scheduling proper lunch breaks, can also help to maintain productivity.
Bring the right tools
If you need specific items to be able to carry out your work, then it is obviously important to make sure that you pack these in your luggage.
This could include chargers, adapters, leads etc. It is easy to leave an important cable at home, so it is a good idea to make a packing list a few days before you go- this way you are likely to realise if anything hasn’t been included in the list and you can add it on.
Organise your work space
Having a specific work area is important. Whether you prefer to sit out on the balcony listening to the sounds of nature, at an office desk or feet up on the sofa, it is important to establish a work space at the beginning of your workation.
If you are travelling with colleagues, family or friends, let them know which area is your dedicated work space too. Where possible, a separate room with a door that closes can help to minimise interruptions.
Choose a ‘work-friendly’ destination
Choosing a work-friendly destination for your workation is also really important. Do you work better when it is quiet? Then maybe avoid big cities. Do you work better when you are around other people? Then maybe research co-working spaces. Think about what works best for you and go from there.
Workation: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about workations.
What is a workation?
A workation is a trip that combines work and a vacation. The traveller continues to work remotely while staying in a holiday destination, dedicating a substantial amount of their time to work.
What is the difference between a workation and a digital nomad lifestyle?
A workation is a temporary trip that combines work and leisure, while a digital nomad typically works remotely on an ongoing basis and moves between locations as a way of life.
Do I need a visa for a workation?
Often, yes. Most tourist visas do not technically permit work, so for longer workations many people apply for a remote-work or digital nomad visa. More than 50 countries and territories now offer one.
What are the benefits of a workation?
The main benefits include increased productivity, improved quality of work, greater creativity and better staff retention, as workers are more relaxed and have fewer everyday distractions.
What are the disadvantages of a workation?
The main disadvantages include a loss of work-life balance, lack of access to office equipment, personal logistics, visa and work-permit requirements and potentially complicated tax obligations.
Workation: Further reading
Recommended books on this topic:
- 40 hour work week
- Virtual Leadership: Practical Strategies for Getting the Best Out of Virtual Work and Virtual Teams
The concept of the workation had been growing for several years, but it was accelerated when the world turned digital during the COVID-19 pandemic. With remote-working opportunities and digital nomad visas continuing to expand around the world, workations look set to remain a significant trend in travel and tourism.
If you found this article on workations useful, these articles may also be of interest:
- What is a staycation?
- Business tourism explained
- What is rural tourism?
- How to become an independent travel agent
