What is a workcation?

December 7, 2020

What is a workcation? A workcation or a working holiday involves taking a vacation not from your work but from the… actual office or any environment in which you work.

Workcation meaning

Going on a workcation means choosing a place in which to spend a week, a month, or even just a day or two, all the while working as if you were at home. Rather than working fully remotely from your home office or experiencing a digital nomad lifestyle, a workcation means taking a short break from your regular working routine but still being able to fulfil your employment obligations and resting at the same times.

The pandemic has already and will continue to change the way we work. Many of us are adjusting to remote working and this can be a big or small change depending on the individual. One thing is for sure, though: the year 2020 has greatly limited our mobility and our ability to travel. The workcation trend in this period is a direct consequence of both our new ways of working and our reduced freedom. While a full-on holiday may not be available to many, the workcation represents a compromise between taking a vacation and simply staying at home. Any other year, a working holiday may have seemed like a contradiction yet, as the trend grows since 2020, more and more people are succumbing to its appeal.

Workcation trend and benefits

The benefits of taking a workcation are not dissimilar to those of taking a normal vacation. The first and perhaps most apparent advantage is having a change of scenery. It’s so easy for us to get stuck in a routine, leading to a lack of inspiration, motivation, and productivity. Packing your bags and taking off to a new, shiny place has innumerable benefits on our well-being – it’s literally like taking a breath of fresh air!

You can choose the location that sounds the most intriguing: a quiet place in the woods or up high in staggering mountains, next to a serene beach, or in a fabulous city you’ve never visited. Changing your scenery will give you a boost of novelty and excitement and motivate you to refresh your routine; don’t be surprised if you find yourself waking up earlier to do yoga, taking an evening stroll, or even just trying some new food.

Workcations encourage us to be more aware of our surroundings and take more pleasure in noticing the little things. This has been a hard 2 years and, although you may not have had the vacation you were dreaming of, you can still get a little of that holiday feeling while not slipping behind on work.

To plan a successful workcation, make sure you put your work first

You won’t be able to enjoy the rest if you don’t feel like you’re being productive enough and that feeling of guilt can put a dampener on your working holiday! Second, the location is key. Hotels can be the base for a great workcation and the property you choose must be suitable for the kind of work you do. Before you decide, imagine how your working day would fit into a new place and which elements the hotel would need to have, for you to go successfully through your working day.

Good WiFi is obvious but also a quiet area, comfortable seating, and good lighting can all be fundamental. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with the reception in advance with any queries you have.

Which are the best hotels to work from?

When choosing your workcation hotel, there are a few things to bear in mind and these will differ from person to person.

  • First, you want somewhere quiet and calm so you can be productive and focused.
  • Second, you want something small and welcoming, to give you that cosy, familial environment.
  • Third, you want to make sure there is plenty of social distancing and health and safety measures in place, so you can protect yourself and others.
  • Finally, a unique and inspiring location will give you a refreshing change of pace that will both motivate you at work and provide plenty of activities for after-work enjoyment.

Based on these criteria, a boutique hotel is a perfect choice for your workcation. Small, unique, and with amazingly personal service, a boutique hotel is a destination in itself and is designed to feel like a luxury home away from home. They have exactly the right atmosphere to provide a backdrop to your remote working days and plenty of opportunities to relax and reset when the working day is over. As winter starts to draw in, finding somewhere in a sunny location means you can get a little more sunshine and some jaw-dropping landscapes to explore during your downtime, too.

The rise of the workcation trend means more and more people are choosing to change their environment and escape everyday life while still keeping up with their work. Thanks to their unique locations and impeccably personalized service, boutique hotels are a calm and inspiring location for any working holiday.

So what are you waiting for? Click here and see the handpicked selection of boutique hotels ready to host you during working hours … and beyond.