Workation: Ways to Work and Travel at the Same Time

Being able to work and vacation around the world sounds like a dream, but for a steadily growing percentage of the workforce, the desire to learn how to work remotely has led to new careers and opportunities. Especially in today’s climate of social distancing, figuring out how to work while being away from the office is more important than ever, and while it may seem like a disadvantage, many are taking the opportunity to change their scenery, even if just for a short while. If you can’t be in the workplace, why not take your home office somewhere else, like on a workation?

What is a workation?

One of the biggest remote work trends at the current moment is a workation. What is a workation? The workation definition is exactly what it sounds like: it’s work + a vacation. While working on vacation used to be considered a faux pas, people are discovering different ways to see the world while increasing their productivity and creativity. Not too long ago, it may have seemed hard to find jobs that are 100% online, but more and more companies are offering positions that allow you to work and travel at the same time.

Take a Workation

In today’s world, most jobs have an online component, and if you organize your work well and communicate with your coworkers, you can arrange a workation that lets you work and vacation at the same time. For most, this is the easiest option for how to work remotely. During the day, you can focus on how to work online while relaxing with a view of the oceans or mountains, and you can even check out local cafes to work in each day. When it’s time to clock out, you’re free to explore your destination, soaking up all the beauty and culture around you. Before doing so, it’s important to explain to your boss and coworkers what is a workation so that they know what to expect when you’re out of the office. They may even be tempted by the workation definition to try it themselves.

Create your own Opportunity

Many jobs require employees to work and travel, but if yours doesn’t, you can create opportunities yourself. Maybe there’s a new client in another city, a potential partnership on the other side of the globe, or a travel destination that should be featured by your work. Building contacts and seeking out opportunities shows your initiative, and it’ll help you find chances to work and vacation at the same time.

Register for a Conference

Most jobs encourage professional growth, and finding a conference to attend gives you a work vacation that’ll inspire you in new ways. After spending the mornings working on vacation, you can explore the destination in the evening. Throughout the conference, you’ll be networking and building relationships that can lead to more chances to work and travel in new places. What’s more is that if you can’t find a conference in the destination of choice, you could always suggest one and organize it for your office, encouraging others to work and travel with you.

Find Remote Work

The workation definition applies to temporary trips, but if short term trips aren’t enough, it’s time to learn how to work online full time. Many of the options for how to work remotely are in the tech field, but there’s also jobs in education, the arts, hospitality, and customer service that teach you how to work online so that you can travel to your heart’s content. Recent remote work trends show that an increasing number of employees are opting to go this route and finding personal and professional success while doing so. Choosing to work remotely will give you the opportunity to take a full time work vacation with a flexible schedule to go where you want to go.

Choose Where You’ll Work and Vacation

As more and more individuals work remotely in order to social distance, feelings of isolation can creep up, which is what makes taking a workation such a great idea. Getting out of town while still being able to properly social distance is extremely important. With that in mind, choosing your destination might seem tricky, but with Safe Travels stamps from the World Travel & Tourism Council and insights into the Travel Advisories put out but the U.S. Department of State, you’ll be on your way to finding the perfect location for your workation. In fact, there are a number of destinations along the coast of Mexico that combine elements of paradise with the necessary protocols to keep you safe during this pandemic. What's more, the U.S. Department of State just downgraded their Travel Advisory for Mexico from a level 4 to a level 3, giving you even more reason to trust in the safety of your destination, whether it be Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit, Los Cabos, the Islands of Loreto, or Cancun.

Once you’ve read about what is a workation, you’ll be ready to pack your bags, and while some jobs lend themselves easily to working on vacation, you may need a little creativity and initiative to create your own work vacation. No matter how you travel, remote work trends have shown that getting a new perspective while traveling pays off with increased productivity and fresh creativity, making it a win for both you and your boss.