'Workations' Are the Latest Travel Trend — 5 Ways to Plan A Successful One

Lorelei Yang718

Wonky consultant with a passion for words

June 17,2019 at 8:02PM EDT

What is a workation?

While the exact definition of a workation is a bit fuzzy, Michael Metcalf, a writer for Timetastic, says a workation generally entails working remotely while resting only at the usual times (after the workday or on weekends, assuming that you work a standard five-day week).

Metcalf draws a distinction between workationing with working remotely largely based on the amount of time spent on a workation versus working remotely. While a remote employee is completely offsite and works from wherever they're geographically located at all times, a workationing employee is merely working remotely while on a temporary trip away from the office.

Types of workations

  • Vacation extension. If you're going on a family vacation and want to extend your stay by an extra week but either don't want or can't afford to take the extra week away from work, workationing the extra week while the rest of your family continues to enjoy their full vacation is a great idea.
  • Travel abroad. As long as you're not traveling somewhere where time zones are wildly mismatched (or your job responsibilities are flexible enough to accommodate a time zone difference), a workation can be a good way to explore a new country while still working full-time during the regular workweek.
  • Staying with family or friends. If your family or friends are especially far from where you work, short-term trips may simply not be feasible or practical. In such cases, workationing may allow you to extend your stay with these valuable people while also meeting your day-to-day responsibilities at work.
  • Visiting a long-distance significant other. For those in long-distance relationships, workations can be a lifeline that allows them to visit each other more often without sacrificing their careers.

5 tips for a successful workation

  1. Plan around your work. Remembering the "work" part of your workation is the most important element of ensuring that you'll have a successful workation. Plan your days around the hours you need to work and the things you need to finish each day, then relax and vacation around those obligations.
  2. Make sure your destination is workation-friendly. If you can't stay connected while on your workation, your trip is bound to be a failure. Before you head out, check to make sure that the place you'll be staying at has a stable internet connection and good cell reception.
  3. Stay professional. Even if you've told coworkers and business associates you may be interacting with while away that you're going on a workation, they still want to interact with "work you" rather than "vacation you."
  4. Establish a workspace. Setting a specific place as your workspace has dual benefits. It creates a clear delineation between your work area and the vacation area.
  5. Stick to a routine. Aside from maintaining your usual working hours, your overall sleep and wake schedule should not deviate too far from your usual schedule while at home.

Benefits of workationing

Workationing allows you to travel for longer periods of time than would be possible with traditional vacations. They also allow you to shake up your working environment and potentially gather inspiration from being in a new place.

Drawbacks to workationing

Some argue that the emergence of this trend merely speaks to how overworked and stressed workers are. Additionally, if you're workationing abroad, there may be tax and right-to-work implications.

How much does a workation cost?

The short answer is, it depends. A workation's costs are largely determined by:

  • Who organizes it (you or a structured paid program)
  • Where you want to go
  • How long you want to stay
  • Your spending on accommodation and incidentals

If you go the DIY route and stay for free, a workation can be no more expensive than simply working at home. However, if you decide to workation somewhere where you'll be spending money, the amount can vary widely from under $1,000 a month to $1,500-2,500 per month for professional programs.