During the Covid-19 pandemic, international travel pretty much came to a halt. As countries around the globe closed their borders and put extra security measures in place, people were forced to holiday a little bit closer to home. Staycations were all the rage and for a while, they seemed to fill a void. But now, we’ve moved on.
2022 is officially the year of revenge travel. Already, according to MarketWatch, 1.5 billion more passengers are flying internationally compared to 2021. It seems like the whole world is trying to make up for lost time with many households scheduling more than one trip abroad this year.
While multiple holidays per year sounds great, workers are still running into age-old problems, most noticeably, annual leave. The average employee in the EU gets around 25 days off per year which will soon be eaten up if you’re planning a week or two by the beach as well as a few city breaks.
Enter the workcation. Remote workers are now deciding to pack up their laptops and work from different locations around the world. So, instead of completing your 9-5 at a kitchen table in Trieste, you could be working from a French chateau or a vineyard in Tuscany.
Workcations may be one of the best perks of having a fully remote job, and Revolut is one company making it happen, by allowing employees to work from anywhere in the world for up to 60 days each year.
This is the first time in history when people can truly work from anywhere, but in practice, it isn’t all plain sailing. A recent poll on LinkedIn showed that many people are unsure about workcations, with 53% saying a vacation should be a vacation, end of.
If you are toying with the idea of working abroad this year, here are a few tips that you should keep in mind.
Check with your boss
Before you jet off to a desert island, you need to touch base with your line manager and make sure that workcations are allowed, as they can have tax implications, among other considerations. Plus, it saves you having an awkward conversation when your video background suddenly changes from your spare room to a hut on the beach.
Think about time zones
You don’t want to spend your workcation getting up at the crack of dawn or working into the night. Try to pick a location with a similar time zone to the rest of your colleagues (we recommend plus or minus two hours as a maximum). This means that you’ll still be able to attend all the important meetings but you can also go out in the evenings and have a social life.
Find a good coworking space
During your workcation, you probably don’t want to sit in an empty apartment on your own all day. This is where coworking spaces come in. Most major cities and towns have coworking hubs where you can rent a desk for a day or week. They will have high-speed internet, meeting rooms, and importantly, air con. It’s also a great way to meet locals and other like-minded travelers. Some will even have their own pool or bar; what could be better?
Plan out your workload
It might sound like a contradiction but workcations work out best when you don’t spend the entire time at your desk. While you’re away, schedule a few half days or long weekends off so that you can do the typical tourist things such as sightseeing or spending some time at the beach. You want to really experience the country you’re visiting. Don’t spend all your time as a slave to your laptop.
Take a proper holiday
At some stage, you will need to take an actual holiday. Nothing beats the feeling of turning on your out of office and knowing that you’re completely switched off for a few days. In order to avoid burnout in the future, employees and employers will have to make a distinction between workcations and full annual leave, otherwise, this perk could become a double-edged sword.
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