The Workation is here to stay
Usually, the typical worker and seasoned traveler are mutually exclusive. While one traverses the world, the other remains confined to their desk. But what if they could have both? Analyze spreadsheets by day and kayak the bioluminescent waters of Costa Rica by night? Meet the workation, the latest trend within the tourism industry’s vocabulary. A holiday which enables employees to maintain a full time job whilst exploring the world, this travel model has cultivated a growing fan base of professionals and companies.
The newer and younger cousin of bleisure—trips which combine business and recreational activities—the rise of the workation comes at an intriguing time. In a study conducted earlier this year, the Pew Research Center concluded that 61% of individuals would voluntarily work online, co-opting to leave their office in search of broader horizons. Restless from three years of travel restrictions and Covid lockdowns, many are now escaping their houses and temporarily moving to a new city. Here, they can still virtually respond to their bosses. However, they can also explore Malaga’s Alcazaba fort or get lost in Rome’s countless piazzas.
When we are traveling and moving around to explore the world while continuously working, the average monthly expenses for tourism per person has increased, leading us as travelers or should we even say nomad travelers, to be much more sensitive about the prices. So how can we keep on having fun and attending to different experiences, while keeping our budget on track where there is no price cooperation mechanism for booking our tours and activities.
Surprisingly, many fortune 500s are supporting the workation, citing increased productivity due to a better work-life balance and greater communication on platforms such as Zoom. This began in March 2022 with social media giant Twitter, whose CEO Parag Agrawal announced that “Wherever you feel most productive and creative is where you will work and that includes working from home full-time forever.” Although this breakaway from tradition was initially alarming, many have since eased into their new positions. This includes TheMuse journalist Eric Greenwald, whose article describes his colleagues enjoying workations in Washington DC and The Dominican Republic.
In summary, the workation is bringing new life into the tourism industry. One of the worst affected sectors during Covid-19, lengthy PCR tests and quarantine measures have made travel virtually impossible. Whilst the days of last minute flights and whistle-stop tours may well be over, this kind of holiday makes travel worthwhile for even the busiest of employees.
Workations have become the new stage for working remotely and will arguably accelerate economic recovery.
