Imagine yourself: on a pearly white beach you close your laptop and then dive into the cool water. And that one minute after the working day has ended. It is all possible during a workation, a form of remote working. Only you are not sitting on the couch in your jogging suit, but somewhere from Southern Europe or on a luxurious beach near Bali.
From working by the pool or on the terrace and a short break at the beach: on Instagram and Facebook you can see countless messages from happy employees sharing their workation.
Popular
There are no hard figures, but several travel organizations indicate that there are signs that more people are going on workation. According to travel industry organization ANVR, the phenomenon of workation before corona was already known, but it really took off during the pandemic. According to the organization, it has decreased slightly after corona, but is still very popular with younger workers.
“We saw the search volume for the term workation increase enormously during and after corona,” reports a spokesperson for D-reizen. “The search volume is still rising. The percentage will certainly have increased, partly because working from home has become indispensable since the corona pandemic.” Sunweb also concludes that more customers go on workation both during and after corona. “We draw this conclusion based on the requests we receive.” TUI and Belvilla also confirm the popularity.
For many, a workation will still be a new concept. “It is becoming more and more common,” says Alieke Ingerman from Switzerland. She has been running Working Remotely for a year now, with which she organizes workations for companies and individuals. “Before corona we were in the office, then at home and now everyone is a bit searching again. The conversation about where you work is in full swing. Now that corona is over, you can work in freedom again.”
More freedom
For both companies and individual customers, the phenomenon is new and growing very fast, says Ingerman. “Due to the corona crisis, working from home and remote working has increased enormously. Because you naturally have more freedom where you work, you can also work abroad. Especially among the younger generation, they certainly have an extra need for freedom.” Ingerman notes that skeptical people often see obstacles when they are away from the office for a long time. “You’re not telling me that it’s a huge problem if you miss a few office hours.”
Workation is here to stay, according to tourism expert Goof Lukken of Breda University of Applied Sciences. “This is partly due to the younger generation between the ages of 18 and 22. They are now used to following hybrid education, part of which is online. That is here to stay.” He speaks of a new kind of phenomenon that is still being tested by entrepreneurs and organizations. “The fact that you always have to be in the office is a bit out.”
It is not just individuals who want to work at a different location for a while: companies are also interested. According to some travel organizations, more and more companies are asking about a workation for their employees. A spokesperson for TUI reports that compared to last year there has been an increase in the number of companies booking a workation. According to D-reizen, there are more and more companies that make a workation possible for employees and sometimes even encourage them to use it.
Different environment
But why do people go on workation? “Some go alone, to broaden their horizons,” says Ingerman. “Companies also do it together. Then you start team building and a group feeling is created. Sometimes someone has not accrued enough vacation days and goes on workation for that reason.” According to the ANVR, most travel together with other colleagues or friends. “What we often hear is that it feels good to be in a different environment. It stimulates the right senses and people come back more recharged.”
Do not work on a beach chair
Especially people who can work on the laptop go on workation. TUI reports that travelers mainly go to warm locations, but the facilities must also be good. “You can sit anywhere, but you must have a good and safe WiFi connection. You must also ensure that people do not bend over to sit on a beach chair with their laptop.”
Ingerman says that the location and time vary greatly. “You have companies that want to go away for a month, but the average is a week. I notice that destinations in Europe are popular. The weather is just a bit nicer in the Mediterranean countries. Spain is popular, but it can also be further afield, such as Bali and Curacao.”
But why would an employer just invest in a workation? “It has several facets of taking good care of your employees,” explains Ingerman. “You want everyone to be very happy at work. You can do that in this way. There is team building, that is an experience with each other. Another factor is that it is a challenging time for companies to retain staff and filling vacancies. This way you distinguish yourself.”
Fly Shame
With the current discussions about the climate and flight shame, the question naturally arises whether a workation is climate-conscious. “Do you really have to look further away if you are actually looking for a place to do your work quietly?” says tourism expert Goof Lukken. “Then we end up in the same dilemma as the tourist. “Can I fly? Am I really going further away? Or is that something you say: that’s not good? I would say, if your goal is to get away for a while, look closer to home. If you can’t afford this, you’re more likely to say yes because it’s attractive.”
According to Lukken, there are many flexible shapes, so that people have a choice. “There are companies that are paying more and more attention to sustainability aspects. That does not alter the fact that consumers are still tempted. We see a huge increase in the number of bookings. People continue to find travel attractive.”
Nevertheless, we have paid more attention to it since corona, says Lukken. “Nevertheless, there is an assignment for the industry to become more sustainable and to make people more aware. There is certainly flight shame, also among business trips and workations. However, that is not a reason not to go.”
