It’s over again, that beautiful summer. It will be a while before you can enjoy the bright sunshine again. You probably took some time off during the summer and now you have to get back to work. The standard work rhythm creeps in again. But it can be done differently with a workation. In this blog I tell you all about the different ways of working remotely. Limited by vacations and habits
In salaried employment you are limited to x number of vacations per year. When I worked for a boss myself, I always thought there were too few haha. In the summer you go away, then you bicker again until Christmas and in between you take a day off sporadically. After Christmas you have to grit your teeth, because then the parties are over and it is cold and dark outside. Freelancers have all the space they need to go wherever they want, yet it is a habit to do your work at home. I often hear that they still don’t use their freedom enough.
Make work a journey of discovery
Until you discover there is such a thing as a workation. A trend accelerated by corona, as we have been given more freedom in our workplace. Suddenly, working from abroad for short periods of time is possible for many more people. This allows you to travel more and escape from your home environment for a while. You no longer have to live from vacation to vacation, but have much more freedom to explore the world and relax more. In this way you can experience what it is like to be a digital nomad. Part-time that is, because as far as I’m concerned a workstation is always temporary, for example 2 weeks or a month. Long-term remote work is of course also possible, if you want to live abroad for a while. Only employers will have more trouble with that, which I understand. You do lose connection with your colleagues and it makes working together a lot harder.
What is totally a no go is to think that you can work remotely during your world trip.
Or if you want to explore another continent for a few months. I also traveled through Asia for a long time, but not in combination with working. You are then constantly distracted, on the road, have a lot of time difference and get way too many stimuli to be able to do your work dedicatedly.
Working from abroad temporarily
For a workation, there are numerous ways to carry it out. Some find it interesting to go on an adventure alone, while others find it exciting or unsociable. Some want to go with their colleagues and work on team building. Yet another wants to go out with a friend. There is no right or wrong, it’s just what suits you or your situation. It’s a great way to explore the world and get to know people from different cultures. Below I take you through the different forms of a workation.
1. Solo travel
Traveling alone. Some will now think “yes let’s go,” where others are more likely to have a panic attack. And, of course, there’s a lot in between. Solo, literally translated, is of course alone, but you are almost never really alone when you travel. At least, you don’t have to be. If you go for peace and quiet and want to work undisturbed, you can book your own apartment in, say, Stockholm and enjoy your workation there. You do your work from a different place and enjoy a different environment in the meantime. Not so solo
There are also a lot of ways to travel solo but still not go alone. Huh? That may sound crazy, but that’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned from traveling alone. Whether it’s backpacking in Africa, or a workation in Seville, you’re never really alone. After all, everywhere you go there are people. You don’t know them yet, but you can get to know them, if you are open to it. Maybe that sounds exciting, but if you give it a chance you will experience how much fun it is. That is the best thing about traveling alone, you are much more open to contact with others. And other solo travelers are also open to getting to know you. You have the choice whether you want to socialize or whether you want to be alone sometimes.
2. Coliving
There are plenty of ways to get to know new people. The choice of your accommodation is what makes the difference. The most familiar form is a hostel. This is where many solo travelers are and is the place to meet new people. Generally it is cheap and therefore attracts young people. There are also definitely hostels where you really don’t want to be if you’re going to work remotely because it’s one big party palace. But if you look carefully you can find plenty with an older, more serious, target group. Where more people are working during the day and it’s generally quiet. If you want to be surrounded by like-minded remote workers then a coliving is recommended. This concept has become increasingly popular in recent years and these also come in many forms. You have accommodations that are much like a hostel, where you share a room. Some also have dormitories. There is also a workspace. That can be a kitchen table where everyone sits together comfortably, but there are also colivings that have set up an office space. If you go to a warm country, there is often a swimming pool as well, great for a refreshing dip after your workday. Another way of coliving is a private apartment in a building with other remote workers. That’s exactly where I am right now as I write this blog. In Valencia, there are several. The one where I am now has 9 apartments and 4 studios. In the apartments you have your own bedroom with your own desk and share the bathroom, sitting area and kitchen with 1 other person. There is a common living room, office space and a large roof terrace. So if you want to be alone for a while you can go to your own apartment or bedroom, but if you are looking for sociability you can find each other in the living room. There is a group app where ideas for dinners, sports or other social activities are regularly suggested. All without obligation. In a few days you can easily make new friends that way. There are also coliving that go a step further and offer a complete activity program, making it even easier to make new friends.
3. Group tour
We all know the group trips where you go on a tour of Costa Rica with a group, for example. Or single trips where you go to the Ardennes with a group of bachelors. The group workouts are less known. It is the ideal way to do your first workation trip, for example, or if you don’t feel comfortable going alone. They are now often initiatives of enterprising freelancers who bring a group of people together in a beautiful place. They often arrange the accommodation and a nice program. In doing so, be a little careful who you book with, because there are also a lot of incompetent organizers. I speak from experience when I say that a group workation can bring you a lot of benefits, both personally and professionally. The workation I organized earlier in Valencia brought me new friends, whom I see regularly nowadays. One friend even lives 3 blocks away! There was also a developer on my team who just created my new website. I rest my case. Workations are awesome. Unsure if a workation is for you or your team? Go do it. Choose what format suits you and enjoy your work adventure. Do you like a group workation? From October 9 to 15 you can still join my group workation in Valencia. I also organize an XL workation with Basecamp IJmuiden in November. You can find all the information here.
