To give you an idea of a workation, I like to share what my work week looks like when I work remotely. In it, I talk more about the differences between working from home or in the office. I notice that many people still don’t know what to expect. So here is an average work week for me. Usually I go away for about a week, although I was away for 3 months the other day. What your work week looks like then is really no difference. Your travel days
When you go abroad to work you will always have travel time. Whether you go by plane, car or train. It takes time to get from A to B. And that time is not suitable as work time. Sure, you can do something while waiting at the airport, but it’s certainly not a normal working day. It’s still reasonable if you take the train. Especially since they are often very comfortable trains for longer distances, where you have a platform in front of you to put your laptop on. But still, not ideal. So I almost always leave on weekends. Then you can travel at your leisure and also acclimate when you arrive. The same goes for the return trip. Do that in the evening or on your day off.
Preparing for a Good Workplace
In case you haven’t checked beforehand where you will be working on Monday, which I really recommend by the way, you can still do so on Sunday. Of course, doing a little bit of your homework is necessary if you are going to work in a new place. Maybe you rent an apartment with an excellent kitchen table or desk, then you’ll be done quickly. Otherwise, you need to find out where there are flex work places or which cafes are suitable for sitting with your laptop. Working hours
My working week starts on Monday around 9 a.m. That’s not necessarily necessary, it can also be 7 a.m. if you’re an early bird, or 10 a.m. if you just need to get going. It is convenient to work the same hours as your colleagues and any customers as much as possible. This is something you need to consider if you are employed. And also as a freelancer, if you’re dealing with externals. I have quite a lot of meetings, and they take place between 9:00-17:00, so I have to be online then.
In any case, always try to be ready by 5 p.m. at the latest, or preferably a bit earlier if you can catch up with those hours at another time.
Then it’s time to go out, the reason you work from a different place!
Then you can still catch the evening sun or you have all the time you need to stroll through a city or visit a special place.
Number of hours
You hear more and more that the most important thing is to do your job well and that it is less relevant how many hours you need to do that. Certainly self-employed people can determine their own hours. In employment, you have a contract in which it is agreed how many hours you work. Certainly more traditional employers will place great value on the fact that you actually make those hours, which makes sense. If you work 36 or 40 hours, consider taking a day off when you travel. Then you’ll have some extra quality time to explore a city or get out and about. But also if you work part-time and can take some extra time off. Discuss this with your employer and let co-workers know you’re not there. Just like you would normally do when you have a day off. With me, it depends on how busy I am with my work if I take extra time off. I usually go on workation at quiet times, so I often work 3 days then and take the rest off. If you love nature, as I do, then you can take that day off to go on a nice hike, for example. For that, you often have to be outside the city, so you need some extra time. Perfect for your day off. I can really enjoy that.
It suddenly feels like vacation that day. While before and after you just work, but you are immediately totally relaxed!
Leisure
Remote working from abroad is something you do especially if you enjoy traveling, meeting new places and new people. The balance between work and vacation is very important. As much as you need to take care of a good workplace, of course you also want to enjoy the place where you are optimally. You have probably already checked in advance what you want to do and see. It is useful to see what you can combine in one evening. This way you get as much as possible out of your adventure. There is a blog about almost every destination, so if you want tips you can find a lot of nice things online. Or of course oldskool at the local tourist office haha. If you google on for example ‘Seville’ and ‘to do’ you can amuse yourself for hours reading about this great city and all the highlights. Totally fun right! The anticipation can then really begin. You have another great trip to look forward to.
A Work Week in Stockholm
To give you an example, I describe my workation in Stockholm, one of my most enjoyable trips. I was there for 8 days, with a colleague/friend together. This city had been high on my wish list for years, but I actually thought it was too expensive. Remote working was therefore the solution! Then I could still go there, but not as a vacation where I would want to be constantly on the road and the costs would be high. On Saturday I flew to Sweden. Sunday I had the whole day to walk around the city center and then go out for a nice dinner. I stayed at the Generator hostel, which was more like a hotel. The lobby was super big, had great places to work and a chill background music. So a great place to work this week, and low budget. Monday night we went to a rooftop bar for sunset and drinks. The view was beautiful and you immediately forget you worked that day. Tuesday we went for coffee and work at a nice cafe in the afternoon. In the evening we went to a restaurant we were tipped off about on the other side of town. Wednesday was a free day, so time to be a tourist. Stroll through the quaint streets, take pictures of beautiful buildings and take a boat ride, because in Stockholm there is water everywhere. Thursday was a busy work day and we only went out for dinner around the corner in the evening. Friday I started an hour early so we could get into town on time at the end of the day. Vrimibo! Time for closing drinks and dancing in a nice bar. Saturday, after a wonderful work week, it was time to go home again. Do you want to go on workation? Then check out this location.