No longer confined to five days a week, since the start of the pandemic there’s been a significant rise in the ‘workcation’, where travellers extend their vacation experience in new locales by staying an extra week or two to work remotely. Some even choose, conversely, to factor in a holiday around a stint of remote working.
It seems like the idea of a workcation is only set to become more popular globally. As the BBC reports “last year, a whopping 85% of 3,000 Indian workers said in a poll that they took a workcation in 2021”.
They go onto reveal that “over a quarter of Canadian workers say they want to take one this year; in a global study of eight countries, 65% of 5,500 respondents say they plan to extend a work trip into a leisure one, or vice versa, in 2022”.
Indeed, laptops have become even more of a mainstay in luggage than ever before, and an attractive spot on which to run them a must-have when choosing where to stay. However, planning a successful workcation isn’t as easy as it seems; to help you make the most of yours, here are 7 things we’ve learnt about workcations in 2022.
Time Zone Matters
It helps if you’re in the same time zone as your colleagues or clients, so you’re not getting work calls at ungodly hours of the day. That said, if you’re five hours behind or eight hours ahead, it means that you can get on top of all your deadlines and deliver work, reports, and such, early. Every cloud, hey?
Read: 5 of the most liveable cities in South East Asia for expats
Get A Virtual Assistant
Firstly, a virtual assistant is not a robot who completes your admin in an automated, impersonal manner. Nope, a virtual assistant is actually not much different from a traditional office assistant, except for the fact that they do most of their job remotely, from a distance. They are still 100% human.
There are a few routes to go down to find the ideal virtual assistant for you. You can, of course, find an independent VA – ask your networks for referrals or use online platforms where freelancers advertise their services, such as Fiverrr, Upwork and Freelancer.com.
Alternatively, consider using gig economy workers to help you with certain tasks. Oleo, who offer virtual interview technology, tell us that “after the great resignation, employers are starting to turn to gig economy workers. And why not? They can access global talent quickly, and there are many freelancers to choose from”.
Due to the exploitation associated with many forms of the gig economy, it’s essential that you’re paying your virtual assistants a fair wage within decent, agreed-upon hours.
A Good Working Setup Is Essential
Be warned; the ‘laptop lifestyle’ may not be as easy as you think. The use of laptops and makeshift office furniture, whether coffee tables or the hotel bed, forces some unusual working positions. Hunched backs, numb legs and stiff necks are symptoms that those on workstations often complain about.
Moreover, if your accommodation doesn’t have desk space or fully functioning WiFi, then working ‘on the move’ is going to become tricky. You’ll probably end up spending most of your time travelling from cafe to cafe, forever in hunt of working WiFi and spending far too much money on pastry and coffee in the process (more on that later).
As such, it’s important to book accommodation with a proper desk setup. We think an apartment, as opposed to hotel room, is the way to go; companies offering mid to long term stays include NomadX, Flatio, SpotAHome, and, of course, AirBnb, are your go to here.
You should aim to make your workcation workspace as ergonomically comfortable as possible. A portable, adjusting standing desk, and Bluetooth mouse and keybaords will be your new best friends.
Read: 5 IDEAL tech survival tips for digital nomads
Costs Can Add Up
Workations can get costly, especially if you haven’t been able to rent out your space back home.
Try to find accommodation with a kitchen, so you don’t have to eat out every night. Whilst this may initially sound like the dream, if you’re away for an extended period of time and have been working all day, often a night in where you can prepare your own dinner feels like a luxury.
It’s also a much healthier way to do things, both physically and mentally, helping you stay in control of your diet and your routine, the latter of which is essential when working on the move…
Get In A Routine
Here at IDEAL, we often extol the virtues of a routine. Humans are creatures of habit, and never has the sense of comfort found in schedule and predictability been more important than now.
When you’re on workcation, it’s important to try and settle in fast and find a new rhythm. If not, your productivity, but more importantly, your sense of inner calm, will suffer.
Be Conscious Of That Work/Life Balance
One of the problems with workations is that you’re rarely fully relaxing or enjoying that coveted healthy work-life balance. Your mind is often on work and distractions are ever-present with emails and notifications pinging away on your phone.
It’s also hard to be disciplined on a workation as you want to go out and have fun. On the other hand, it’s easy to get tangled up in work and end up feeling annoyed and resentful at all those missed opportunities for fun and exploration. It’s important, then, to find a balance that benefits both the intentions of getting away and your work.
Read: 7 ways to travel and work at the same time in 2022
Make Your Life Easier With Software
Communication when working from afar and maintaining consistency is important.
Although you won’t be able to hold face-to-face meetings, you will still need to hold meetings virtually in order to stay on top of your to-do list and ensure everyone is still working towards their targets. Therefore, it may be wise to invest in a virtual conferencing platform to hold your meetings; ZOOM, Google Hangouts or Business Skype are the leaders, here.
You can also your life easier with software like Leapsome to create goal trees and frameworks to keep your employees progressing and on-task, Slack to co-ordinate all kinds of tasks and targets, and Serene for cutting out unnecessary distractions. We’d wager the latter will be particularly useful!
If you’re keen to finesse yours even further, than check out these 5 IDEAL tips for a successful working vacation. You won’t regret it!