If you are a professional that works from your home office, you may need to spice things up a bit. Take a good look around your office and ask yourself if you need a change of scenery. Do you find the walls of your home office closing in on you as you repeat the same daily routine over and over again? It might be time to finally take a vacation.
But what if you’re booked up for the foreseeable future and your company needs you for at least a few hours every day? Work-life balance issues aside, in order to work around it, you can go on a work vacation—or “workation”—to kill two birds with one stone.
If you have the wanderlust and want to go out and explore the world while making some money in the meantime, take some time off for a workation. In this guide, we’ll give you six reasons why you should hop on a plane and spend your workation in an unfamiliar destination.
How to Take a Workation
Although a workation sounds like an immediate solution to a stagnant lifestyle, you can’t just drive to the airport tomorrow and get out of town without notice. It’s important that you always inform your manager that you plan to take a workation and see if that works with their schedule.
Just like taking a normal vacation, you should always schedule your workation in advance and go through the proper channels to ensure that everybody is on the same page. Of course, workcations are also mostly compatible with work-from-home jobs.
A workation is still a vacation, after all, so be sure to explain to your boss that, while you may be working, you still need to enjoy yourself and your vacation. To do this, ask your manager and other higher-ups if you can work half days for the duration of your trip. There’s no point in taking a workation if you’ll be cooped up in a hotel all day.
Now that you know what a workation is and how to schedule one properly with your workplace, it’s time to dive into the benefits of workations and how they can change your life for the better. Here are our six reasons to take that workation:
1. Can Increase Productivity
Workations can greatly benefit your mental health and, in turn, increase your productivity at your workplace. By getting out of your house or apartment, you can explore new places and climates in your downtime. If you get bogged down by gray winters, then a workation in a subtropical climate may increase your capacity to work.
2. Improves Creativity
By visiting different cities, climates, landscapes, and cultures, you are opening the door to boost your creativity. Every employer should value encouraging creativity at work, and being able to explore some new places will definitely help you get a new worldview and inspire your work process.
3. Explore New Places
If you have a wandering heart, a workcation is the right option for you. Exploring new places isn’t just for digital nomads in 2022, it’s also ideal for the modern work-from-home professional.
4. More Flexible Schedule
Workcations can allow you to create your own schedule on your own time while you enjoy far-off destinations. Allow yourself time to relax every day of your trip and set core hours for yourself. Make sure that you are adamant about turning off your email and instant messages at the end of your workday so you can truly unplug.
5. Support Local Businesses
When you’re practicing flexible hours on your workation, why not branch out and get a taste of the local cuisine. Spend your mornings working from a local coffee shop or popular breakfast restaurant. Take a productive lunch break at a cafe in downtown Winter Park or stay in a Gulf Shores beach rental. The sky’s the limit when it comes to how you spend your days.
6. Better Work-Life Balance
By taking a workcation, you are sending a message to your employer that you cherish your work-life balance. This balance is essential to maintaining healthy relationships in both the personal and professional sectors of your life.
Now that you know how to take a workation and the benefits of them, why not start planning? Treat yourself to the vacation you deserve so you can achieve a proper work-life balance.
David Timm is a copy editor at Siege Media. He currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska with his partner, two cats, one dog, and eleven fish.
