4 reasons to go on a workation

After being influenced by my colleague Kristianne, I too headed abroad for a workation! During the pandemic, travel wasn’t up to much. Our tour of Canada got cancelled because of corona, and the replacement was a rainy week of camping in Germany. The famous ‘babymoon’ in the sun became a midweek break in Friesland, and for our first summer holiday with a newborn we played it safe: a cottage in Kijkduin.

All great fun, but at some point I really needed a bit of adventure. To see something of the world, to experience things. So when Partout gave me the chance to go to Spain for five weeks, I naturally grabbed it with both hands!

A workation with the whole family

At Partout the workation is a familiar concept by now, but at many other employers it’s still relatively unknown. Of course my family couldn’t stay behind for my workation, so my partner also had to pitch our plans to his employer. And it worked! In mid-September the three of us set off for sunny Spain.

We chose Valencia, which offers a lovely combination of city and beach. Going on a workation with a one-year-old does take some extra planning. We deliberately chose an apartment with a separate study where we could work in peace, and we divided the working week between us so one of us could work while the other was busy with our toddler.

4 reasons to go on a workation

The five weeks flew by! We enjoyed the sun, the beach, the delicious food and our family. After a lovely summer in the Netherlands, we tacked on another five weeks of summer in Valencia. Wonderful! Working from abroad went fine too. I was already used to working from home, so with a good workspace and a stable internet connection I could get plenty done from Spain as well. And there were more benefits; I’ve listed the most important ones for you:

1. A chance to stay abroad for longer without taking a sabbatical

If you want to go abroad, you’re soon limited to around 3 weeks of holiday. A workation gives you the chance to go abroad for longer without having to take unpaid leave. After all, you can spread your holiday days over several weeks if you work part-time from abroad. It was great fun to make another city your ‘home’ for a short time.  

2. Switching off from work faster

During my workation I noticed that I could switch from work mode to personal mode much more easily and quickly. At the end of the working day you walk to the beach and, just like that, you’re back in holiday mood. My days off and weekends also felt like a holiday, so on working days I sat down at my laptop fully recharged. That’s something I want to try to hold on to at home in the Netherlands: getting out and about after work and on days off to recharge my batteries.

3. A less abrupt transition from holiday to work

Another benefit of a workation: the transition from holiday to work isn’t as big. Normally you’re away for 3 weeks and, let’s be honest, it really takes some adjusting when you have to go back to work. This time, after two weeks of holiday, I started by working remotely 2 days a week and enjoyed my free time for the rest of the days. Once we were home, I carried on effortlessly with the normal working week: the full inbox had long been cleared, projects were up and running again and I was completely back in the swing of things.

4. Flexible and remote working really works!

Something I did less at home than during my workation: flexible working. When you’re in Valencia, you naturally want to make the most of it. So I was often at my laptop by 7.30am, so that I could head to the beach around 4.00-4.30pm. Every now and then I had lunch at a nice little café nearby. Laptop in tow, because you can work pretty much anywhere!

Workation at Partout

All in all, my first workation was a success! I realise how lucky I am to have a job and an employer that make this possible. So we’re already cautiously looking ahead to next year. If you have any good tips for great workation destinations, let me know! And would you like to go on a workation yourself one day? Then take a look at our vacancies!