Workation or how to combine travel and work

For months we have been hearing about the “job”. Contraction of Anglicisms “work” and “holiday”, this neologism defines the fact of teleworking in a flexible framework, traditionally reserved for leisure. The workation was born in a country where holidays are rare: the United States. Workers have an average of 10 days off per year.

The development of digital has enabled freelancers and other employees in the tech world to extend vacation stays by settling down with their computer, typing on their keyboard away from the daily plan-plan. In the evening, at noon or between two meetings, they can take advantage of the surroundings and relax.

According to a study by the Booking.com platform carried out in 2020 among 20,000 travelers in 28 countries around the world, 37% of them planned to book a vacation spot to stay and work there. “Remote work has irreversibly become fashionable […]with the effect that people in the future will seek longer journeys that combine work and pleasure more effectively than ever.”claims Booking.com.

The joys of telecommuting

Benoît Raphaël, founder and managing director of the French startup Flint, is one of them. A “one way ticket” heading for South Asia in his pocket, this Frenchman took a bag, his computer and flew away overnight. From Bali or Bangkok, the 50-year-old continues his entrepreneurial adventure without shaking up his way of working too much.

“We were already working full-time from home with my partner”, he tells us on the phone from Bangkok, where he is stopping over for a month. And as for the jet lag, “we have collaborated with a lot of freelancers from Montreal for example, so this working method has not changed too much”, he says. He schedules his appointments according to French time zones. “At the beginning, I still had meetings at 6 p.m. (1 p.m. in France), says Benoît Raphaël. I missed the sunset while in Bali, it’s a ritual”. Since then, he plans four meetings maximum in the afternoon and leaves for the weekend on a desert island. “It’s a rhythm to find”, he explains.

This way of working has gained momentum with the Covid-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of digital nomads increased by 49% in the United States, according to a report by MBO Partners. Then the workation seduced the rest of the world. It now affects between 20 and 35 million people. And this number is expected to grow in the coming years.

“I spend less time working but I am more efficient”

But if the very idea of ​​working in a place dedicated to holidays makes you dream, the concept raises questions. While the boundary between private and professional life has disappeared in many homes with the generalization of telework, the notion of well-being at work has become a worrying subject. In the majority of workation cases, the feedback is positive regarding mental health, productivity or creativity.

Benoit Raphaël affirms that this departure allowed him to take a step back on his working methods. “I put the notion of productivity into perspective. I spend less time working, but I’m more efficient, dodging interruptions and unnecessary meetings”he says.

Since Bali, the stress level of the entrepreneur has dropped considerably. His box is not yet profitable, the financial pressure related to his way of life has also decreased since his installation on the island. “Life is cheaper and I cost less to my company”slips the interested party before affirming that this departure was “good for mental health”.

Holidays vs. work: an antinomic ideal

In a way of life like this, freelancers will be more likely to find benefits even at the end of the world, set on another time zone. “It’s true that when you’re an employee, you can find yourself in a meeting at 1 a.m. and in this case, you don’t benefit too much”says Benoît Raphaël.

A concept that not everyone agrees with. Albert Moukheiber, doctor in neuroscience and psychologist, struggles to find the meaning of this invention that is workation: “Either we work or we are on vacation, but we cannot do both. This concept ultimately hides a name known to all in order to make telework more pleasant in a world of work in crisis. From a point of view ethics doesn’t work. Conversely, does vacawork work? Can I invite friends over for a beer at the office?”he asks.