Workation, remote work or digital nomadism – what is what?

Workation, I thought for a long time that it was just another terrible Denglish word – a weird mix of German and English. It is made up of the actually contradictory terms work and vacation. During my time in coliving in Switzerland in the winter of 2024, I also heard the word over and over again from non-German-speaking people. Therefore, I am not so sure whether it is really Denglish or not 😉 However, here you can find some tips for your workation and insights on my past workations.

In a nutshell: My tips for your workation

• If you are employed: talk to your boss or your company as early as possible, as there are some legal things to think about
• Solo Workation: as soon as you know where you want to go: look for Colivings or places where there is a Digital Nomad community
• Colivings: try to get as much information as possible about the place and see if it’s a real Coliving
• Accomodation: ask about internet speed and if there is a working desk
• If you have a lot of meetings: consider the time difference. From experience, I can tell you it’s no fun to work for German clients from PST (Vancouver, Canada) which means working at night.
• Don’t overplan: It’s tempting to go out and explore your new area every day after work. But it’s also really intense. So leave some time for spontaneous activities or just doing nothing.

Most people I have met in the last 3 years of my digital nomadism who have worked while traveling have tended to call it remote working. By the way, the majority of them were employed by a company or worked as freelancers, so they are more of a corporate nomad. By definition, digital nomads tend to be self-employed and/or have their own business. I have yet to meet a digital nomad who earns a living from passive income – the dream of all digital nomads.

My start as a Corporate Nomad

Incidentally, I spent most of my time as a corporate nomad. My company at the time was very open to working from other European countries, and in the winter of 2021, I took advantage of that by quitting my apartment in Munich and flying to La Palma with my laptop and hiking gear. Spoiler alert: I’ve been back to the Canary Islands four more times and am currently planning my next visit to celenrate my nomad lifestyle.

The term workation is getting more popular and is a combination of work and vacation. More and more companies even promote that they allow workations or even organize workations for their employees.

However, for me remote work & workation where always a way to stay longer in beautiful places. After or before work I was able to go hiking or for a swim in the ocean. I will share my experiences here on the blog – so make sure to subscribe the Mountain Brat newsletter and don’t miss any new posts!

Implementing a workation

If you are employed and considering taking a workation, you have two options: just go for it and don’t tell anyone. In 2021, there were a lot of them in the Canary Islands. You just have to be careful with (health) insurance. Personally, I can’t recommend it. I would rather advise you to talk to your boss early on. If you have convinced her, she can also support you with the HR department. There are some legal and insurance-related issues to consider, so there is definitely a little more work for the company.

Besides that, there are many other options for working from or in another country. If you start your own business and get a start-up grant from the German government, you can also start your company from abroad, for example. In contrast to unemployment benefits, where you have to be on site, you can also receive this state funding while you travel. However, you have to submit a business and financial plan in advance and convince your supervisor that your plan is viable.

On Tenerife, I also met a prospective doctor who completed part of her final year of medical school with a German doctor on Tenerife. So even for less digital professions, there are definitely ways to work abroad. In many federal states (except Bavaria), you can also apply for an educational leave and spend it abroad. For example, learning Spanish and surfing in Fuerteventura.

Accommodation for a workation: Coliving vs. Airbnb

The paperwork is done and the flights are booked – but where are you actually going to sleep? In my opinion, the best option for workations is so-called Coliving. I was lucky enough to find a real gem on La Palma and stay in a really cool Coliving place. In a coliving place, you live in a kind of shared flat with other remote workers. Choosing the right coliving is quite important, because unfortunately more and more dubious real estate people are abusing the term and selling a coliving that is just a (former) hotel where you might be sitting alone. Unfortunately, this has happened to a friend of mine in Switzerland. 

My tip: try to have the accommodation shown to you in advance in a short video call. Also see if the coliving community or the owner is active on social media and if you can find any recommendations that look real. Even if colivings are sometimes a bit more expensive, you are “paying” for the community and usually also for joint activities that are organized at the weekend.

If you are traveling with friends or colleagues, it makes sense to rent an Airbnb or a holiday apartment. Always ask for information about the WiFi speed in advance, especially if you have a lot of video calls.

What I also do quite often is tag along with friends who are going on vacation. Often I work a little less to have time for activities together.

My conclusion after 4 years of remote work

Being location independent is one thing I experienced a lot during the last years. But what’s even more important for me is being time-independent. Which means to me being able to spend time with my little nephew on a wednesday afternoon. Or avoid the crowds in the mountains & sauna on a weekend and be able to go skiing or hiking during the week.

On the other hand, I’m also experiencing the other side of that. Which means not having a team around for help or coffee and company gossip.

At the moment, I try to settle down in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a small town in the Bavarian Alps. And I even found a Coworking Space here with other remote workers, corporate nomads and entrepreneurs next to me. Which is for now the right combination for me, until the next adventure is calling me.