What is a workation? 🏝

Workation is a compound of “work” and “vacation.” For me, workation at Actonic is a wonderful way to combine work and time off. Because unlike traditional business trips where you stay in an anonymous hotel room, a workation allows you to work in an interesting and inspiring place. Plus, a workation is the ultimate chance to explore extraordinary environments and new cultures while doing your ordinary work. During the day you go about your regular work and in the evening you go exploring, thus absorbing new “brain food” and enriching your creative thinking.

Planning Workation: best tips 🧐

Workation at Actonic is my first experience of this kind. At the same time, this trip is also my first unaccompanied trip abroad. To make sure everything works out, and you can pursue your work in a foreign environment with familiar productivity, I’m sharing my tips here.

Workation Tip 1: Communicate with your employer

When the gates for “Work from Anywhere” were opened at Actonic, I went straight to my Teamlead Andreas and asked what I had to consider when I wanted to work mobile abroad.

It’s essential to clarify what your employer wants. How long do you want to be gone? Where exactly? If you want to work in a different time zone, it must be compatible with your dailies and other meetings.

Workation Tip 2: Take care of paperwork first ✉️

The wheels of bureaucracy grind slowly, so you should take care of the paperwork first before you start your workation. Is your passport still current? Do you have health insurance? Do you need an amendment to your employment contract? Whatever you need to do, do these unpleasant things first.

Then the fun part can begin.

Workation Tip 3: Choose your Workation goal wisely 🌎

Because you want to work productively during your workation, you should choose a country (region) that can offer you a good internet connection.

Furthermore, if you are traveling alone, you should feel safe. So do accurate research on the workation location of your dreams. This is especially important for all the women out there.

Workation Tip 4: Research Airbnb 🏠

“You’re so lucky with your Airbnb,” a friend said to me yesterday. You can call it luck, or you can call it hours of intensive research. Because this has filled a few evenings over the past few weeks.

Since I wanted to go to Venice, I first thought to directly house on the island. However, that is extremely expensive. Besides, I was already aware at the time how touristy the city has become. But I also wanted to experience the “real” Italy (like the Sempre sempre grandpa below me). Therefore, I decided to stay in a suburb of Venice. I can comfortably be in Venice within 45 minutes, but have cute little ice cream parlors, pubs and one pizza restaurant next to the next here. And the area could not be more picturesque.

Workation Tip 5: Use ChatGPT to prepare 💡

I admit it: ChatGPT was a faithful helper for me and is responsible for me remembering power adapters. Thanks, AI!

The bot has also been a great help in planning my Venice tours, reminding me of sunscreen and powerbank.

Workation Tip 6: Get the right equipment 💻

At home, I’m used to working with a laptop and a 30-inch screen. Accordingly, it was clear to me that I would need at least a second screen to efficiently pursue my work even during my workation. Power cables, adapters, headset: Make a list of all the electronic devices you would like to have with you during your workation.

If you have found a good temporary housing and communicated to your employer from when to when you want to do your workation where exactly, nothing stands in the way of your mobile work abroad!

Workation can be this beautiful: Venice impressions

The preparatory work was definitely worth it for me, and I was able to experience Venice at sunrise before greeting my colleagues at Actonic as usual for the Daily at 9am.

Not being in the familiar environment after work, but seeing something like this:

revives the spirits like no other experience.

That’s why a workation is worthwhile 🎉

• You can combine work and vacation and discover a new place

• New cultural impressions broaden your horizon and inspire your creativity

• Distance from the daily grind is perfect to do a “life check” and reorder priorities if necessary

• Best cheese pizza in the world in Bella Italia 🍕

Workation at Actonic: a complete success

My stay in Venice was my first Workation at Actonic, but definitely not the last. A Workation is the ideal opportunity to master new challenges and recharge my mental and creative batteries.

I can only recommend such mobile working to all my colleagues at Actonic!

Maybe this is also something for you? When you work at Actonic, you can choose where you work from. Venice, Japan or wherever you want. It’s an opportunity that you simply have to take.

We are always happy to welcome motivated new employees – perhaps there is a suitable position for you?