A workcation sounds simple: bring your laptop, travel somewhere you want to visit, work your usual hours, and explore when the day is done.
In practice, it can be harder than it sounds. You answer emails in the morning, squeeze in a meeting before sightseeing, check messages while you are out, and end the day feeling like you never really worked or relaxed.
More travelers are finding ways to combine work and travel. Deloitte’s 2026 Summer Travel Survey found that 34% of travelers planned to work during their longest summer trip, up from 23% the year before. Among millennials, the figure was 57%.
A workcation does not have to mean answering emails from a beach. The idea is to plan your trip so you can get your work done and still have time to enjoy the destination.
Here’s how to make it work.
1. Check Your Employer’s Rules Before You Book
Having a remote job does not automatically mean you can work from anywhere.
Your employer may have rules about working from another state or country, how long you can work away from your usual location, or whether you need approval before traveling.
International travel can also raise questions about taxes, immigration, payroll, and employment laws. The rules vary depending on where you are going and how long you plan to stay.
Before booking, check your company’s remote-work policy and ask your manager or HR team if you need approval.
Be clear about where you plan to work, how long you will be there, and whether your working hours will change.
It is much easier to get approval before the trip than to deal with a problem after you arrive.
2. Plan the Trip Around Your Work Schedule
One of the easiest ways to ruin a workcation is to plan the trip first and then try to fit your job around everything else.
Start with your work schedule.
If you have regular morning meetings, a large time difference could mean working at unusual hours. If most of your work is asynchronous, you may have more flexibility.
Before booking, consider:
- Your normal working hours
- Regular meetings
- The time-zone difference
- Important deadlines
- How much uninterrupted time you need
- Whether you can temporarily adjust your schedule
If your schedule leaves little time to enjoy the destination, consider a different location or a different week.
If most of your work is asynchronous, you may have more flexibility. Flexible remote jobs can also make it easier to fit work around travel, especially when the role allows you to choose your working hours or work on a project basis. You can learn more in our guide to Top Flexible Remote Jobs in 2026.
3. Choose Accommodation That Works for Work
A beautiful rental with an ocean view is not necessarily a good place to work.
Before booking, check for:
- Reliable Wi-Fi
- A proper desk or table
- A comfortable chair
- Good lighting
- A quiet place for calls
- Reliable electricity
- Good mobile coverage as a backup
Do not rely only on a listing that says “Wi-Fi included.” If you need to be online for your job, having a backup connection can save you from a difficult situation.
A balcony overlooking the ocean is great for lunch. It is less useful when your video call keeps freezing.
4. Give Your Workday Some Structure
A workcation is easier when your working hours still have some structure.
Decide when you will start and finish and try to stick to it. You might work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and explore in the late afternoon, or work in the morning and finish later in the day.
If you are traveling with someone, make sure they know when you are working. Avoid planning major activities around meetings or important deadlines.
You do not need to follow your normal routine exactly. You just need enough structure to keep work from taking over the rest of your day.
5. Don’t Try to See Everything After Work
This is where a workcation can quickly become exhausting.
If you finish work at 5 p.m. and then try to fit in dinner, a museum, a hike, and a tour before bed, you may end up needing a vacation from your vacation.
Pick a few things you really want to do.
Explore the neighborhood after work, save longer excursions for the weekend, or add a few vacation days before or after the working part of the trip.
You do not need to turn every evening into a sightseeing marathon.
6. Keep Work and Travel Separate
Travel comes with distractions. There may be a beach downstairs, a tour leaving in an hour, or friends asking you to join them for lunch.
It can be tempting to keep stopping and starting your work around whatever is happening.
Instead, give work its own time and place when possible. Find somewhere quiet for calls, use headphones if necessary, and avoid taking important meetings from noisy public places.
When the workday ends, close the laptop and enjoy the destination.
7. Keep Up With Your Work Responsibilities
Your location may change, but your responsibilities do not.
Before leaving, make sure you know which deadlines and meetings you need to cover. If you are working from another time zone, tell your team when you will be available.
You do not need to hide the fact that you are traveling. What matters is that your colleagues can still rely on you.
A workcation should not create extra work for everyone else.
8. Protect Your Time Off
The opposite problem can be just as bad: work follows you everywhere.
You finish your scheduled hours but keep checking Slack while walking around town. You answer emails over dinner. You open your laptop again at 10 p.m. because you feel like you should do a little more.
That is not much of a break.
Set a clear end to your workday and turn off unnecessary notifications. Unless your role requires you to be available, give yourself permission to stop checking work messages when your working hours are over.
The point of a workcation is to combine work with travel, not to be permanently available.
9. Take Real Vacation Days Too
There is no rule that says you have to work every day of a workcation.
Combining remote work with actual vacation days can make a longer trip much more enjoyable.
You could work remotely for four days, take Friday off, and spend a long weekend exploring without opening your laptop.
That gives you more time at your destination without pretending that working and taking time off are the same thing.
If you need a real break, take one.
10. Know When You Need a Vacation Instead
Sometimes the problem is not your destination or your schedule. You may simply need time away from work.
Watch for signs that the arrangement is not working:
- You are working late every night
- You are missing meetings because of travel plans
- You keep checking work messages
- You are too tired to enjoy the destination
- You are falling behind on your normal responsibilities
- You are thinking about work for most of the trip
If that sounds familiar, adding more activities to your itinerary probably will not help.
Take some time off instead.
Make Your Workcation Work for You
A workcation works best when you know where work ends and your time begins.
Check your employer’s rules before you travel, plan around your working hours, choose a place where you can actually work, and leave enough time to enjoy the destination.
And if you find yourself working late every night and barely seeing the place you traveled to visit, it may be time to take a real vacation.
Looking for a remote job that gives you more flexibility? Explore remote opportunities on Online.jobs.