Boost Your Work-Life Balance: UK Trends Towards ‘Workation’ Lifestyle

Katherine discovered her passion for combining work and travel during a trip to Australia a few years back. The journey was costly, and realizing the unique nature of the trip, she proposed to her boss an extension of her stay by two weeks to work remotely from her friend’s residence.

This experience introduced her to the concept of a “workation,” where she integrates work with vacationing, and she thoroughly enjoys it. Now, she often takes up petsitting opportunities in various locations, allowing her to visit family, friends, and explore new cities over extended weekends without incurring additional expenses.

“I find it absolutely wonderful for maintaining a work-life balance. It provides a refreshing change of scenery – evenings and weekends feel like a short vacation,” she explained. “It’s about experiencing nature and seeing things from a fresh perspective, in a new environment.”

At 48, Katherine doesn’t match the typical image of a youthful digital nomad leading a carefree existence. However, she represents a growing demographic of various ages who are leveraging digital technology and heightened employer flexibility to enhance their leisure time.

Working as a conference manager at a university, Katherine needs to be in her city for event planning but is otherwise free to work from any location with her laptop. Her company doesn’t have an official policy on this, yet requests are generally considered by management.

“It mostly depends on personal relationships, trust, and autonomy. I’m aware of my deadlines, my responsibilities, and the tasks I need to complete, which remain constant regardless of my location,” she stated.

Research by the Chartered Management Institute shows that one in eight employers now have formal policies on workations, and one in five managers has experienced one personally. Most feedback is positive, highlighting benefits like improved mental health and better work-life balance, although some concerns persist regarding data security risks.

Petra Wilton, a director at the CMI, advises that companies should “establish clear, transparent regulations and manage them proactively” to empower managers to support such initiatives confidently.

According to a recent survey by Grant Thornton, the adoption of official workation policies is on the rise, with businesses implementing such policies increasing from 59% in 2023 to 77% in 2025. Additionally, a YouGov survey reported that 37% of individuals who can work remotely are interested in taking a workation in the upcoming year.

Travel companies are also catering to this segment of travelers; for instance, Tui features a workation page that promotes “handpicked hotels ideal for a working holiday.”

This trend represents a shift from traditional work-life balance to a more integrated “work-life blending,” where the lines between personal and professional life are increasingly intertwined, noted Daniel Wheatley, a researcher at the University of Birmingham’s management department.

He mentioned that the term “workation” is relatively new in academic discussions, emerging from cultural shifts brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, advancements in digital technology since the 1990s, and the mainstreaming of travel and leisure since the late 1970s.

This term highlights a growing culture that prioritizes life over work, particularly among younger workers who are exploring various career forms and structures beyond the traditional linear path, he added.

However, he also noted that while this might seem like a new work trend, the rise in knowledge and service industries may actually be signaling a return to earlier times, akin to the medieval era where artisans and craftspeople lived and worked in the same place.

“It offers a sense of freedom and more control over one’s life,” he observed, suggesting it could also assist individuals in managing caregiving responsibilities more effectively.

Nevertheless, he emphasized the importance of taking proper breaks from work to ensure that workations contribute to leisure, social connectivity, and overall well-being, rather than leading to increased monitoring that prevents employees from truly disconnecting.

Moreover, he cautioned that the availability of such opportunities might deepen societal divisions between those who can take advantage of digital technologies and those who cannot, particularly affecting individuals facing digital or labor market challenges and instability.

Ian Brown, a 58-year-old managing director at an industrial engineering firm, has enjoyed several workations to maximize his holiday time, initially from a beach hut in Jamaica, and now extends this benefit to his employees.

“It certainly feels like you have more time away from the usual office environment – it removes you from that setting, allowing you to engage in enjoyable activities. It’s rejuvenating and offers an extra benefit,” he commented.

He believes that such flexibility helps him cope with the more demanding aspects of his role, like working 60-hour weeks and handling tasks outside standard hours, while cultivating a culture of trust and mutual support with his team. “They remember that when times are tough and I need their assistance,” he remarked.

He added, “My initial concern was that employees might take a workation and become unresponsive to work requests – that has never happened, and the overall positivity has been remarkable.”