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For years, remote work and digital nomadism were framed as fast-moving, borderless lifestyles. Laptops in cafés, short-term rentals, cheap flights, and an emphasis on flexibility above all else. The narrative was about freedom—but also about constant motion.
Over the past few years, something more subtle has been happening across Europe.
Instead of moving faster, many remote professionals are choosing to slow down. Instead of hopping between cities, they stay put. Instead of optimising for novelty, they optimise for rhythm, focus, and quality of life. Out of this shift, the concept of the workation has quietly evolved.
Once dismissed as a buzzword—or a glorified holiday with emails—workations are increasingly becoming structured, intentional, and long-term. This raises an important question for anyone observing the future of work in Europe:
Are workations just another post-pandemic trend, or are they becoming a permanent layer of how people work and live?
The Context: Remote Work Is No Longer the Experiment
It’s important to start with a simple reality: remote work is no longer new.
Across Europe, hybrid and fully remote arrangements have moved from exception to baseline in many industries. Companies have rewritten policies, employees have renegotiated expectations, and entire systems—from HR to taxation—are slowly adapting.
What hasn’t fully stabilised yet is how people use this flexibility.
The early phase of remote work was reactive:
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People left cities abruptly
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Travel was opportunistic
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Living arrangements were improvised
Now we’re entering a more mature phase. Remote workers are asking different questions:
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Where can I work well for several months?
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What kind of environment supports focus, health, and social life?
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How do I avoid isolation without returning to the office full-time?
Workations are one possible answer to those questions.
From “Working on Holiday” to Living Somewhere Else
The original idea of a workation was simple—and often flawed. Work during the day, relax somewhere “nice” in the evening. In practice, this usually meant poor ergonomics, unstable routines, and blurred boundaries.
What we’re seeing now in Europe is fundamentally different.
Modern workations resemble temporary relocation, not holidays. They involve:
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One- to three-month stays (sometimes longer)
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Proper housing designed for living, not tourism
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Dedicated workspaces or coworking access
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Weekly routines that look surprisingly… normal
The difference is the context. Instead of commuting in a city, people might start their day with a walk in nature. Instead of squeezing life around work, they integrate work into a setting that supports it.
This is not escapism. It’s intentional living with work included.
Why Europe Is Particularly Suited to Workations
Europe has quietly become one of the most fertile grounds for workations—and not by accident.
First, geography works in its favour. Within a few hours, one can move between:
👉 Mountains and coast
👉 Major cities and remote villages
👉 Different cultures, languages, and climates
Second, infrastructure is strong even outside capitals. Reliable internet, healthcare, transport, and safety standards make long stays viable in places that would be challenging elsewhere.
Third—and often underestimated—Europe has depth. History, local traditions, food culture, and strong regional identities create environments that reward slower, more immersive stays.
This is why workations in Europe are increasingly disconnected from the “nomad hotspot” logic. Instead of competing with Bali or Lisbon, many destinations are offering something else entirely: normal life, just somewhere better.
The Role of Seasonality and Regional Revitalisation
An interesting side effect of the workation rise is its alignment with regional challenges—especially seasonality.
Many European destinations struggle with:
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Overcrowding in peak seasons
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Empty streets and closed businesses off-season
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Economic dependency on short-term tourism
Workations offer a different rhythm.
Remote professionals don’t need perfect weather or festivals every week. They value calm, affordability, and access to daily life. As a result, workations often take place:
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In shoulder or low seasons
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In smaller towns and rural areas
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Outside traditional tourism cycles
This is why municipalities and regional actors are increasingly paying attention. Long-stay remote workers:
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Rent locally
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Spend steadily over months
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Use local services year-round
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Integrate more naturally into communities
When designed thoughtfully, workations can support destinations without turning them into tourist products.
Why Structure Is the Make-or-Break Factor
One of the biggest misconceptions around workations is that location alone guarantees success.
In reality, many early experiments failed—not because the place wasn’t beautiful, but because the experience wasn’t designed.
Successful workations share a few critical elements:
👉 Reliable accommodation suitable for living and working
👉 Clear work infrastructure (coworking, desks, quiet spaces)
👉 Social touchpoints that prevent isolation
👉 Local coordination and on-the-ground knowledge
Without these, remote workers often end up disconnected—from both their work and their surroundings.
This is where more structured initiatives have started to emerge. Projects like Hubs Travel are built around the idea that workations should function as temporary ecosystems. Not as tourism offers, but as frameworks where work, housing, community, and place reinforce each other.
The key insight is simple: remote professionals don’t just move locations—they move systems.
A Demographic Shift Worth Noticing
Another signal that workations are becoming a long-term shift lies in who is participating.
This is no longer dominated by twenty-somethings with backpacks. Increasingly, workations attract:
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Professionals in their 30s and 40s
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Remote employees with stable incomes
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Freelancers and founders seeking focus
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People who want routine, not constant novelty
These participants are less interested in nightlife or rapid travel—and more interested in:
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Walkability
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Nature access
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Community
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Mental and physical health
This demographic tends to return to the same places, recommend them to peers, and integrate more deeply. That behaviour alone suggests durability.
Time, Revalued
Perhaps the most profound change behind the rise of workations is a shift in how time is valued.
Traditional travel compresses experience:
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See more
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Do more
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Move faster
Workations do the opposite:
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Fewer activities
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Deeper engagement
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Slower days
For many remote workers, this is not a compromise—it’s a relief.
Living somewhere for two months allows for:
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Real routines
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Familiar faces
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A sense of belonging, even if temporary
In a professional world increasingly shaped by burnout and cognitive overload, this slower model feels less like a luxury and more like a coping strategy.
Not a Universal Solution—and That’s a Strength
Workations are not for everyone.
They don’t replace offices. They don’t suit all professions. They won’t appeal to people who thrive on constant urban stimulation or strict separation between work and life.
But longevity doesn’t require universality.
What makes workations resilient is that they serve a specific, growing group with clear needs. People who have flexibility—but want structure. Who enjoy mobility—but value stability. Who don’t want to “escape” work—but want to place it in a healthier context.
That selectivity is exactly what prevents workations from becoming a hollow trend.
Trend or Long-Term Shift?
Viewed in isolation, workations could easily be dismissed as a lifestyle fad. Viewed in context, they look more like an evolution.
They sit between:
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Permanent relocation
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Full-time nomadism
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Traditional office-based work
As remote work policies mature, and as destinations become more intentional about the kind of people they attract, workations are likely to become:
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More structured
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More locally integrated
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More aligned with regional development goals
Not louder. Not mass-market. Just more grounded.
And in a future of work defined less by location and more by choice, that quiet permanence may be exactly what gives workations their staying power.
