Most freelancers can escape for a week, and enjoy a blissful break from the daily grind. But if seven nights just aren't enough, perhaps you can join a growing number of creatives who have become digital nomads?

Of course, you can travel and work from anywhere – if you have the right tools and resources in place. But this kind of lifestyle can often be a lonely experience, and one that can be quite stressful. Enter the "workation retreat", the perfect solution to those of us who want to escape with like-minded souls, without breaking the bank.

But where are these magical places where all kinds of freelancers and small business owners work together in a relaxing environment?

You may think of a workation as ‘a working remotely request’ should you need to present it to your manager, team or colleagues. However, it is not a permanent relocation request. More of a temporary arrangement that lasts anything from 1month to a year. With remote work, requesting it as a permanent arrangement is an option, but that might be a big ask for the management, especially if they are a big and not so progressive organisation. However, in light of the global pandemic of 2020, COVID-19 has certainly made it much easier for you to work abroad for a time.

In theory, a workation is less of a commitment than full-time remote working. Workations - are designed to be temporary trips rather than permanent relocations, though they may very well become so… 

Whether you are single, in a couple or a family – workations are designed to allow you more time to do the things you love while you still have a job. There are ofcourse boring administrative things to consider such as what will happen to your current property, will you rent it out, leave it empty or wait toil your lease ends before embarking on this adventure?

Also what does that mean for your taxes?
Read guides on Barbados' Welcome Stamp and Antigua's Nomad Digital Residency for a full look at all the options and opportunities…

But first, after battling past the challenge that is persuading your boss that a workation is just the thing needed to prove and demonstrate your trustworthiness away from the office, highlighting that not only will it not affect your productivity, it will improve it, lets focus on at least 3months away from home in an exotic destination. 

WorkMango offers a service to help you embark on that journey as seamlessly as possible. Using WorkMango is generally cheaper than booking an Airbnb or a hotel but more expensive than sorting out a long term let for yourself. However, we do all the heavy lifting – all we need to know from you is what you really want your workation to look like. 

Workations are an attractive way for companies to let their employees find a good work-life balance. 
Workations allow you to settle somewhere for a longer period of time than a regular holiday - while still earning money. It’s likely to change up your routine, and help refresh your creativity & outlook on the world. That’s definitely a good thing. It certainly beats being stuck in a cold-dreary-dark-by-4pm apartment in some metropolis with evening spent watching Netflix instead of on the beach.

Sounds too good to be true? Well, lets maybe look at some of the negatives.

Downsides? Surely not?

Workations reflect the signs of our times and the modern loss of work-life balance, highlighting the absurdity of spending a load of money to travel somewhere striking and waste it all by working all day (you’d still have your weekends ofcourse).
It’s true - expenses will include travel, accommodation, car hire, food & drink, plus membership to WorkMango to sort out your co-working space. Your employer might cover some of this, but it's unlikely if they're already paying for office space back home.  
If you’ve got kids and a mortgage, it's going to be difficult. Unless you can somehow rent your home out  - but the effort needed to make that work might not be worth it and that is why WorkMango provide a service to property manage for members.
There is a danger that the lines between work and play become blurry which may leave you needing another holiday – so it is important to be mindful of managing your time effectively while taking advantage of the new surroundings. And because we know your work life is important and busy, the WorkMango service is designed to take away the burden of administrative chores so you can really make the most of your Workation.