Knguru's Workation Experience: A Week in Thessaloniki

Last week, our team met in Thessaloniki, Greece, and spent eight days together — not only with ouzo and gyros, of course, but also with hard work. A workation is therefore not a “real” vacation, during which you not only chill out on the beach, but also sit well at the laptop.

Thanks to remote work, we were able to work in a nice place with colleagues who we otherwise only see on the screen.

However, you should also consider a few thoughts beforehand: Spend a lot of money on an AirBnB or hotel to then work there? Isn't that rather frustrating?

With the advent of autumn/winter in Germany, there was every reason to flee. An umbrella that folds down once too often, shoes that step into puddles once too often, and the flight to Greece was already booked.

Thoughts and questions before the workation:

But before we packed our shorts, we had a few thoughts in mind. For example: Does that fit with our projects?

Workation rarely means ergonomics, two screens and fast Internet. However, if you choose the right week, this restriction can be a feature: For our workation, we chose a week in which we had to learn new topics. New context = new ideas!

What did we have to consider when it came to accommodation?

As romantic as it sounds in theory to have a leisurely breakfast in a different café every morning, it is difficult to reconcile the two-hour meeting that starts at 11:00 a.m. So things are much more relaxed when you have a kitchen available. You can still make the beach cafés unsafe in the afternoon.

Savvy Fox Holidaymakers should make sure that the motto “I'm only in the room to sleep! “Don't pull during a workation. If you don't want to work in lounges or cafés all day long, you should make sure that the room has a certain feel-good factor. It can then look different for everyone — for example, the beautiful view and a very large dining table for working together were more important to us.

‍

Do we address this in customer contact?

Since we were just as easily available at work as in our home office or office, it is of course not absolutely necessary to arrange a trip with customers. But the question is: Why not? Just like colleagues, customers love the sun in a webcam image and nice travel anecdotes! The professional appearance is not related to the location — you should only drink the mojito after the meeting 😉

‍

Internet???

The bad and good news at the same time: In many countries, network expansion is better than in Germany. Depending on the region, it is advisable to research how stable the connection is — but this can be dispensed with in larger cities.

And how was it?

Short answer: It was more than nice! The most important thing for us was to have no leisure stress. We planned what we wanted to do before or after work together.

This flexibility made a decisive contribution to the work being not only productive but also relaxing. We enjoyed not only the professional challenges but also the opportunity to experience the local culture and atmosphere.

Perhaps this is also the great opportunity of a workation: Instead of working through checklists, the vacation share becomes real relaxation and an opportunity to get to know normal life at a holiday destination. Because how many times can you say: “I worked in Greece the other day”?

‍

Do we bring this up with clients?

Since we were just as fully reachable on our workation as at home or in the office, it is of course not strictly necessary to discuss a trip with clients. But the question is: why not? Just like colleagues, clients enjoy sunshine in the webcam picture and nice travel anecdotes! Professional conduct has nothing to do with location, after all – only the mojito should perhaps wait until after the meeting 😉

‍

Internet???

The news is both bad and good: in many countries, the network infrastructure is better developed than in Germany. Depending on the region, it is advisable to research how stable the connection is – in larger cities, however, you can skip this.

And how'd it go?

Short answer: it was more than lovely! The most important thing for us was to have no stress about our free time. What we wanted to do before or after work was planned together.

This flexibility contributed significantly to making the workation not only productive but also relaxing. We enjoyed not only the professional challenges but also the chance to experience the local culture and atmosphere.

Perhaps that is exactly the great opportunity of a workation: instead of ticking off checklists, the vacation part becomes real relaxation and a chance to get to know everyday life at the vacation destination. After all, how often can you say: “I recently worked in Greece”?

‍