One of the travel trends we are expecting to see this year is co-working staycations. Many more people are shifting to remote working, setting up new businesses and spending a couple of months in different locations, maybe spending the summer months at the coast exploring new towns. Lifestyle workcations seem to be a new trend emerging and the predictions are that the trend will grow in popularity throughout 2021. This has started changing the face of smaller towns such as Hermanus from being a traditional “tourist” village, to becoming a more permanent travel destination.
Why Co-Working Staycations Are on the Rise
What has also been instrumental in the change is the introduction of co-working spaces in smaller towns. Entrepreneurs need access to business facilities, such as business fibre connection, uninterrupted backup power, printing, and space where they will be uninterrupted when work needs to be done. Staying in a foreign town for longer periods also means that people want to integrate into the local community. Going to places where likeminded people are congregating makes it easier to strike up a conversation and get to know both locals and other nomads. As a result, these spaces create a community. The flexibility of co-working spaces also means that members can join and use facilities for as long or as short a time as is necessary, with no risk such as long term leases or setup costs.
We have seen during the December/ January period that many of our new members are from the UK or Europe. With the travel restrictions that were put in place due to COVID, these people have simply extended their vacation indefinitely. Once their official vacation time was over, they could come through to the shared space, report into their relative offices via Microsoft Teams or Zoom, get a days’ work done, and their companies were satisfied. The big difference is that after work they could take advantage of the warm weather and go cycling, mountain climbing or head down to the beach for a quick dip or surf. At the same time, their colleagues sitting in London would be indoors, whilst it is snowing outside.
One of the key reasons for travelling is to experience life in places outside your home town or country, and the best way to do this is to get out and meet some of the locals. If you stay in your hotel room or Airbnb the entire time, it is unlikely you will get the full experience of the locals and what the destination has to offer. With co-working spaces usually offering a variety of services, such as café, as well as shared spaces, you get a chance to integrate with people on a social level whilst having your morning coffee or lunchtime burger. A challenge of sitting in a coffee shop or restaurant to work is that people tend to sit in groups socialising with their own group, making it near impossible to strike up conversations.
Accommodation costs for staycations (or longer vacations incorporating work) are generally much cheaper than short terms stays. The longer your stay, the less you will pay. With that in mind, it is much cheaper to rent a house or apartment for a few months than stay in a hotel fully catered for a few days. Being paid a salary whilst you experience a different way of life and scenery just makes sense. What is also really relevant is that if you are still working, you have a sense of purpose whilst on holiday. As much as we would all love to be permanently on holiday, humans do need a sense of purpose, so a staycation could be the closest thing to a permanent holiday.
Co.Unity is Hermanus’ premium co-work experience, where you can find A-Grade office facilities, a café and food truck, all in one location. Get in touch with us to find out more about our co-working packages and prices or pop in for a visit when you are next in Hermanus.