In a bid to combat depopulation and rejuvenate its economy, the Italian island of Sardinia is tempting remote workers with free stays and a dose of local culture. Gemma Harris reports

The tiny village of Ollolai, centrally located on the Italian island of Sardinia, has launched a pioneering initiative to lure remote workers in. The digital nomad scheme offers workers accommodation for the symbolic rate of €1.

Part of the Blue Zone, one of the five areas on the planet with a significant concentration of individuals living beyond 100 years old, Ollolai’s population has witnessed a gradual decline from 2,250 to 1,300 people in the last century.

A country-wide problem across Italy, and in 2022, declaring it a state of national emergency with population growth at an all-time low. To counter this trend, various villages, including Ollalai, experimented with selling houses for €1 to attract newcomers.

Mayor Francesco Columbu tells CNBC: “That was a major success – many foreigners bought and restyled dozens of forsaken dwellings.”

Since then, the village has launched this “Work from Ollolai” programme intending to boost their community by seeking out experienced professionals to live in the village in exchange for knowledge share with the population, to promote the exchange of information and experience between rural communities and the rest of the world.

The initiative has secured €20,000 of investment to transform the village into a digital nomad hub. Over the next couple of years, the village will host these workers, covering rent, utilities, bills and service taxes, one at a time for up to three months – the maximum duration for non-European visitors without a visa.

Clarese Partis, a 39-year-old software designer from Los Angeles, is the first digital nomad to join, tells CNBC: “I felt I needed a change of pace. Not a touristy one but surrounded by nature, fresh air, mountains, beautiful beaches, where I could find more solace, peach and a slower paced lifestyle.”

“I love going to the farmers market to pick fresh ingredients such as truffles, making pasta and gnocchi with pesto; the food is amazing,” she adds.

The accommodation provided to digital nomads are private homes once occupied by farmers and shepherds, now redeveloped to include an office and high-speed internet connectivity. With only one nomad in the village at a time, locals are keen to integrate them into the community.

“Locals are so warm and welcoming, and it’s not because they want to sell you something,” says Partis.

Applications must be submitted before the end of the year, but as part of a reciprocal agreement, workers must have a proven background as a digital nomad and be willing to impart knowledge to the village.

Veronica Matta, head of the local cultural association Sa Mata, says: “Professional remote workers from all fields are encouraged to apply: technology, media, finance, real estate, architects, writers, musicians, scientists and academics.”

The next digital nomad is expected to arrive from Singapore.

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Jesse’s House is a members’ club for remote working parents and their young children, the second of its kind from Little House Group. Jack Southan reports

After the success of Little House Group’s members club Jaego’s House in London’s Kensal Rise, the company has announced the opening of a second site in Parsons Green named Jesse’s House in April 2024. Subsequent sites will include East Sheen in the London Borough of Richmond.

Promising the same combination of nursery, gym and adult co-working space, Jesse’s House furthers the company’s concept of an uncompromising family/work lifestyle in a private members’ club setting.

Featuring a jungle gym, soft play, kids’ club, co-working space, lounge, crèche, fitness studio, Reformer Pilates classes and treatment rooms, café and restaurant, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and an Ofsted registered nursery (Parson’s House Nursery), it is is pitched as “a home-away-from-home for the whole family to enjoy”.The company describes the space as “offering parents and children a welcoming, safe and inclusive space to hang out, play, work and unwind as a family”. And as a “unique concept with the desire to make family life easier and more fun by offering spaces where kids are allowed to be kids and parents can enjoy being adults.”

The Parson’s House Nursery will offer a bespoke curriculum for children aged three months to five years, with a teaching ethos drawing on established early years education approaches and direct consultation from leading childcare experts. There will be up to 100 spaces available and parents enrolling their child will receive 20 per cent off the adult membership cost.

Members have access to all facilities and benefits based on days per week and adult/child memberships. Fees start at £140 per month for their most basic, to £500 per month for their all inclusive package, plus a fixed £500 membership fee which can be redeemed as club credit. Prospective members must register their interest first and then be invited to purchase a yearly membership once approved.Founder of Little Houses Group, Charlie Gardiner, says: “The dream for most parents is to find somewhere that they love visiting just as much as their children do and that is exactly how we want our guests to feel about Jesse’s House. We have had such positive feedback and aimed to build a loving community, so we wanted to offer a similar experience to a different part of the city.

“Parsons Green has a fantastic family-friendly vibe and we have definitely been using that as inspiration when creating Jesse’s House. We can’t wait to open our doors next year and build a whole new space in West London.”

This new venue will be similar in concept to Jaego’s House in Kensal Rise, but with its own identity, Jesse’s House is described as having a “Mediterranean feel” with indoor and outdoor swimming pools and sundeck terrace for alfresco dining, drinks or work, kids space and adult-only areas. The design-led club house will feature a colour palette of greens, terracotta and muted tones alongside natural materials and pops of colour.

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The W Dubai – Mina Seyahi is a buzzing new lifestyle hotel with a penchant for personalising stays in creative ways. Jenny Southan reports

W Hotels Worldwide, part of Marriott International’s portfolio of 30 hotel brands, announced the opening of the 31-storey W Dubai – Mina Seyahi in spring 2022, making it the third W hotel to open in the UAE. With hundreds of hotels across the emirate it’s hard to stand out from the crowd but this property is a excellent choice for anyone visiting the destination for work but desiring an outdoor pool and trendy bar for moments of downtime.

Located on the Jumeirah Beach coastline, this adults-only hotel offers unobstructed views of the Arabian Gulf and the Ain Dubai observation wheel in the distance. My room looked down on a vast concrete plaza and building site – when I arrived it was so hazy I couldn’t see beyond this but after a couple of days the air cleared and I could see Dubai Harbour close by and an array of shimmering towers.Upon arrival, guests step into a modern lobby lounge with lots of black and gold and a snake-themed welcome desk. I was promptly checked in by a very friendly member of staff and issued a key card. Like every W, this is definitely a hotel with a playful sense of style and a more avant garde approach to chain hotel design. It also has its own boutique (“Shoppable Stays” is an interesting emerging trend.) Once in my spacious room, I was welcomed by a bespoke magazine that the hotel had made for me (knowing that I’m a journalist). It was a thoughtful personal touch but also a bit strange to think of someone Googling images of me. It reminded me of the time I stayed at the Oberoi Dubai and they printed my LinkedIn profile picture onto a chocolate picture frame and put it on the coffee table. Things I liked about the room were the wireless charging pad by the bed, universal plug sockets, free water in glass bottles and no plastic miniatures of shampoo or shower gel. The minibar prices were outrageous, though – £50 for a small bottle of red wine and £15 for some nuts. This didn’t disuade me from consuming them but I did regret it at check-out. On the plus side, there was also a tray of free baklava cakes guarded by a wooden cobra.The W Dubai – Mina Seyahi has 318 rooms including 27 suites – all sea-facing with private balconies (mine had a table and chairs and offered a dramatic setting for a sundowner) and with super sound-proofing. Each room also has separate living, vanity and sleeping spaces, as well as the brand’s signature Mix Bar, which also has a hot drink station. The bed was also extremely comfy. The most expensive option is the vast, 160 sqm “Extreme WOW” suite, positioned on the 30th floor and featuring two bedrooms, a lounge, dining area and balcony. W hotels pride themselves on their branded “Whatever/Whenever” service concept but I can’t say I really took advantage of this beyond ordering some room service and asking where the iron and ironing board was stored in the room.

For the fact that the W Dubai – Mina Seyahi only has a small spa with four treatment rooms and a (very shallow) lagoon-shaped outdoor pool, I would say this is a hotel primarily for business travellers (or at least digital nomads like myself). I was in Dubai for work myself but I enjoyed having the option of working by the pool and a quick dip between meetings. There was also a really attractive pool bar with an amazing giant tree growing out of the middle of it. (Anything is possible in Dubai!) Ginger Moon was my favourite restaurant as it is open to the pool terrace and proved an excellent hang-out spot for an entire day. I really liked the breakfast buffet, which had lots of healthy choices (including excellent hummus) and an interesting array of spiced honeys, fruit, salads, yoghurt and traditional flatbread. At lunch I ordered a tofu poke bowl (again, kudos for a trendy, nutritious menu). In the evening I had a beer and watched the sun go down.I also took the elevator up to Attiko, a sleek, high-energy rooftop bar with stunning panoramic views but I found it too windy so went back down to Ginger Moon. On a calm night (weather wise) it would be a fabulous place to meet clients or have a drink with friends.

There is also a Middle Eastern lounge called Farrago, Bussola for Italian food, Fish Beach Taverna, Bounty Beets (for organic, gluten-free and vegan food), and Mare by Bussola, which has a beach vibe but I didn’t have time to explore these.Another highlight is the W Dubai – Mina Seyahi’s new (in 2023) 2,500 sqm fitness centre –  1Rebel/Fit, which marks the UAE debut of UK-born boutique gym 1Rebel, which I am a big fan of. Again I didn’t have a chance to visit, though.

For meetings of up to 120 people, there are three distinct Studis with plenty of natural light. There is also a pre-function space with an outdoor terrace.

VERDICT:

The W Dubai – Mina Seyahi is a great new addition to the Dubai hotel scene with more restaurants than I had time to try, and a good selection of leisure facilities to make even a work trip feel a bit like a holiday. My room was generous in size and I loved the healthy food available at Ginger Moon. It’s great to see W still working hard to keep up with Millennial trends and maintaining a sense of individuality. In November 2023, rooms start from about £1,600 per night, so this is definitely an expensive property.

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A global study shows that people’s attitudes to work-life balance vary across generations and cultures – with the UK one of the most laissez-faire. Gemma Harris reports

A recent study of 24 countries carried out by the Policy Institute at Kings College London has shed light on how the people of the UK view the significance of work, indicating that the British public places relatively low importance on their jobs compared to other nations.

The study is a nod to changing mindsets, shifting priorities, conflicting views, and on-going debate surrounding whether one should “live to work or work to live.”

The study reveals that 73 per cent of British people state that their work is “very or rather important”, a figure on par with Russia and Canada. In contrast, 94-96 per cent of people in France and Italy say work is “very or rather important” to them.

The UK (22 per cent) ranks 21st for agreement with the view that work should always come first, even if it means less spare time, with only Australia (21 per cent), Canada (19 per cent) and Japan (10 per cent) either roughly as likely or less likely to hold this view.

Over the years between 1981 and 2022, those in the UK who said it would be a good thing if less importance were placed on work rose from 26 per cent to 43 per cent.

Overturning the notion that hard work brings a better life, from a smaller sample of 18 countries, the UK ranks 12th for the belief that hard work usually brings a better life. Approximately 39 per cent of people in the UK subscribe to this notion, significantly below the US (55 per cent).

Also notable within the survey is the generational shift, with Millennials less likely to agree that work should always come first, with 52 per cent agreeing it would be a good thing if less importance were placed on work.

In 2009, 41 per cent of Millennials believed work should come first, but by 2022, this figure plummeted to 14 per cent. In contrast, Baby Boomers (28 per cent) and the pre-war generation (43 per cent) are more likely to prioritise work.

Professor Bobby Duff, the director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London and principal investigator in the study, explains that Millennials “have become much more sceptical about prioritising work as they made their way through their career” due to “the long-term economic and wage stagnation that will lead the younger generation to question the value of work”.

The UK has one of the most favourable views of people who don’t work: only Sweden (32 per cent) is less likely than the UK (40 per cent) to say such individuals are lazy.

The conundrum of a work-life balance versus productivity is also discussed. “What comes through in this data is more of a steady drift towards a greater focus on getting the work-life balance right, rather than any big changes in attitudes, which is not necessarily bad for productivity,” says Duff.

The study serves as a snapshot of changing attitudes toward work in the UK. In a world where the quest for a more harmonious work-life balance continues, it underscores the evolving priorities and values of the British public, particularly among different generations.

The analysis was carried out as part of the World Values Survey (WVS), one of the world’s most extensive and widely used academic social surveys, since 1981. Ipsos collected the nationally representative UK data from a sample of 3,056 adults in 2022.

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Forward-looking companies can now rent out a whole village in Italy for corporate retreats and teambuilding, including the use of a castle and a 75-acre estate. Olivia Palamountain reports

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Porto in Portugal has topped a ranking of working holiday destinations that will be particularly well-suited to travellers from the UK. Jenny Southan reports

A ranking of some of the world’s best cities for workations a has been conducted by Culture Trip, a curator of small-group trips. In addition to Porto at number-one, the Spanish cities of Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid have also been featured in the top ten.

Outside of Europe, Delhi (34th) and New York (37th) are the best long-haul destinations for a working holiday, according to the research.

Data was gathered on essential remote work criteria (such as internet speed and the price of a coffee), as well as accommodation costs and tourist attractions, to assess which of the 60 world cities included in the research are best suited to a working holiday. (Globetrender thinks that time differences for long-haul destinations should also have been factored in.)

European destinations

Cities in Spain, France, Portugal and Italy top the ranking of the best cities for a working holiday from a UK perspective, taking all of the top ten positions and outranking popular destinations in the US, such as New York, which scores much less favourably.

1. Porto, Portugal
2. Valencia, Spain
3. Barcelona, Spain
4. Lyon, France
5. Lisbon, Portugal
6. Naples, Italy
7. Marseille, France
8. Paris, France
9. Milan, Italy
10. Madrid, Spain

Spanish cities dominate the ranking with Valencia and Barcelona taking second and third place respectively, and Madrid stealing the last spot in the top ten for best working holiday destinations.

Porto in Portugal, tops them all with an impressive internet speed (222.03 Mb/s), bettered only by Iasi in Romania, and a solid cyber security score (97.32), catering very well to those working remotely for parts of their holiday.

The city also offers plenty of green spaces, second only to Limassol, Cyprus, when adjusted by population, and a plentiful supply of Airbnbs (4,251) for its size. With just over 11 five-star rated attractions per KM2, Porto has much to offer those visiting on a working holiday.

Long-haul destinations

Being furthest from London, destinations outside of Europe struggle to compete with those closer to home. India and Pakistan landed close to the bottom. Apart from the obvious journey time to reach these destinations and the potential issues of being in a vastly different time zone, each has other criteria where they struggle to make the grade.

In the US, a relatively high cost of living translates into poor scores for all three cities (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago) with LA in particular being the most expensive city on the list for accommodation at £206.55 on average per night for an Airbnb.

Workation itineraries

On the back of this research, Culture Trip has also unveiled a working hliday itinerary planning service.

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As Portugal scraps its golden visa scheme, rich Americans are looking to Greece as a new route to European citizenship. Olivia Palamountain reports

For ultra-wealthy Americans looking to relocate, Greece is the word. That’s according to real estate, residency and citizenship experts, Astons, who believe that the Hellenic Republic could now eclipse Portugal as the preferred nation for expatriating USA HNWIs.

Not only did Greece attract the third highest level of applications by US investors in 2021, but this level of activity was 740% higher than the previous year.

The shift is thought to be due in part to the Portuguese government’s decision to close its golden visa scheme in order to help combat the nation’s growing housing crisis. Its digital nomad and D7 visas will remain in place.

What exactly is a golden visa? As reported by Euronews, they offer the opportunity for wealthy people to essentially ‘buy’ the right to residency – sometimes without even having to live in the country.

And their popularity in the European Union is growing as people look to move away from political decisions such as Brexit that may limit their rights.

The Greek golden visa is one of the most popular in Europe and currently costs just €250,000, making it one of the more affordable routes to European residency as well.

While already popular amongst American investors, there is also a growing sense of urgency to secure a Greek golden visa before the cost of investing doubles in May of this year to €500,000.

Immigration expert for Astons USA, Alina Lesina, says: “In 2020, we saw a mass exodus of American high-net-worth individuals leaving the USA and it was Portugal that they had their sights firmly set on with when obtaining alternative residency via a golden visa.

“However, it’s likely that Greece will now become their destination of choice following the Portuguese government’s decision to close its golden visa scheme.

“Not only has it been the second most popular European golden visa scheme amongst US investors in recent years, there has also been a huge increase in this interest on an annual basis.

“The scheme itself is one of the more affordable routes to European citizenship, whilst the nation is also similar to Portugal in geographical terms and with regard to its lifestyle offering and climate.”

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Hybrid hotel-club Birch Selsdon features a roster of family-friendly activities and co-working space in the countryside. Olivia Palamountain reports

Sister property to Birch Cheshunt, Birch Selsdon will open this spring, offering a blend of escapism, fun and productivity in a 19th-century mansion set within 200 acres of rolling hills and green space.

Designed for Millennials, the suburban retreat is located just 30 minutes from the centre of London and a short drive away from East Croydon mainline rail station (trains take 15 minutes from London Bridge, London Victoria and Gatwick airport).

Echoing the original property’s ethos of bringing like-minded people together to reconnect with themselves and each other, Birch Selsdon offers guests a space to rejuvenate, try new things and have some fun over a few hours or for a few days.

In addition to overnight stays for drop-in guests, Birch Selsdon will offer a membership programme comprising access to the entire estate.This will include regular networking events, plus discounts on stays and private room hire, access to a central London membership club and wellness clubs across the world, as well as priority booking for all ticketed events.

Individual membership for Birch Selsdon starts from £150 per month for 12 months, with a £300 joining fee. Options for joint access to both Birch sites are available too, along with under 30s membership, family membership, kids membership and company membership. The waiting list for membership is open now.

Ayo Akinsete, managing director of Birch, says: “In our post-pandemic world where boundaries have become even more blurred and it’s harder than ever to switch off, we need a reminder of the best things in life. Birch (Selsdon) is a place to pause, to try new things, to reconnect with yourself and others, and to have fun. We want guests and members to leave feeling inspired, upbeat, calm and nourished but also empowered to cope with the everyday juggling act of life.” The Gothic-style mansion was first developed into a hotel in the 1920s and has undergone an adaptation by architecture studio A-nrd, repurposing the original structure where possible and brought to life with the work of local makers and artists.

Birch Selsdon is now home to 181 bedrooms across five room categories, ranging from small (suitable for solo guests or couples) to multi-room suites perfect for large groups of friends or families.

All bedrooms feature sustainable or recycled fixtures, fittings and furniture (in line with Birch’s ethos to reuse and minimise waste and consumption) and there are no TVs.

Rooms at Birch Selsdon start from £180 per night. Guests can take advantage of the exclusive launch offer when they pre-book ahead of the hotel’s opening this spring, receiving £20 credit per person to spend on food and beverage during their stay.

Elsewhere are two restaurants, three bars, a lido, a premium wellness space, full-service co-working hub, studios and several communal spaces, from cosy snugs to an orangerie.

There’s even a unique Green Co-Working proposition that comprises sheltered outdoor desk spaces for anyone looking to immerse themselves in nature while getting on with tasks and to-do lists.

A glamorous transformation by interior design studio Sella Concept has added drama to the communal spaces – think “earthy glam” in the signature restaurant, velvet and Chinoiserie in the bar and dark, glossy walls in the speakeasy – all decked out in bespoke furniture by designer, maker and environmentalist Sebastian Cox.

Cox also masterminded the rewilding of the estate’s grounds, a project intended to (re)create a northern hemisphere scrubland savannah, free from human intervention, with self-sustaining herbivores including long-horned cattle and Exmoor ponies roaming free around the site.A dedicated family wing will allow children the opportunity to roam free too, while kids club, Birchlings, will take care of little ones with an enriching programme of activities and plenty of opportunities to learn about biodiversity.

Adults are also encouraged to let loose, with play a cornerstone of the Birch philosophy. This is reflected by the numerous on-site creative spaces, which will host an evolving programme of workshops and masterclasses.

A pottery studio, cookery studio and a screen-printing workshop joins a reading room and arcade, plus a wellness space with gym, studios and treatment rooms.

Outdoor activities include an Art-Deco-inspired lido (opening summer 2023), tennis courts, and running and cycling tracks.

Birch Selsdon’s restaurant menus are informed by the estate’s rewilding ethos, it’s kitchen garden, and a farm-to-fork, seasonal approach, with a focus on produce, provenance and exceptional quality.

Menus for both the signature restaurant, Elodie, and all-day dining affair Vervain, will be opened by Michelin Starred chef, Lee Westcott.

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Campsited’s ‘Open Air Work From Anywhere’ programme makes it easier than ever for companies to invest in the health, happiness and motivation of employees, with international escape packages tailored to remote working. Olivia Palamountain reports

 Campsited, the “digital marketplace for the open-air economy” has launched an “Open Air Work From Anywhere” programme, geared towards those of us who can and want to embrace the benefits of remote working.

The programme aims to make it as easy as possible for employers to provide their employees with the opportunity to switch the mundanities of everyday life and sample a taste of the good life, at one of Campsited’s gorgeous nature-led locations across several countries.

The live/work escapes last up to 12 weeks, and employees can choose to work from a variety of countries, including France, Italy, and Spain – think a mobile home close to the French seaside in Saint Cyprien, a chalet or lodge on the Italian riviera or in the Catalonia region of Spain, just a few kilometres from the Costa Dorada.

Campsited will shortly extend the programme adding properties in both the US and South Africa. (To set up the “Open Air Work From Anywhere” programme, the business will have to set up a subscription with Campsited first.)

All necessary amenities are provided and properties are vetted for all-important wifi availability. Campsited also offers e-sim mobile data packages for employees to use to minimise data roaming costs.

Finan O’Donoghue, founder and CEO of Campsited, says: “The Open-Air Work From Anywhere’ programme is something we are all very proud of at Campsited. By focusing on flexible working, we extend the wonderful open-air experience to people who want to get out of the house or city and closer to nature. Not to mention the well-documented health and well-being benefits that time closer to nature offers to companies for their employees.

“We are working with global thought leader and academic in remote work, Rowena Hennigan, to help us further develop our Open-Air Work from Anywhere programme to benefit all of our community, be it individuals, groups of employees or families. We are all very excited by it!

“The added benefit for our established network of more than 270,000 accommodation sites is a boost in demand outside of peak season.”

It’s no secret that we all love working from home: Statista reports that 30 per cent of employees now work at exclusively remote companies, while according to research by Owl Labs and Global Workplace Analytics, 74 per cent of employees feel happier when they work remotely. The reasons vary from not having to commute, to having more flexibility and spending more time with their families.

The best bit? According to IBM, employers are recognising the role that flexible working arrangements play to attract and retain employees, with 50 per cent of all global organisations believing that empowering a remote workforce is important.

Taking Campsited up on its “Open Air Work From Anywhere” programme is outsourced call centre service provider, Zevas.

The company is looking to support the physical and mental wellbeing of employees already working remotely by providing the opportunity for them to live in and experience another country.

John O’Sullivan, COO of Zevas, says: “Two years ago we were compelled by global circumstances to quickly move our workforce to remote working. As a multilingual global contact centre we have employees from many European countries who are now dispersed across Ireland, the UK and a number of European continental countries.

“We have tried many engagement efforts with our workforce to promote health and wellbeing. The Campsited ‘Open Air Work from Anywhere’ programme gives us a significant opportunity to positively benefit employees with an exciting and affordable way to work, travel and undertake new experiences simultaneously.”

Through Zevas’s subscription to the Campsited programme, their 200-plus employees will be able to access accommodation options that cater to their professional needs and personal appetite for open-air adventure, while enjoying the leisure and cultural opportunities offered by a new location.

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A survey of UK office workers has revealed that having a ‘change of environment’ is the biggest motivating force behind booking a workation. Rose Dykins reports

According to Comparethemarket.com, almost half of office workers (46 per cent) have taken a workation in the past year – and a third (35 per cent) are likely to take one within the next 12 months.

Workations – where employees carry out their normal job away from the office or home, combining work and leisure either in the UK or abroad – have been on the rise since the pandemic, as remote working has become more possible for the global digital workforce.

Comparethemarket.com commissioned Censuswide to survey 2,005 UK office workers in October 2022 to explore their ambitions and motivations for taking a workation.

According to the results, office workers have several motivations for working remotely. Among those who have taken a workation in the past 12 months, Comparethemarket.com found a change of environment (31 per cent), visiting family and friends (28 per cent) and a better quality of life (26 per cent) were the main reasons for doing so.

Top reasons discouraging people from taking a workation included accommodation costs (23 per cent), destination costs (20 per cent) and childcare responsibilities at home (20 per cent).

A large portion of office workers (43 per cent) are also unable to work remotely as say their employer does not allow them to. There is also some hesitancy in asking to take a workation – more than a third of respondents (34 per cent) believe their employer will react negatively to the request.

Meanwhile, more than a third (37 per cent) say the rising cost of living will make them less likely to take a workation. Those that have taken a workation reported the average cost to be £1,828 per person and lasts two-and-a-half months.

Comparethemarket.com’s research also reveals working remotely may create tensions between colleagues. A third (33 per cent) of office workers think colleagues are likely to do less work on a workcation.

Two in three (67 per cent) are also irritated about doing extra work to cover for a colleague on a workation, almost half (47 per cent) would be frustrated about changing the time of a meeting to suit someone in a different time zone, and two in five (40 per cent) would not be happy receiving emails out-of-hours.

While workations can be an exciting change of scenery, they can also be stressful without proper planning. People risk invalidating their home and travel insurance by going away for months-at-a-time. Comparethemarket.com is reminding people planning a workcation to speak with their travel and home insurance provider or take out specialist insurance if intending a long stay abroad.

Helen Phipps, director at comparethemarket.com, says: “Many people are fortunate enough to be able to work away from the office or home as part of their company’s remote working policy. However, if you are planning a workcation and a long trip away, it’s really important to notify your travel and home insurance providers before taking a workcation, as long trips away risk invalidating your insurance policies.”

She adds: “When taking out travel insurance, make sure you’re covered for the length of your trip. Long stay insurance is available if you’re away from the UK for a while, usually three to 18 months. You should also check that the policy remains valid if you’re working abroad, as some policies only cover leisure activities and not business.

“Your home insurance may also be invalidated if your property is left empty for a prolonged period. Make sure you speak with your insurance provider about your plans, even if you have house sitters or additional security measures. Leaving your home properly insured whilst you’re away can provide extra peace-of-mind.”

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