What is WFH?
Over the past years you probably have become familiarized with the acronym “WFH” – Work From Home. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people around the world had to set up a work space in the safety of their own home.
Companies and employees have found a new breath of freedom and have found that the same amount of work and even increased productivity can be achieved in other places other than an office environment.
Remote workers nowadays are not only freelancers, but also those employed by a business that allow them to work location-independently, as long as they meet deadlines, join meetings online and keep up the productivity and standards of their practice.
Traveling for holiday reasons during the pandemic wasn’t very popular due to the different hoops and obstacles people had to jump through – PCR tests, quarantine and limited flights. However, a more popular option many remote workers took was to travel rather short distances to neighboring regions to stay and work there for longer periods of time.
A demand for accommodation away from typical hotels and hostels but rather homes away from homes was on the rise and so was the birth of vacation rentals for remote workers.
Why choose a vacation rental over other accommodation?
There are many options for accommodation when visiting another country from hotels, homestays, hostels, camps, shared accommodation etc. However the most popular option for a lot of young travelers and remote workers is vacation rentals.
Vacation rentals are offering remote workers many different amenities. They can give them more space, more space to work but provide a different view than outside the bedroom window at home.
Vacation rentals are more personal and offer much more privacy than shared accommodation. Of course there are still options to find rentals with others to build a community of like minded workers however it isn’t necessary to be able to afford to live in one place for a longer period of time.
Renting someone else’s home or space is more economically affordable than hotel hopping. On many occasions individuals can make deals with owners or landlords to gain lower rates for longer term. Especially during the pandemic as many vacation rentals were lacking the influx of tourists. Many decided to rent to long term visitors and workers to guarantee an income.
Furthermore, many remote workers chose this option for safety. They were able to create their own bubble within the vacation home and separate themselves for possibilities of catching COVID-19 which was higher in places like hotels with more people coming in and out of the building.
Lastly, vacation homes are an ideal choice for families. As schools were also shut during the pandemic and many students learned from Zoom or other online platforms this gave families more freedom to relocate somewhere else for the season and still allow the children to study and get an education.
Is vacation rental suitable for every remote worker?
Vacation homes could put a hole in your pocket. If you are a solo traveler, it can be costly finding a space and living on your own. Many vacation homes are a lot larger than a hotel room, and the larger the area the more expensive it will be. Other costs that you may incur are electricity, water, garbage and wi-fi costs if they are not included in the initial price of the vacation rental.
Another negative of choosing a vacation rental over other means of accommodation are feelings of loneliness. Many people share feelings of FOMO- fears of missing out- when staying in vacation rentals and miss the sense of community. This can be highlighted even further if you work as a freelancer or for yourself as the opportunities to talk and socialize with others are limited. You can also check out coworking space websites to find a shared workspace near you, where you are likely to meet more people.
If you are searching for more interactions, coliving accommodation is ideal as you can have your own privacy, work comfortably in their equipped workspace, and meet like-minded remote workers.
What to look for when choosing a vacation rental for remote work?
There are a few key details individuals should take into consideration when they want to find a suitable vacation rental. It always depends on the individuals or group that will be visiting but here are a few essentials to remember;
Wi-Fi connection
Working from home would be pretty hard without Wi-Fi, checking that the rental has a stable enough connection, upload and download speed suited for your needs can prevent any frustration or upset with your workload.
Workspace with a comfortable chair
Working from home and working from anywhere, can mean just this. However, after the third day of working from your bed with your laptop on your knee can get a little awkward and repetitive. Finding a space that has a separate office or table/ desk with a comfortable seat can ease your working day.
Convenience
A cabin in the middle of nowhere is brilliant for creativity and privacy, but when you run out of groceries and need something from the shop, knowing where the local shops are from your rental is a necessity. Having a supermarket, cafes and a local grocery store close by allows vacationers to have their seclusion away from people, but also stops having to take a whole day off just to buy supplies.
Where to find the best vacation rentals?
It is no surprise that the most popular website for vacation homes is Airbnb (www.airbnb.com), they are the front runner for rental places for more than a decade. They too had to adapt and did so very quickly finding the demand for a home away from home and then put a lot of pressure and marketing on local or close by travel.
As Airbnb was already a multi-country business online, they had an easier time finding customers and transitioning their tactics for vacation rentals rather than large hotels and chains.
As the threat of COVID-19 disappears and more people are feeling more confident to get out and travel, travelers’ way of thinking has changed dramatically from the way they used to holiday in the past. Many have had the sweet taste of private rentals and can see so many more benefits that they can offer rather than other accommodation, so it seems the demand for these rentals will rise, rather than drop.
Vrbo (www.vrbo.com ) a sister company of Expedia is another very populated site for remote workers to find vacation homes. Providing landlords and owners lots of information about how to provide easy transitions between travelers and to secure safety from COVID-19.
Obviously what country you live in and what area you are near will have a big impact on which vacation home destinations are calling you. However, that being said, on average people have been searching within a 200 mile radius around their hometown or city to find escape into the country for their work from home.
Booking.com (www.booking.com ) is a brilliant website for holidaymakers, tourists and remote workers alike. Offering members rewards, discounts and extras for being a part of their community, Booking.com is an easy to use website that allows individuals to search and select a number or different filters. Selecting countries, cities, property types to search for the perfect space or allowing potential customers to search up to date articles about popular places.
Another great website dedicated solely for remote workers to find the best vacation rentals and coliving spaces for them is Anyplace (www.anyplace.com ). Providing tailor made searches for digital nomads to find spaces for a month or longer. Specializing in areas within the United States and plans to expand out further across the globe.
So what is next?
If you have done your research into becoming a digital nomad and you would like to travel and work from anywhere in the world then searching for the right accommodation is essential.
Make a list based on what things you want, if you would like to be more sociable, find something more private or be close to coworking spaces. Having a clear plan of the things you want and don’t want will make it very easy for you to search these websites and discover the perfect vacation homes for you.
Living a digital nomad lifestyle can be very rewarding, allowing travel, work and fun all rolled into one, it’s not surprising to see why so many people are now taking this route and why the hunt for the perfect vacation rental is on the rise.