The increasing prevalence of remote work and tighter social distancing measures has created a new travel trend; instead of working from home, wellness enthusiasts are taking holidays abroad where they can work remotely while pursuing healthy activities. Health and Fitness Travel, the wellness holiday specialists, has seen an increase in new bookings for clients who want to leave the living room and carry on working remotely from a luxury destination.

The rise in popularity is with good reason as studies suggest that productivity is enhanced; many destinations like St Lucia and Madeira are safer havens from COVID-19; both work and personal life become more flexible. As the winter intensifies and recent lockdowns mean those that can are once more working from home, with this we can only expect the work wellnesscation trend to continue to grow. The lead up to Christmas and January in particular is likely to be popular as remote working from holiday can be supplemented with annual leave for an even better getaway experience.

Out of the many possible retreats for remote work, Mindful Triathlon™ holidays are particularly popular with health-conscious, remote workers as they offer an entirely flexible programme which covers all aspects of health: activeness, mindfulness and wellness.

Clients can engage with their health and fitness programme which is built around their work schedule with these super flexible holidays. They can attend morning or evening activities, spa treatments and personal training scheduled around their working day. Mindful Triathlon holidays provide the variety and flexibility necessary for a work wellnesscation.

St Lucia, Turks & Caicos and other Caribbean destinations are popular for their sparce population, secluded luxury resorts and sunny winter climates. Dubai, Croatia, Estonia and Barbados are also attracting remote workers as they offer ‘digital nomad visas’. These new visas allow people to spend up to a year at a holiday destination while working remotely. Within these countries, resorts which offer villas are the most popular as this style of accommodation is ideal for those looking to work remotely and maintain their social distance from others. Work Wellnesscations are not exclusively to these destinations as they can be taken anywhere visa and restriction permitting with strong Wi-fi and a good phone signal.

The phenomenon is likely to have a lasting impact on a variety of industries, not just travel. With a higher number of remote workers, demand for office space will be smaller. Public transport may suffer a substantially reduced revenue due to a lack of commuting. Air pollution and congestion in major cities may decrease substantially with fewer people working in urban centres. Work Wellnesscations may be a much-needed revitalisation of the wellness travel industry with a post-lockdown boom in the length of average stay and a rise in the number of guests. All of this is indicative of a radical change in the UK’s work and holiday culture. As more people leave the office and begin remote work, there will be a substantially large group looking abroad, a season at a time, for new healthier lifestyles.