After organizing several workations in Gran Canaria, there’s one idea I always try to explain: a workation isn’t just a vacation with your laptop in your suitcase.
During a vacation, work comes to a halt. On a workation, professional activity continues, but the setting changes, as does the way you spend your days with the team.
This doesn’t mean it’s enough to just book a nice place to stay and make sure it has Wi-Fi. The workspace, the pace of the stay, and what happens outside of work hours should all be part of the same experience.
At Oceanworking, we design each proposal based on the group’s specific needs. Before defining the spaces or activities, we need to understand how the team works, what they need during those days, and what they hope to find when they step away from their usual environment.
A real-life example: a workation for four colleagues
There’s a message that perfectly captures what an experience like this can offer.
Four coworkers participated in one of the workations organized by Oceanworking for a week. By being in the same place, one of them was able to spend more time with the rest of the team and gain firsthand insight into other ways of organizing work.
After the trip, his boss asked him if he was feeling better. He replied:
Real testimonial
Message received after the workation · Translation into Spanish
Great, are you feeling a little better?
Definitely. I can’t believe it, but the workation really helped me.
Real message translated from Italian. Identity anonymized for privacy.
The value of this message lies in its authenticity: it’s not a scripted pitch to promote a workation, but something the participant shared on their own initiative, without being asked. They viewed the experience positively and explained that the workation had helped them.
This message reflects solely the participant’s personal experience. More generally, research on informal learning at work also highlights the value of observing, collaborating, and solving problems alongside others. Although it doesn’t specifically analyze workations, it helps us understand why sharing the day-to-day professional experience can open up different avenues for learning.
What Sets a Workation Apart from a Vacation
The main difference between a workation and a vacation is the role that work plays.
During a vacation, work responsibilities are put on hold so you can rest and disconnect. On a workation, they remain part of the daily routine: there are still meetings, tasks, projects, and schedules.
Nor is the goal to pass off a workday as a vacation experience. A workation is based on the premise from the start that the team is going to work and needs the right conditions to do so.
The change comes around that workday. People find themselves in a different destination, share the same environment, and can use their free time afterward to chat, do an activity, or explore the area.
That’s why it doesn’t make sense to frame the comparison as a choice between a better option and a worse one. They address different needs.
| Aspect | Workation | Vacation |
|---|---|---|
| Work | Work continues | Work is interrupted |
| Goal | To work from a different setting and spend time with the team | To rest and unwind |
| Needs | Workspace, internet connection, and organization | Accommodations and leisure activities |
| Pace | Workday combined with the destination | Free time without work obligations |
| Who is it for | Teams that want to continue working together outside their usual environment | People who need to take a break from work |
If what you need is to take a break from work and unplug, you need a vacation. If you want to keep working while spending a few unique days with your team, a workation might be the right option.
A good internet connection isn’t enough
When we think about working from a different location, our first concern is usually the internet connection. It’s essential, but it’s not the only factor to consider: the team also needs a comfortable space, the ability to hold meetings, and conditions that allow them to stay focused throughout the day. A makeshift table or a common area full of distractions can turn an attractive destination into an impractical place to work.
That’s why having a space set up for work isn’t a secondary detail when planning a workation: it must fit the team’s work style and allow their activities to continue as usual.
In a remote team, much of the communication serves a specific purpose: scheduling a video call, reviewing a task, or sharing information via a digital tool. When people come together for several days, other moments also arise—a conversation after work, a shared meal, or a spontaneous exchange that wouldn’t have required calling a meeting. This doesn’t replace remote work, nor does it mean that all teams must meet in person constantly: a workation simply provides a one-time opportunity to come together in a different setting and share more than just the usual meetings.
An experience that begins before arriving at the destination
Organizing a workation begins long before the trip. In the initial discussions, we need to know how many people will participate, how the team is organized, and what kind of spaces they’ll need during the day. We also need to understand what they hope to find outside of work, because not all groups want the same pace or the same type of activities.
Planning a week for four colleagues isn’t the same as planning an experience for a large group—the team’s size affects accommodations, the workspace, and coordination. In a real-life example, we explain how we organized a retreat for 55 people in Gran Canaria. Customizing a workation doesn’t mean filling up the schedule—it means creating a plan that aligns with the group’s way of working and socializing.
Why Gran Canaria Is a Great Fit for a Workation
Gran Canaria allows you to combine a workday with various activities once the workday ends. The team can carry out their work in a space designed for that purpose and use the rest of the day to change scenery, explore the island, or spend time together outside the professional context.
The destination doesn’t eliminate responsibilities or automatically transform the way people work. The difference lies in how the spaces, the pace, and the shared moments are organized. For teams working from different cities or countries, spending a few days together on the island can offer a different context from their usual routine. Gran Canaria provides the setting; the experience is tailored to the group’s needs.
What a Workation Is Not
A workation does not involve working during a personal vacation, nor should it be used to replace the team’s days off. Participants must understand the purpose of the stay from the outset and know that professional activities will continue.
Nor is it about simply moving the office to another location without making any other changes. If everyone spends the entire day isolated and there’s no time for shared activities, the experience may end up feeling too much like a typical workday. The value of this format lies in combining suitable working conditions with the opportunity to come together and share the destination at a different pace.
Are you thinking about organizing a workation in Gran Canaria?
At Oceanworking, we design workations and retreats tailored to each group’s specific needs. Before putting together a proposal, we seek to understand how the team works, how long the stay will last, and what they need during their workdays.
If you’re thinking about organizing a workation in Gran Canaria, let us know how many people will be participating and what kind of experience you’d like to share.
Because a workation isn’t just about taking your laptop to another destination. It’s about organizing a few days where the team can work effectively while also sharing something different outside of work hours.
We can help you design an experience tailored to your team’s size, your work style, and the pace you want to maintain during your stay.