Bye bye 9 to 5: work it wherever you want
Copyrights:BOOKING.COM
Working from home during the pandemic has allowed many of us to be released from the daily grind and commute to and from the office. And now, it seems that people may be reluctant to go back to their old routines. With the possibility of remote work becoming a long-term reality, it’s looking promising for those who are able to travel and set up their office anywhere – from a desk overlooking a serene lake setting to swapping your mountain screensaver for a real-life alpine backdrop.
Work and play
Now that people may have the freedom to work from wherever they choose, 2021 could bring a significant rise in travellers looking to take longer trips that combine work and pleasure. Over half of global travellers (52%) said they would take the opportunity to extend any business trip so that they could schedule in some leisure time. Many are also likely to add a week or two to their holiday in order to work remotely.
Slide 1 – Working from home during the pandemic has made me consider working remotely from a different destination (i.e. taking a Workcation).
Slide 2 – I would consider going to a travel destination that forces me to self-isolate on arrival if I could work remotely while in quarantine.
Slide 3 – I’ll take the opportunity to extend business trips so I can have leisure time at the destination.
Click on the arrows to view the responses to the questions. Global shaded in red.
Accommodation must-haves
While working from our own homes has its perks, over one third (37%) of those asked have already considered booking somewhere to stay for a welcome change of scenery. These travellers are mostly looking for accommodation that has home office facilities, fast Wi-Fi and most importantly, a spectacular view or cosy area to help make the work day fly by.
The business side of travel
Laptops are looking to become the newest travel necessity of 2021, with 40% of travellers being more willing to quarantine in destinations as long as they can work remotely. The world of corporate travel will also see an increased demand for privacy, cleanliness and longer stays.
Methodology:
*Research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who have traveled for business or leisure in the past 12 months, and must be planning to travel in the next 12 months (if/once travel restrictions are lifted). In total 20,934 respondents across 28 countries were polled (including from 999 USA, 496 from Canada, 497 from Mexico, 997 from Colombia, 999 from Brazil, 499 from Argentina, 995 from Australia, 499 from New Zealand, 999 from Spain, 996 from Italy, 996 from France, 999 from UK, 996 from Germany, 498 from Netherlands, 499 from Denmark, 499 from Sweden, 498 from Croatia, 1001 from Russia, 498 from Israel, 997 from India, 994 from China, 499 from Hong Kong, 497 from Thailand, 496 from Singapore, 499 from Taiwan, 997 from South Korea, 500 from Vietnam and 995 from Japan). Respondents completed an online survey in July 2020.
†Based on the share of filter users who used the “pet friendly” filter, comparing the average use of the filter across 2019.
‡Based on endorsements left on Booking.com as part of post-stay reviews. Insight based on endorsements that saw the biggest increase in monthly usage between 1st April 2020 and 11th September 2020, compared to the average monthly endorsements between January 2019 and February 2020.
§Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 50,688 respondents across 29 markets. In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in the past 12 months and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place in November 2019.