Almost three-quarters of working Brits plan to blend work with travel in 2023 – with Barcelona and Paris named as the top locations for doing so.
Nearly three in five Brits (59%) who are able to work remotely, have extended a personal trip abroad in order to allow for some time to get work done, according to a poll of 2,000 adults.
And seven in ten of those would do so again next year – with 37% saying the best thing about doing so is being able to see the world without eating into their annual leave.
Three in ten (31%) also noted that flights are usually cheaper, as they travel while most people in the UK are working, and a third said airports are typically less crowded as it is not a peak time to fly.
Other top cities where Brits would choose to be a “blended” traveller include Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Venice.
And of those who have previously travelled and worked abroad, the average “blended” traveller spends five hours working each day.
Naomi Hahn, spokeswoman for Skyscanner, which commissioned the research, said: “The remote working population are making the digital nomad trend we’ve seen emerge over the last few years permanent.
“The pandemic limited our travel options for years, but expanded our options and flexibility as a workforce.
“Now that the world is open for exploration again, it’s great to see workers holding onto this workplace flexibility, and blending it with the travel opportunities available to them.
“Blending remote work in travel can often mean more convenient, and even cheaper, travel.”
The study found two-thirds (66%) of those who have extended a trip abroad have taken their partners with them, while 60% have taken their mates, and over half (56%) brought along their family.
The hotel is the preferred venue for working while holidaying for 59% – although 40% will decamp to a restaurant.
Only 12% of all workers have qualms about taking care of some work responsibilities while on holiday.
And three in five think combining some work with leisure activities on a trip abroad is a good idea.
City break-style holidays were found to lend themselves best to this blended style of holiday, followed by beach holidays and sports holidays.
And Instagram was identified as the main source of blended travel inspo, with 30% naming the social platform as the main place where they see people blending work with leisure on holiday.
A spokesman for Skyscanner added: “Compared to places like the US, the amount of annual leave given to UK workers is relatively good – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t adjustments to be made.
“Blended trips are a personal choice, and they aren’t for everyone.
“For those who want to get away from the stress of their day-to-day and leave the office behind, travel abroad still offers a great way to do that.
“But for blended travellers happy to pack their laptop in their carry-on, there are opportunities to bring your work to some inspiring and exotic locations – without eating into your leave allowance.”
TOP 10 BLENDED TRIP DESTINATIONS:
- Barcelona, Spain
- Paris, France
- Florence, Italy
- Madrid, Spain
- Berlin, Germany
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Dublin, Ireland
- Venice, Italy
- Porto, Portugal
