Bangkok ranks No. 1 on a new list of the world’s top “work” destinations from Holidu.co.uk.
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Because telecommuting has proven necessary, practical, and enduring for many in the midst of the pandemic, employees around the world have had a common thought: why work from home when you can work on the beach or in a cafe Parisian?
Working on holiday or doing a “job”, whether it’s a long weekend, a week, a month or more, can be more popular and widespread than ever and the UK-based holiday search engine Holidu.co. uk has compiled a list of the best cities around the world for “mixing business and pleasure”.
“The events of the last year and a half have completely changed the way we work, showing us that we don’t always have to be in the office five days a week to do our job,” Sarah Siddle said, public relations. and head of marketing at Holidu. “A job is the perfect way to spend an extended period of time in a destination you want to explore without the limitations of staying within the annual holiday diets.”
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Holidu’s labor index for 2021 ranked 150 cities as working holiday destinations with factors ranging from the monthly rent of a one-bedroom apartment and the cost of after-work drinks to the hours sun averages, wi-fi speed and number of things to do. “has been rated with four or more stars. (The eight data sources used included BestCities.org and Tripadvisor.co.uk).
Bangkok, Thailand tops the list this year, followed by New Delhi, India; Lisbon, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain; and – tied at number 5 – Buenos Aires, Argentina and Budapest, Hungary. According to Holidu, the Thai capital ranks first thanks to the cost of affordable living, the high level of knowledge of English, the wide variety of attractions and the wealth of world-class facilities and multinational offices.
“All the cities that got top-tier places managed to do so mostly because of their very affordable cost of living, with the price of accommodation, food and drinks at very attractive prices,” Siddle said. “On top of that, these cities are cultural landmarks in their own right, and they offer a number of amazing things to see and do.”
No U.S. city broke the top 20; Los Angeles ranked 30th highest.
In addition to LA, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego and Chicago rank above New York. The Big Apple is the first in weekend activities and is the world number 2 in collaborative spaces, just behind London.
San Francisco and San Diego were third and fourth globally for remote Wi-Fi connectivity, and Phoenix and Las Vegas ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, for “sun length.” (Holidu has published the full list online.)
According to Siddle, the phenomenon of the “digital nomad” running from anywhere will likely have permanent power.
“We expect this trend to increase over the next few years, as more companies give employees the flexibility to continue working while traveling more abroad, which in turn leads to better work-life balance,” he said. .
For its part, Concur’s TripIt travel organization app, found in a recent analysis of booking data that hosts more accommodations, both in the eight-to-13-day and 14-day window, is 10 times higher than in 2019, a result partly attributable to customers who combine business and leisure.
“Eighty-nine percent of global business travelers said they would add personal vacation time to their travels in the next twelve months, and that’s pretty significant,” said Jen Moyse, TripIt’s chief product officer in San Francisco .
Specifically, it is “a trend” of which TripIt has “a lot of anecdotal evidence,” he added. “We live here in a technology center, so that’s definitely something we’re hearing from friends and family.”
However, there are legal and tax implications to consider when working outside of your city or country of residence. “Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind, such as tax rules and regulations, but companies are starting to draft official guidelines and advice for employees on how much time they can spend working abroad, which makes it easier to process, ”Siddle said.