Working from home (WFH) has been a thing since the coronavirus upended our lives last year. Many of us have turned a small corner in our home into a temporary (fingers crossed) workplace, in a time when working in an actual office isn't quite safe. While the idea of WFH is quite nice—no traffic, no formal attire, no encounters with annoying colleagues—this new normal practice, where you can be cooped up at home practically the whole day, can get old pretty quickly, thus the need for change.
Workations, where you combine going on holiday with taking your job with you, have become quite popular since the pandemic started. These double-duty trips allows you to escape the city's hustle and bustle, but to also still get some office tasks done in a work-conducive and inspiring environment. And the good thing is, Thailand offers many places for this kind of set-up.
In fact, Thailand may just be the best place to go on workation. A survey by UK-based travel website Holidu has produced a list of The Best Cities for a Workation, and includes 30 cities around the world that offer an ideal work-slash-holiday experience.
The list gives a pretty thorough analysis, based on a set of factors required to have a decent workation. These include, for instance, internet speed, the average price of a coffee or a meal at a local restaurant, the monthly cost of accommodation, and some things you don't expect, like numbers of photos posted on Instagram and things to do as advised on Tripadvisor.
And the top spot goes to (drum roll, please) Bangkok! Survey respondents have voted Thailand's capital as the best city for a workation. What swung the vote in our favor? Well, it helps that you can rent a nice one-bedroom apartment for the relatively affordable price of B18,500 per month and that you can get a good cup of coffee for only B70.
Two other cities in Thailand have also snatched spots in the top 10, namely Chiang Mai and Phuket. These two popular destinations—one up north and the other in the coastal south—tied for 10th place.
Other tourist-beloved metros that made it to the top 10 include New Delhi, India; Lisbon, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Looks like Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country to make it to the magic 10.
Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai may embody great qualities for both working and vacationing, but there’s still the challenge of coming to Thailand. Our tourism-reviving schemes have helped facilitate the entry of international workationers into the country. Here’s hoping they consider staying for an extended period of time to enjoy Thailand’s work-holiday benefits.