If you feel the warmth when you get up in the morning, hear Mediterranean sounds or drink your first coffee on a sunny terrace, you start your working day in a completely different way. These small sensory impressions, such as different air, different sounds, different colors, act like a mini vacation for the nervous system - both as a contrast to the German winter and during the high season in August.

Instead of sitting in your usual home office or office, you're in a new environment that automatically triggers a certain wake-up factor and immediately motivates you, says Nik. You also want to make conscious and full use of your time on site, which definitely helps with concentration.
After work, the sea, a lively old town, a walk along the promenade or a short excursion await. For Lena and Nils, this creates clear anchor points in their daily routine and definitely ensures that they get off to a better start in the morning so that they can "run off" on time.

The exciting thing is that the working day is less different than you might expect. Many people start the day early anyway, so that they can finish work at around 3 or 4 p.m., a rhythm that is even better suited to a workation.
The main difference lies more in the surroundings:

• Lunch breaks are longer and more deliberate (market halls, beach, local cafés)
• The micro vacation begins immediately after work
• Motivation remains high because there are always positive environmental stimuli during work.

The workation also has a mental effect: When you return, there is sometimes a slight dip in mood due to the changeover, but all three colleagues confirm that there are often lasting energy effects afterwards. The awareness of being able to use this opportunity again gives them an additional motivational boost in everyday life.

Spring and summer in Germany are often nice enough - but November is a low point, especially for our UX researcher Lena. Fog, gray afternoons, early darkness, cold and wet weather and still no Christmas lights in sight.
A week south of that feels a bit like a new start for her, because working on the terrace in Thessaloniki at 20 degrees and then exploring the old town definitely helps her through the long dark winter. More hours of sunshine, lively cities and a mild climate lift her spirits and a workation in November has established itself for her over the last few years.

For our Android developer Nils, a workation offers the advantage of being able to visit his family in Spain without having to use his annual vacation. And who doesn't like working under the Spanish sun in spring while dad puts the particularly good food in front of you? It was clear to Nils that he would then go to Barcelona for a few days of big city feeling. Here he enjoyed the possibilities of the surroundings and spent his evenings by the sea or in the lively city. It is clear to him that he will be taking advantage of the Workation offer again next year, especially to visit his family and write his codes with a view of the sea instead of staring at the office wall at home.

What all three colleagues experienced in equal measure:
Workation is not "working on vacation", but a productive setting with a built-in energy upgrade. Those who start early, set clear routines and use the sun as a reward not only come back motivated and refreshed - they also work in a surprisingly focused way on site. Workation is not an escape, but a strategic opportunity to strengthen your own mental health and work motivation in the long term and discover a little more of the world at the same time.