Is this the answer to our holiday childcare dilemma?

Family workations are on the rise. What's the deal and would one appeal to you?

Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash

As the Summer holidays loom, it seems that every working parent with school age children has one thing on their minds: childcare.

Whether you’re a business owner or employed, the numbers just don’t add up. In the UK for example, employed parents are entitled to take almost six weeks of paid annual leave. Most school children get between 13 and 15 weeks off per year. Even if you have a partner to stagger holiday with, you’re still a couple of weeks short. Not to mention the fact that you’ll never get to enjoy time off as a family. Not many UK-based parents know that they are also legally entitled to take four weeks of unpaid leave per year, with a few caveats. That’s lovely and all, but many can’t afford to skip their salary in the holidays. So we turn to the working parent’s childcare trusted trio – holiday clubs, grandparents, screen time.

But what if there were another way? Browsing a forum the other day, I came across the concept of “family workations”. A little poll amongst my friends with kids revealed that most haven’t heard of this idea, so I decided to find out a bit more and share with you.

What is a family workation?

Family workations are exactly what they sound like. You get a family vacation, with the opportunity for parents to work. Childcare is usually included, or at least made super accessible, along with everything you might need to work while abroad. Think speedy wifi, hotdesks, monitors and other hardware, refreshments, and even opportunities for networking and coaching. When you’re not working, you can enjoy the holiday environment as a family. Genius.

What are the options?

Family Workation

Booking their Porto location gets a family between six and 28 days in a fully serviced premium aparthotel in the heart of the city. The site’s facilities include: a fully equipped coworking studio; garden; housekeeping and concierge services; 24/7 fitness centre and deli. An on-site Portuguese deli sounds particularly appealing to me!

Family Workation doesn’t organise the childcare provision for you, but they can connect you with trusted local babysitters. They also have a Bali location coming soon. Sign me up!

Learn more about Family Workation

iSlow Coliving

Based on the Galician Costa da Morte, iSlow is advertised as a way for digital nomad families to achieve their optimum work-life balance. It seems like they’re pitched more towards longer trips, however their minimum stay is 14 nights so you could easily book this as a holiday.

You and your family stay in an ancient stone house with a strong family heritage and bags of charm, surrounded by plenty of open space and beach spots. There are a range of air conditioned rooms to choose from, all equipped with kitchen facilities. As part of your stay you get: weekly housekeeping; access to common areas including laundry facilities and a yoga deck; a shared coworking space with high speed internet access, and a bookable private room for video calls. They also run regular events such as movie nights, skill sharing sessions and traditional Galician cooking workshops.

iSlow offers play spaces dotted around the site, where parents can work while the little ones play happily. I love the sound of the reading nooks, and my littlest would go wild for the tiny kitchenette.

Learn more about iSlow Coliving

Rêve Retreat

Rêve Retreat is a calm woodland village in the Limoges area of France. They offer glamping accommodation all year round, but for six weeks of the year they host Coworking Camps. Families can book one of six luxe wooden cabins and gain access to a: pool; coworking space; restaurant (you can opt for fully catered or bed and breakfast only); cinema; firepit and dancefloor. The little ones enjoy activities with childcare providers for three hours each day, leaving the adults to their own devices. Guests can also access babysitting services in the evenings.

Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash

Rêve Retreat will be ideal for families who love the outdoors, as the site offers direct access to 20 acres of beautiful countryside, including cycle and walking routes. There’s even a swimming lake. Oh, and dogs are also welcome.

Learn more about Rêve Retreat

Would you consider a coworking camp?

Family workations, or coworking camps, appeal to me immensely. As a freelancer who basically juggles parenting responsibilities with work 24/7, I am used to the idea of working with my children nearby. This feels like a natural extension of my work-life mindset as I’d get all the support I’d need to work while away, with the knowledge that my children are well taken care of close by. And then I’d look forward to an afternoon spent playing together on the beach. A coworking camp might also work well for single parents who are business owners as it’s an easy way to keep tabs on the business while taking a family holiday.

However, I realise that a coworking setup may not work for everyone. People taking annual leave from their 9-5 jobs might want a complete break from work, and that’s totally healthy. Sometimes you just need a vacation, not a workation.

Finally, I haven’t included details on costs but I do wonder whether the cost of a workation negates the freelance income I’d earn in a fortnight. Would it be worth it? You’d need to consider any additional benefits from this kind of experience, such as the opportunity to network with fellow freelancers and potentially access coaching. Also, the benefits of keeping your business running during the holidays. One thing’s for sure, I’ll certainly be looking into these options for Summer 2024.

Over to you…

What about you? How are you managing childcare this year, and would you ever consider a workation? Hearing from you is my favourite part of creating this newsletter, so please do share your thoughts in the comments section below.