How to safely take a hush trip

The Covid-19 pandemic created unheard-of and lasting change in the workplace across the globe. As the world of travel has opened back up, not all corporate offices have fully. Many organizations downsized – people and space – during the pandemic, and not all workers have been drawn back into the office.

As remote and hybrid work environments have become the new normal, the situation has given rise to some new and interesting trends — the workation and hush trips.

• A workation is working while on vacation or vacationing while continuing to work.
• A hush trip is working in another location without the employer’s knowledge.

Hush trips are secret workations, and they’re poised to be the latest travel trend for 2023. 

Remote workers pack up and move somewhere new for a period of time — a few weeks, for example — without telling their employer. The worker simply adjusts their schedule to be close to their typical workday at home, then they log in and get to work. After hours, they explore the new destination.

Here’s what you need to know about hush tripping safely.

Why are employees taking hush trips?

Some employees are taking hush trips because they can maximize their weekends exploring a new location by working there all week. Some employees don’t have sufficient vacation time, and they justify the hush trip because it won’t interfere with their productivity. Some employees find the change of scenery and stepping away from their normal life helps with creativity and stress reduction. Hush trips are the latest burnout cure.

There are even guides to planning workations! 

• The guide to planning a workation by CareerGappers
• The complete guide to workation by Vacation Tracker

Where are workers traveling?

Workations aren’t entirely new — they were around before the pandemic — but the pandemic gave remote workers options. Some vacation rental companies started offering discounted long-term stays, and hotels have begun getting in on the workation trend. Countries have started issuing digital nomad visas, so this is a trend that’s not likely to go away soon.

The top workation destinations depend on who you ask, of course, and cost is a critical factor. Whereas a worker may be willing to spend more on a true vacation, they want affordability when they’re on a workation.

The other critical factors are internet speed and safety (low crime). 

There are lots of ‘best workation destination’ lists out there, but some of the locations that regularly land on the top destinations are:

• Thailand
• Spain
• Portugal
• Argentina

What are the risks of an extended workation?

Companies and employees are still navigating how to get the right fit between remote, hybrid, and in-office work, and there are some risks to both sides of the equation.

For employers, hush trips can cause a surprise tax bill.

For employees, an accident or illness on a hush trip could come with a hefty medical expense depending on their personal medical coverage. If you’re employer is in California, your medical coverage may be isolated to providers only in your home state. If you have to go to the doctor or hospital, you could end up paying out-of-network prices for your medical care — even in your home country.

How do you protect a hush trip?

Depending on how far you’re going and how long you’ll be staying on your hush trip, take a beat to think about how to be safe. 

If you’re leaving the state and going outside your personal medical insurance coverage area, think about getting a travel medical plan to cover yourself and family members.

If you’ll be renting a vehicle on your hush trip, consider whether you have enough coverage to protect yourself from financial losses if there’s an accident.
If you don’t want your boss tracking you while you travel, get a travel VPN and use it when you log in for work.