MILLIONS of Brits plan to work while taking personal holidays – and become blended travellers in 2023.
A poll of 2,000 adults who can work remotely found seven in 10 who have previously combined work and pleasure intend to do so again next year.
Brits want to see the world without using up annual leave
Of these, 37 per cent love the fact they can see the world without using up annual leave.
While 33 per cent also noted the benefit of less crowded airports due to travelling outside of peak time.
And 31 per cent appreciated the cheaper flights due to going when most are typically working in the UK.
Of those who have previously travelled and worked abroad, the average ‘blended’ traveller spends five hours working each day.
Naomi Hahn, spokesperson for Skyscanner which commissioned the research, said: “The remote working population are making the digital nomad trend we’ve seen emerge over the last few years permanent.
“The pandemic limited our travel options for years but expanded our options and flexibility as a workforce.
“Now that the world is open for exploration again, it’s great to see workers holding onto this workplace flexibility and blending it with the travel opportunities available to them.
“Blending remote work in travel can often mean more convenient and even cheaper travel.”
The study found 66 per cent of those who have extended a trip abroad have taken their partners with them, 60 per cent have taken their mates and 56 per cent brought along their family.
And 59 per cent who work remotely have extended a personal holiday to build in time to get some work done.
The hotel is the preferred venue for working while holidaying for 59 per cent, although 40 per cent will decamp to a restaurant.
Only 12 per cent of all workers have qualms about taking care of some work responsibilities while on holiday.
And 60 per cent think combining some work with leisure activities on a trip abroad is a good idea.
City break-style holidays were found to lend themselves to this blended style of holiday best, followed by beach holidays and sports holidays.
While Barcelona tops the study, carried out by OnePoll, as the most popular destination for a blended leisure and work trip.
Paris, Florence and Madrid also featured in the top five, while Lisbon, Amsterdam and Dublin were in the top 10.
Instagram was identified as the main source of blended travel inspo, with 30 per cent naming the social platform as the main place where they see people blending work with leisure on holiday.
A spokesperson for Skyscanner added: “Compared to places like the US, the amount of annual leave given to UK workers is relatively good, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t adjustments to be made.
“Blended trips are a personal choice, and they aren’t for everyone.
“For those who want to get away from the stress of their day-to-day and leave the office behind, travel abroad still offers a great way to do that.
“But for blended travellers happy to pack their laptop in their carry-on, there are opportunities to bring your work to some inspiring and exotic locations – without eating into your leave allowance.”